It probably isn’t immediately obvious on this platform that I’m a Spider-Man fan. Fan may be understating it, but I consider myself an avid lover Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s Web-Head; I’ve spent my life consuming comics, cartoons, toys, video games, well, you name it. In fact there are very few characters in media that I would say had an absolutely massive impact on me growing up that would have any form of edge on Peter “Spider-Man” Parker.

Now, the most significant media to me for this character outside of the comics (which can vary wildly between writer and artist) – though I adore MacFarlane, Romita, Romita Jr, and Bagley – for me, Spider-Man the Animated Series (1995) is the toppest top.

Written by John Semper and with the fantastic Christopher Daniel Barnes bringing our hero to life is probably my own personal pinnacle for Spidey. The perfect balance of wit, heart, and spidering the character felt balanced and authentic. Even if I did happen to adopt the verbal tic of “Sheesh” for nearly a decade.

This isn’t a review of the 1995 series. But, I want to be clear that that’s where my heart is when it comes to the wall crawler, things that followed have been superb and frankly Spider-Man fans have never gone hungry even with maligned adaptations or spin-offs souring the palate somewhat (side-eying you Madame Web).

Other Spider-Men have done superb work with the hero and I don’t have the bandwidth to explain the why – but, Patrick-Harris, Keaton, Lowenthal, Maguire, Garfield, all deserve an honourable mention (and articles of their own) – with each adaptation learning from the one before it and delivering performances that draw on parts of the Web Swingers history in their own way – and, as I’ve said already: fans have eaten well.

You may notice I’ve been quiet on Holland. Intentional, but not out of spite. Holland’s movies as our heroic Wall Crawler have been slow growing, taking three movies to build on the characters earlier adventures and to develop into the confident Hero we know him to be. This made his movies a little jarring for me, as the Spider-Man persona always swung around confidently, striking his enemies with wit and technology that sets him apart from every other Marvel character – there is a reason why Spider-Man is Marvel’s Flagship character. So having Peter’s growth as Spider-Man feel slow and mired by the involvement of other MCU characters always made the character seem ‘cheaper’ by comparison to versions of the Hero that stood unsupported by the wider-universe.

We know that the writers didn’t ‘decide’ to make Holland’s movies so dependant on MCU cameos, part of the agreements for Marvel to use the character in movies from Sony was that it had to identify largely as an MCU movie and not as a “standalone” Spider-Movie. So there’s no blame outside of corporate politics for the slightly stunted ascent the latest iteration has had.

But now, I’m truly delighted that Holland’s Spider-Man has really stepped into his own. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is not just Holland’s strongest Spider-Man movie to date (which it is, in spades) but also one of the strongest Spider-Man movies. Period.

It learns not only from previous adventures in the “Home” series, but also has taken the genius decision to adopt stylings and choices from other forms of Spider-Media, most evidently the videogames by Insomniac.

A combination of evolving elements to Peter’s circumstances, the way Spider-Man is presented, and Holland’s own abilities make Peter and Spider-Man a truly authentic and compelling iteration. The action sequences felt well thought out and well distributed to stop the movie feeling punch-heavy, and while I’m generally anti-MCU cameo the ones present had a driving force on the narrative and weren’t just there to provide a deus ex machina for a struggling hero.

I have to make a particular note to praise Holland and Bernthal, I was incredibly sceptical about a heavy Punisher involvement but I cannot praise the pair enough. Peter and Frank have the most authentic Marvel relationship I’ve seen in any Marvel movie, and they elevated this to new heights with a balance of wit, and heart that hasn’t been done this strongly before for me. I loved every second the pair were on screen and I sincerely hope that if this long-term arrangement with Sony continues that Frank (Bernthal) becomes a staple in Peter’s (Holland’s) network – this isn’t about replacing a mentor in Tony Stark, but actually giving Spider-Man a friend. Let’s face it “The Parker Luck” is a great reason for Marvel to give Pete the short end of the stick at any occasion (readas torture and suffering), but there has to be some light in the heroes life – and if that’s Frank Castle, well, I’m on board with that.

The only let downs for me in the movie pale compared to it’s praise. Sadie Sink, in a fantastic performance, revealing herself as a long-time Marvel character was both expected and unfortunately felt a bit too much like Doomsday Setup – same can be said for Banner’s Hulk, which ate much the narrative space.

Secondly, more of a pet peeve, is that I’m not sure why this iteration of Spidey decides to walk so much, or takes an elevator – I appreciate “it’s a secure building” or whatever, but a note that should be observed from games, and even 1995 is that Peter Parker walks, Spider-Man wall crawls, he hangs from webs, he sips coffee upside down – he burns himself – but that’s the charm.

Seeing a man in a Spider-Suit mosey through a busy office was character breaking, and even in later sections on Frank’s Boat Spidey felt very un-Spider-like – it didn’t ruin the movie but it was a miring question that throbbed like a splinter.

All being said, my personal irks aside, I loved the movie, it was an adventure – and after seeing Odyssey the same day it was a much needed pulse of wit, humour, and heart, and goes no small lengths to show how well Tom Holland has grown into his role as our favourite wall-crawling wonder!

S