Zendaya poses at the premiere of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day (Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures)
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(“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” trailer courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Amnesia definitely has its benefits.
While many love to reminisce on the good times, forgetting the painful moments and disappointments can benefit a person’s mental health tremendously.
But what happens to a person who can remember the good times, but those closest to him at one point cannot even remember knowing them?
That is Peter Parker’s dilemma in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” a visually stunning superhero movie mixed with many moments of melancholy.
While many people would have to force themselves to move on from a past that only they remember, Peter (Tom Holland) cannot, because of his day job as a volunteer crime fighter.
Spider-Man has a stellar track record in the crime-fighting department.
Furthermore, he is the hero of every boy and girl in town.
But when he meets an opponent who tries to get into his head, can he keep his mental right to save the day once again?
In “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” things in Peter’s hometown look great, especially after the incarceration of Scorpio.
However, during Scorpio’s transfer to another facility, he is mysteriously broken out of captivity.
Although Peter is accustomed to fighting bad guys, he finds his new battles with Scorpio more difficult than he would have imagined.
For some reason, when Peter begins chasing an enemy in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” another spirit jumps into them and then jumps into someone else close to the previous person.
Therefore, when Peter believes that he is fighting his nemesis Scorpio, he is fighting someone else much more powerful than his usual foe.
The slippery foe becomes such a detriment to Peter and society at large that the government brings Peter in to assist them in bringing the creator of the enemy, which jumps from person to person, into custody.
But those who trust the government might be a little too naive.
And although Peter is a naturally good guy, he is no dummy, considering his background and his past MIT friends.
The past friendships are where “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” shines the most.
Sure, the visuals are great.
And the way Peter uses his web to stifle his opponents is diabolical and funny.
But there is something extremely emotional about watching the people you love the most move on without you.
It is sad enough when people move to different cities and the relationships eventually become distant.
But there is something far worse in watching your friends achieve their dreams and find happiness in life.
However, Peter loves MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) too much to leave them alone, even if they do not remember him at all.
In “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” Peter even shows up at MJ and Ned’s housewarming party with a gift in hand.
His former best friend and former girlfriend think that Peter is a friend of the other person.
Despite Ned’s amnesia when it comes to Peter, he is still fascinated with the exploits of Spider-Man.
The MIT student has even developed an app that tracks the movements of Spider-Man.
When Peter stumbles onto Ned’s semi-shrine to the superhero, Ned lets Peter know that he is not a weirdo.
He is just fascinated with Spider-Man and uncovering his true identity.
Ned has even narrowed down Spider-Man’s true identity to two people.
Thankfully, Ned’s obsession gives him a light-hearted moment and something to chuckle at.
In “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colon-Zayas) appreciates Spider-Man’s help.
But the detective is concerned that Spider-Man has become too obsessed with fighting crime.
He has no work-life balance since he no longer has friends or relatives to spend time with.
Although he can watch his former friends from near and far, all he has of his Aunt May are memories.
Furthermore, with a beautiful woman like MJ, he must watch her move on with a new man in her life.
Peter even must watch MJ kiss her new man right in front of his eyes, knowing that she is the love of his life.
Even though MJ obviously does not remember their relationship, she does notice some genuinely great qualities in Peter.
She is just flabbergasted that Spider-Man is so enraptured with her that he has saved her multiple times.
But knowing how in love with MJ Peter is, will the new slippery enemy use that love against him?
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is not a great movie unless you are a super “Spider-Man” fan.
But it is solid enough to watch, especially the human interest stories that many people will find heartbreaking for Peter.
The fact that Holland and Zendaya are a real married couple makes their chemistry undeniable.
They are like a young Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee with much bigger platforms to show off their love and talents.
Unfortunately, the scientific jargon in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” will make it hard for non-super fans to fully enjoy.
However, anyone can enjoy the great graphics and visuals in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” despite the “mid” storyline.
Furthermore, even non-superhero movie fans will marvel (pun intended) at a superhero with telepathy.
More importantly, the underlying theme of getting to know someone and not letting others turn you against someone that you do not even know is something that everyone can relate to.
And sometimes having amnesia about what someone has said about another is the best policy because sometimes an ally can come from a previous adversary.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
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