Spider-Man: Brand New Day

 

Score:  B

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton 

Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, et al

Running time: 145 minutes

Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the fourth movie starring Tom Holland in the lead role as well as its inclusion in the broader Marvel superhero universe, and is somewhat of a letdown from its excellent predecessors.  Certainly, there is still plenty of exciting blockbuster action, much of which is kept relatively grounded, and it's still thrilling to watch Spidey swoop through the city on his webs.  But this time, Marvel really does go too far in adding new characters to its universe, resulting in a bloated and misdirected third act, along with just less well-honed filmmaking all around.  Good entertainment, to be sure, but it doesn't meet the franchise's high standards.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is an entertaining superhero blockbuster, but it doesn't realize its potential due to being overloaded and not as tightly honed as its Marvel brethren.  The previous film, No Way Home, was also a jam-packed movie (albeit much better done) that brilliantly managed to tidy things up in a unique way by its conclusion.  Brand New Day is therefore fittingly named as it opens with Spider-Man continuing to do Spidey-like crime fighting, but alter ego Peter Parker is unknown to the world - all his previous relationships are severed.  While his old friends MJ and Ned enjoy new experiences in college, Peter keeps tabs on them from afar but goes it alone himself.  The movie effectively shares this new dynamic through a montage of mini-scenes, and the rest of the movie brims with possibility.  Certainly, there is much to enjoy.  It delivers your money's worth in visual spectacle, including several fun and exciting action/fight scenes.  Spider-Man's pursuit of a tank through NYC and a literal cage match against ninjas were highlights for me.  The movie even tries new styles of filming Spidey swinging through the city on his webs, rejuvenating the wonder of that experience.  Tom Holland is still an ideal match for Spider-Man/Peter Parker, fitting his optimistic persona like a glove.  The script doesn't do him many favors, but he is still a strong and charismatic lead.  Brand New Day does make some earnest efforts to develop Parker's character, focusing on the effects - both physical and psychological - of his isolation, which are best exemplified by the depiction of his living arrangements.  It's also an appropriate theme for modern society and young people in particular.

Brand New Day also falls short in multiple ways, particularly in comparison with the three stellar movies preceding it.  The biggest problem is its shift in focus in the final third or so toward introducing a major new character to the Marvel superhero world.  As an enormous Marvel fan, I usually have no problem with these movies having large casts and/or touching on plotlines from past/future movies.  But it doesn't fit well in this movie, and the shift is sudden, detracts from earlier themes in the movie, and just makes it too long.  In addition to the new character are Bruce Banner/the Hulk and the Punisher.  Banner makes some sense in the plot, for a cameo scene; he's also well-known to movie audiences and a welcome face.  This is the first movie appearance of the Punisher, however, so most people probably have no clue about him.  And both end up being used more than necessary, inflating the scale of the movie's action when it would have been best to keep it modest (I did very much enjoy Florence Pugh's brief, hilarious scenes).  All this too-muchness is probably the main reason, but the other problem is that the writing and supporting characters are weaker than in previous Spider-Man movies.  The writing duo is the same as the first three, but the director is new; instead of Jon Watts, it's helmed by Cretton (who made the fine but unremarkable Shang Chi).  I just feel like higher-ups insisted that this needed to be a Big Movie, emphasizing not just Marvel properties but also its massively popular Gen Z actor trio of Holland, Zendaya, and Sadie Sink.  The MJ and Ned scenes, so crucial to the series and this movie in particular, are handled clumsily and lack the genuine feeling that made them shine previously.  So, while it's an enjoyable movie, it could have been significantly better.

***

Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues this year's trend of disappointing movies among those I would have expected (at least in year's past) to be my favorites.  It's by no means a bad movie, but it does not live up to the previous Spider-Man movies and it had the potential, up to a third of the way through or so, to be much better.  I seem to be an outlier on this, however, as both critics and audiences at large seem to be loving it: a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the biggest opening weekend of all time (already over a billion dollars worldwide!).  I understand why it's a crowdpleaser, especially among the younger set who are driving movie theaters' resurgence this year.  But I'd like to call out hypocrisy among movie critics here.  They have been complaining for years now about how Marvel movies share characters and carry over plot lines between movies.  Well, Brand New Day sure as hell does that, too, and far less effectively than most Marvel movies.  Oh, well.  I think I have been disagreeing with the critics more than usual this year overall, so maybe it is just me.  Anyway, I recommend this to any superhero fan, for sure, and for anyone else, if you just want a fun, spectacle-filled time at the theater, this is a perfectly fine option.

* By source, Sony Pictures official website, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82719880

The Invite

 

Score:  A-/B+

Directed by Olivia Wilde

Starring Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, Edward Norton

Running time: 107 minutes

Rated R

Long Story Short:  The Invite is an intriguing relationship dramedy that features excellent writing and acting, providing desperately needed adult entertainment at the theater.  Rogen and Wilde are outstanding in the lead roles as a couple who snipe bitterly but hilariously.  It takes the outlandish lives of neighbors played by Cruz and Norton to bring out hard truths.  Not a life-changing event, but for what it is, this is one of the strongest quality movies in recent years I've seen. Highly recommended.

The Invite is a very well-made and entertaining dramedy of the kind that just doesn't come to theaters much anymore, making for an ideal outing for adults.  The movie reminds me of last year's The Roses in that both are comedic dramas that lean to the dark and/or raunchy side and feature a couple whose relationship is on the ropes; coincidentally, both are remakes of European movies (I haven't seen either of the originals).  The Roses is a more sprawling story with a span of at least a year, while The Invite is super focused into just a few hours.  In fact, other than the first two or three minutes, it takes place entirely within the main couple's, Angela (Wilde) and Joe (Rogen), apartment.  This setting results in a more naturalistic feel than what you get in a typical rom-com, and is even more dialogue-based than similar movies.  Fortunately, the writing is excellent and so the relationship and conflict feel quite believable and the movie itself flows nicely, with only a brief lull here and there.  While this set up might seem a little too organic and realistic (i.e., boring), The Invite has enough spice to go with the strong fundamentals.  Rogen, especially at the beginning, is quite Rogen-like in the exasperated humor of his (seemingly) put-upon teacher.  And the couple they invite for a dinner party, played by Cruz and Norton, are quirky to say the least, though still believable (if far less "normal" than Angela and Joe).  They reveal a secret during the party that is almost too silly to believe, and the reactions of "normal" Angela and Joe are both hilarious and very understandable, driving much of the second half of the movie.  Additionally, the score is mostly pretty subtle but gets louder and overt (humorously) during the height of arguments and other drama.

The acting in this movie is very much under a microscope, since what they say and do is pretty much all there is - fortunately, all four actors are on top of their game.  Rogen is particularly impressive, to me, showing more range and nuance than I've seen from him before.  He carries some of his usual charm, but allows the character to be more defined by aggrievement and uses his humor as a defense mechanism.  Wilde is also excellent; she is less familiar to me, and while early on her character is a bit annoying as an almost cliche image-obsessed modern person, she becomes much more relatable, fully developed, and sympathetic as the movie goes along.  My sympathies reversed dramatically between the beginning and the end of the movie.  Cruz and Norton both get what are probably more enjoyable to act, scenery-chewing roles, the elder sibling/couple who look on Angela and Joe in bemusement because they themselves don't really give a **** about what other people think about them.  While so much of what is in this movie is well done, I must also acknowledge that its ambition is relatively limited.  Which is just fine, not every movie has to be Big or Important.  Just enjoy it for what it is, and it could make for a nice rewatch a few years from now, too.

***

The Invite was a very pleasant little surprise in the middle of the summer season, sort of like Materialists from last year, a change of pace among the big blockbusters.  This is also exactly the kind of movie I would like to see more of in theaters, the sooner the better: not necessarily wildly inventive, but a creative, interesting take on a familiar genre.  And so well executed, particularly the acting and writing.  Gen Z has apparently been leading the charge in the box office surge this year, and it's great that young people are (re)discovering the joys of the theater and communal entertainment experience.  But I'm also frustrated that their favored genre seems to be horror - sigh.  Older adults, who were perhaps scared away from theaters by the pandemic, higher ticket prices, and just the busyness of life, need more reasons to return to the theater, too.  Movies like The Invite are just the ticket, although I don't think this got a very wide release, unfortunately.  Think Field of Dreams in reverse: if we come out to watch the best movies, hopefully they will make even more like them!

* By source, A24 - https://press.a24films.com/films/the-invite, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82885822