The rise and fall of Spider-Man syncs up with a strong time for Tom Holland. As he is slinging webs into the world of Spider-Man, he is also starring in The Odyssey, Christopher Nolan’s epic which is experiencing great success at the box office. Holland is killing it in both his role as Telemachus in The Odyssey and his role as Peter Parker in Spider-Man Brand New Day. The twist given the foes in both films—are the webs effective enough to save the city in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?

I have always been sold on The Spider-Man movies. However, only two of the three actors who have played Spider-Man have stood out for me the most. Tobey Maguire played the role well and so does Tom Holland.  I was never a fan of Andrew Garfield’s performance because he never  had serious spider senses. That is an element that both Maguire and Holland performed well when playing their roles in the franchise. Uncharted territory abounds in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

For Peter Parker/Spider-Man, the universe has shifted, and he must utilize the world around him to navigate his life as a normal human-being and also a superhero.. At the same time, however, his friendships with MJ (Zendaya) and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) are on his mind. He is friends with them in one universe, and in the current one, the slate is clean. With the new enemies in Spider-Man: Brand New Day explores some unique threats. Since Jean Grey can alter the minds of many individuals, there are forces stronger than anticipated. The name might be familiar from the X-Men franchise, and she is played by Sadie Sink. The webs and technology of Peter-Parker/Spider-Man are in for new challenges. The presentation is darker than I had expected.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day has the mode of normalcy for Peter Parker/Spider-Man which amounts to saving people and utilizing technologies to help keep the streets and the city safe. Slowly though, more rapid evolutions occur, including his friendship with his friend Frank Castle/Punisher (Jon Bernthal). It is like Spider-Man has a sidekick. But, are they on the best terms? That question is a heavy one, because the universe that Spider-Man is swinging in keeps him facing plateaus with a significant impact on him. He is still able to survive and fight back. The darker alleys made the experience of Spider-Man: Brand New Day feel more intense.

Peter-Parker’s life goes on. The normal human mode keeps stirring his own emotions. When he puts on the mask and takes it back off—the agony of defeat (from the previous films) feels real in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The curiosity is whether he can continue to be the hero he was once strong enough to be. Be ready for more  moments of weakness this time around. Three out of four stars for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.