Film Review: Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Adventure, plot twists, and emotional depth in a much needed reminder of why we love superhero stories.

On the continuum of superhero films, the many iterations of Spiderman are generally on the lighter side of adventure storytelling. But the last live action movie Spider-man: No Way Home ended with high school superhero Peter Parker sacrificing his closest relationships to save the world. Losing everything and starting over alone sounds like a bleak premise for our friendly neighborhood Spiderman. However, Spider-man: Brand New Day, lives up to its title with a fresh start, a well-paced new adventure, and plenty of unexpected plot twists which make the story fun from start to finish.

The story begins with Spiderman / Peter Parker (Tom Holland) living a loner life as a full time superhero. He no longer has his beloved parental figure Aunt May (Marisa Tomei). And, his besties MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) don’t remember him due to the memory wipe caused by No Way Home’s mind-bending cosmic reset. Although Peter and MJ were deeply in love and he promised to come back and find them in the new reality, he loses his nerve and decides to remain alone in his continuing protection of the city as Spiderman. MJ and Ned go on to their successful college lives at MIT, complete with parties and another love interest for MJ. Although Spiderman is an elusive and well liked superhero, the human being Peter Parker is non-existent to those he once loved. His only emotional connections in his new reality are a tough (but somewhat motherly) police detective Jean (Liza Colon-Zayas) who partners with him on crime fighting and his antagonist / frenemy Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) aka the Punisher. However, Peter’s hybrid spider DNA is evolving and his internalized stress from his traumatic loss is adversely affecting him physically as he struggles to make peace within himself. He turns to Professor Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) for advice on suppressing his animal side and Bruce questions whether that is always the right thing to do although he concedes he must do it to control the Hulk creature inside him. But no superhero film is complete without a villain. Adding to the complications is an invisible creature who is taking control of other villains (and sometimes civilians) in an attempt to steal a mysterious item from the government entity known as Damage Control. Peter has to battle this unknowable enemy with an equally unknown goal while battling to keep his own evolving powers in check and dealing with the unbearable grief of losing everything.

It’s been a while since a superhero film delivered the perfect combination of what we love in hero stories: adventure, emotion, and thoughtful messaging. Spider-man: Brand New Day is a delight to watch from start to finish because it delivers in all of these areas. In a period of often excessively bloated run times, Brand New Day, doesn’t waste time with unnecessary content. Every scene is solid, entertaining, and moves the ever twisting plot forward. The acting is effortlessly excellent with three of the leads, Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jon Bernthal, fresh from their equally impressive (and somewhat similar) roles in The Odyssey. They are joined by television powerhouses Liza Colon-Zayas of the multi-Emmy winning series The Bear and Emmy winner Trammell Tillman of Severance.  We also have Sadie Sink of Stranger Things who is an unexpected treat. Liza Colon-Zayas is excellent as a tough, pragmatic detective who becomes a substitute parental figure for Peter. She is the only one who checks in on Peter as a person and she is the only one who is both strong and sensitive enough to speak truth to him, even when he doesn’t want to hear it. Trammell Tillman’s Emmy winning performance on Severance transitions perfectly to his role in Brand New Day, where he delivers the same corporate bureaucracy with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. Sadie Sink provides both power and vulnerability in her role. The film initially seems like it will be a story of regaining a lost love and defeating the villain. But it turns into a much more meaningful story about community, compassion, and family in all its definitions.

Despite being two hours and twenty-five minutes long, Brand New Day swings through the adventure with refreshing intensity, as well as thoughtful, twisty storytelling. In recent years, many films drag themselves through a nearly three hour presentation in a way that can leave viewers repeatedly checking their watches rather than being truly immersed. In Brand New Day the story is taut, focused, and well-paced. There is no long exposition on how Peter is earning a living or who all of the side villains or shadowy government agencies are. It’s clear this film is trying to tell a different type of story. Of course, the big action scenes are present and are over the top with plenty of explosions, flipped cars, and near death moments that require a willing suspension of disbelief regarding the controlled amount of carnage, casualties, and not completely toppled buildings. However, the usual trope of the McGuffin / “magic thing” that needs to be captured to win all the power is inverted and reimagined in a way that is so well done. As a result, the film asks some unexpected questions about power, identity, and exploitation that lead back to a meaningful exploration of larger social themes. Spider-man: Brand New Day balances all of the adventure elements without sacrificing thoughtful storytelling and emotional connection. And, by the last act of the film, viewers will be rethinking everything. In a good way.

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The Math

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10

Highlights:

• Excellent characters and acting
• Well-paced, meaningful storytelling
• Entertaining and satisfying

POSTED BY: Ann Michelle Harris – Multitasking, fiction writing Trekkie currently dreaming of her next beach vacation.

TV Review: Supacell

The Black Heroes remake you didn’t know you needed—a bingeable adventure amidst larger social issues

Superhero movies and television series have saturated theaters and streaming services lately, often making a once magical concept feel ordinary and repetitive. Many viewers still enjoy superhero adventures as a way to provide an escape from the monotony of everyday life. But with the non-stop changes, chaos, and stressors in the ‘real world,’ ironically it is ‘real life’ that seems extraordinary, while superhero tropes may seem cliché. Some may crave something different—something that reflects the reality of the stressors of life rather than providing a traditional, escapist view. Occasionally, we have seen different approaches to the superhero genre, with stories that show a more cynical side of superpowers. Netflix’s Supacell takes a nontraditional approach to the concept of having superpowers by juxtaposing the fantastic into a world filled with real-life stress and chaos. The series follows five unconnected Black Londoners who each suddenly develop a different superhuman power but still have to deal with both the mundane and the overwhelming stressors of their daily lives.

Before we meet the lead characters, the first episode provides a cryptic glimpse of a sinister scheme lurking in the shadows of the city. The series opens in a menagerie-like prison designed with a long hallway of brightly lit rooms, all comfortably furnished with beds, videogames, books, and even piano keyboards. Inside each glass cell is an ordinary-looking person: women, men, mostly young, but all Black. Despite the comfortable-looking interior, it is clear they are distressed and they are prisoners. In contrast to the inmates, we see white people dressed in suits or military gear. Each cell has a glass wall that allows the white captors and the Black captives to see each other. When one of the captives tries to escape, we get a dramatic visual summary of the situation. The symbolism and references to commoditization of human life, as well as the symbolism of external manipulation, are quite overt.

Blissfully unaware of the hidden drama are the five initially unconnected lead characters: Michael, Sabrina, Andre, Rodney, and Tazer. Michael is a busy, working class, package delivery driver who is ready to propose to his social worker girlfriend, Dionne. They are a sweet, hardworking couple, so you know fate is coming for them. Sabrina is a dedicated and overworked young hospital nurse living with her streetwise sister, Sharleen. Andre is a good-hearted but struggling ex-felon and single father trying to keep a steady job and build a relationship with his teenaged son. Rodney is an unapologetic, energetic drug dealer. He is biracial and has a tragic backstory that explains why he is struggling to survive financially. Tazer is a street criminal engaged in various forms of extortion and drug dealing. Tazer is being raised by his beloved grandmother after the disappearance of his mother. At some point, each person’s unique power manifests unexpectedly. Michael can suddenly teleport, time travel, and rewind time; Tazer can become invisible; Sabrina has telekinesis; Andre has superstrength; and Rodney has superspeed and super healing powers. As in the television show Heroes, the lead characters are flawed and struggling and are (for the most part) more annoyed and stressed by the appearance of superpowers than they are excited and motivated. This bit of realism and cynicism is a refreshing change of pace despite the attendant bleakness.

This first season of the show is an origin story of the people who will become a team. Initially, the five main characters are living separate, unconnected, ordinary lives (for better or for worse) when a sudden physical change manifests and each person realizes that something dramatic has occurred. The manifestation of the superpowers is treated as a fearful or amusing aberration which does not immediately change the character’s day to day lives. Supacell is also clearly different from other superhero series because all the superpowered humans are Black. That basic demographic shift already makes the story unique. It is hard to think of another superhero team where all or even most of the characters are Black or people of color. As the story progresses, we discover that the ethnic connection is not an accident. The superpowers are tied to a real-life genetic trait specifically connected to Black people.

The Netflix series has many nostalgic similarities to some classic favorites in the superhero genre. Supacell is most like the first season of Heroes, with its ordinary, flawed, unsuspecting, and unconnected characters. The show also has the gritty edginess of Luke Cage. A primary plotline is Michael’s attempt to change the past to protect Dionne after his future self warns him. The concept is similar to storylines in The Flash. And, in true superhero fashion, each lead character has a loved one who gives them both a motivation and a vulnerability.

In contrast to the thoughtfully created main characters, the ultimate villains and antagonists in the series are, thus far, somewhat two-dimensional. Instead, the focus remains on the five main characters who encompass a range of troubling to morally gray to earnestly good. Michael is the pure heart center, Sabrina is the caretaker, Andre is the strong supporter, Rodney is the quirky comic relief, and Tazer is the violent wild card.

Beyond the journey of the five heroes, the show addresses a range of social issues including predatory healthcare, racism and racial exploitation, sexism and racial stereotyping, economic disparity, and flawed justice systems. None of it is presented as a problem to be solved. Instead, it is a backdrop for the adventures in this brief series. With only six episodes, Supacell is bingeably easy to finish. However, since the season is primarily an origin story (the tale of how the five heroes connected and found their motivation), the overarching plot does not get resolved, and the motivations of the antagonists remain unclear. There is no pressure to find the big answers—at least not yet, and the final episode makes it clear that season one is only the beginning of the journey.

Nerd Coefficient: 7/10.

Highlights:

· Refreshingly cynical approach to the superhero genre
· Vague, two-dimensional villains
· Bingeable adventure amidst larger social issues

POSTED BY: Ann Michelle Harris – Multitasking, fiction writing Trekkie currently dreaming of her next beach vacation.

Microreview [Video Game]: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 by Insomniac Games

Be Greater? Check.

A challenge arises when dealing with a popular license. Can the developer do it justice? Can the game service the fans in a way that shows the developer’s deep understanding of the IP’s characters and world? When those parameters are met, as they so deftly were with Marvel’s Spider-Man in 2018 and Miles Morales in 2020, the next challenge is doing it again, but better. I was curious to see how Insomniac Games would handle the potential sophomore slump. I did not doubt that Insomniac is a great developer (in fact, they’re one of the most talented and efficient AAA dens in the industry) and could pull off a great game. But a better one? When Marvel took the Spider-Man video game rights back from Activision in 2014 due to displeasure with the movie tie-ins, Activision told Marvel, “Good luck finding your unicorn.” And Marvel did just that.

It’s difficult to say what the 2018 game does better than the sequel. I loved the backpack collectibles that showed what Peter had been up to over the last eight years. I thought the emotional climax where Peter has to make a difficult choice carries more weight than any specific moment in Spider-Man 2. But that’s it. Not to say I didn’t love the first game, I sure did, but Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a better game in just about every regard. Insomniac showed true ability with this release.

Let’s divide the gameplay into two segments here. First, traversal. Traveling through Manhattan and Brooklyn is delightful, and at times exhilarating. For the sequel, Insomniac added web wings (which work like a flying squirrel) to the traversal arsenal. Along with these, the added wind tunnels allow the player to increase speed while never losing height as they use the web wings. Combining traditional web-swinging with the web wings feels right. It adds additional movement options, but above all, is enjoyable to use. Doing tricks in mid-air, switching to a deep dive, and then popping the web wings out for extra velocity never became stale. This isn't to mention the slingshot ability (launches the Spider-Men very far, very fast) and other additions. Oh, and the swinging has a significant speed boost.

Speaking of travel, I must make a note about the fast travel system in this game. It’s the best I’ve ever seen. No equal. Once you’ve done enough Spidey work in a certain district, you are free to travel anywhere in said district instantaneously. That’s right, New York City instantly loads without any wait time. Not only that, but the transition is seamless, ensuring that Spider-Man is constantly moving when he spawns from the teleport. The only downside to this is that I now want this in every upcoming game (I can forgive past games for their technical deficiency, but all future games must follow suit).

The other side of the gameplay coin; the combat, has seen significant improvements as well. In addition, the player has access to two Spider-Men at any given time (minus some exceptions for story-specific and side-mission-specific instances). The basic combat between them is the same, but they differ in their special abilities. Miles's combat focuses more on his electric abilities, while Peter uses his spider arms (long mechanical arms). Eventually, the characters can choose between two moves per ability slot to give a little bit of gameplay choice. All of these abilities work in tandem with the Spider-guys’ ability to combo and create an engaging combat experience. While Miles does have the advantage of going invisible, stealth is rarely necessary. That said, Insomniac added a web line gadget that allows both heroes to craft a tapestry of traversable web above enemy heads. This allows you to take everyone down without making a peep. It’s enjoyable to see all your hard work pay off as a plethora of enemies are caught in your web pods. You just have to suspend disbelief for a bit and assume no one knows how to look up.

The game looks fantastic. Animations (in and out of cutscene), suits (of which there are many), character models, ray traced reflections, and New York City itself are all very detailed. Taking in New York City at the top of the Empire State Building is still a highlight, and even more so with better detail. The vehicle and pedestrian density in the game is much improved, making the game feel even more like New York City. Of course, you could always have more cars, but Spider-Man 2 adds quite a few extras. No detail is spared for the game’s villains who are captured in stunning detail. The game opens with a bang (which I will kindly let the reader experience on their own) and only gets better and better. In tandem with the animation and visual fidelity, the performances are excellent. Kraven (Jim Pirri) and Venom (Tony Todd) lend excellent talent to an already wonderful cast. Laura Bailey takes on the role of Mary Jane this time, while Yuri Lowenthal and Nadji Jeter return as the Spider-Men. This is topped off with a great soundtrack that pumps the player up throughout the adventure.

The storyline is great, and it gets crazier and crazier the further the game progresses. Spider-Man fans have a treat on their hands with this one. The boss battles are fun, though I rarely found much of a challenge (I was playing on normal). The story hits a point where the action ramps up and it never lets down. It’s almost too much. The second half of the first game had a lot of action, but a bit more balance, this game is the equivalent of a skier triggering an avalanche and watching as disaster continues to trample down the mountainside. Until all is calm, of course. But before the calm, there’s a constant sense of excitement and danger. I found it impressive that Insomniac was able to maintain that height for so long, but it would have been nice to have one or two more breathers in between. Even still, it was a ton of fun.

Though it feels like there are fewer side quests, I believe their quality has improved. I’ll take quality over quantity any day, there are too many games to play and I can’t squeeze them all in. Completing all quests of a specific type will yield more information on specific Spidey villains. Those were some of my favorites, as it made me eager to see which character would be revealed and what Insomniac would do with them. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), some of these villains are simply revealed as a tease for the next game. Selling two and a half million copies in twenty-four hours pretty much guarantees a sequel, right?

While the game was mostly stable, I did experience approximately four crashes. The PS5 loads the game with incredible speed, so I wasn’t out of the experience for too long. Despite this, it still took me out of the game for a moment and should have been fixed before launch. Thankfully Insomniac made the car-jacking crime easier to finish (in SM1/MM, it was a bit of a hassle) and added a few different crime report missions, that said, I would have loved a few more to switch it up a bit. It’s a big city, there should be even more crimes. There were also a few moments in the story where problems get solved without clarity while some things are never mentioned. Some instances where problems are glossed over or completely ignored create some ludonarrative dissonance in an otherwise riveting superhero story.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a triumph. It’s a video game that does what any sequel should do; strive to be greater than its predecessors. Whether it’s witnessing the characters you know and love interact, swinging through New York City, or fighting crime and webbing up some fools, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 delivers on all fronts. If you’re a Spider-Man fan, you now have three modern games you need to play, though I suggest saving this one for last as it might spoil the other two for you slightly (from a gameplay perspective). Everything in this game points to a Spider-Man 3, and I couldn't be more hyped. I have not played every game from Insomniac, but I played most of them, and I can say with no qualms that I enjoyed this one the most. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is my new bar for superhero games, so suit up and get those web shooters filled.

The Math

Objective Assessment: 9/10

Bonus: +1 for an intense Spider-Man story and for being a love letter to fans (with extra villains, cameos, and suits). +1 for even more amazing gameplay.

Penalties: -1 for occasional crashes. -1 some ludonarrative dissonance.

Nerd Coefficient: 9/10

Posted by: Joe DelFranco - Fiction writer and lover of most things video games. On most days you can find him writing at his favorite spot in the little state of Rhode Island.

Microreview [Video Game]: Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered by Insomniac Games

A Thwipping good time.

It took the impending release of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 to make me realize that I hadn’t played the original in five years. The original release was my favorite game in the superhero genre and I was delighted to brush up on the story while also getting into the downloadable story content that I never got a chance to try. With a fresh coat of paint and new content to explore, I was excited to pick up the controller and give it another go.

Marvel’s Spider-Man games, developed by Insomniac Games, provide one of the two best superhero offerings on the market now (the other being the Batman Arkham games, of course). While Rocksteady’s Batman games have more grit to them, Insomniac’s Spider-Man follows a more balanced path, much in line with the superhero himself. And, thank the comic book heavens, we don’t have to watch Uncle Ben die for the hundredth time. Marvel’s Spider-Man takes place eight years after Peter’s initial meeting with a radioactive spider, and the story is all the better for it.

Spider-Man is tasked with taking down Mister Negative (Martin Li) who is causing chaos around New York. Peter is playing the part of a genius lab partner with a man named Otto Octavius. All the while Norman Osborn hides his secrets as he runs for reelection. Personalities and superpowers clash in a tightly threaded superhero tale. While some things are inevitable due to the history of the comics, others leave the door open for interpretation. All the while J. Jonah Jameson critiques Spidey’s every action from his aggressively fueled podcast.

Crafting a narrative that walks the fine line between the comic relief of Spider-Man and the seriousness of the predicaments in the main story is something that Insomniac handles well. There are moments here and there that come across as tawdry, but when the punches need to land, they hit hard. Both tense and tender moments between MJ and Peter and handled with punctilious effort, while Aunt May keeps Peter honest. All of the main players feel true to themselves and don’t bend to serve the narrative. Despite all the chaos that surrounds our heroes, they are the stars of the show.

The weakest gameplay segments occur when the perspective shifts from Spider-Man to MJ or Miles. They aren’t bad per se, but the juxtaposition between someone who can do it all and someone who can temporarily hack a machine to make a distracting noise is rather tame by comparison. Despite this, the Miles/Rhino scene has its moments, and it's nice to get to know the other characters a bit better.

Marvel’s Spider-Man has achieved something that no other game matches; traversal mechanics. Now, I’m not saying it’s not fun to get around in other games, but this game does it better (and with style). Going around Manhattan at high speed, then nose-diving to increase momentum, only to swing back up and release at the right time to increase velocity even further deserves a proper chef’s kiss. Swinging between narrow alleys, missing oncoming subways by a mere foot, pulling off a perfect point launch… all these things and more add to the excitement of moving around New York City. With the remastered version of this game, you can fast-travel to any point on the map in less than two seconds, but I barely used the option. Instead, I opted to swing almost everywhere I went. I can think of no other game where I forewent fast travel to enjoy a game’s traversal mechanics.

In addition to his web-slinging, Spider-Man can pack a punch. Insomniac once again brings the hero to life with an enjoyable combat system reminiscent of the modern Batman’s Arkham games (which in turn is inspired by the old Spider-Man 2 game on PS2). I feel that the combat system makes more sense for Spider-Man as the incoming attack indicator looks like his Spidey-sense is activating. A mix of standard hits, web attacks, launch attacks, aerial combos, dodges, and gadget attacks make up the bulk of Spider-Man’s combat options. When used together, the combat is frenetic and riveting. Taking notes from their other quirky franchises (Ratchet & Clank, Sunset Overdrive, etc.), Insomniac gave Spidey some cool tools with which he could dispatch enemies either in the middle of combat or stealthily. One of these seemed a bit farfetched (gravity well, yes you), but all the gadgets are useful and fun and very much blend Insomniac’s DNA with Spider-Man’s.

Marvel’s Spider-Man’s approach to the open world follows in the footsteps of Ubisoft’s finest; find a tower, and unlock part of the map. It’s all basic and uninspired but takes up very little time to reveal the entire map. Once you have visibility of the whole map, you are free to look for Pete’s old backpacks (which are great for finding out what he’s been up to these last eight years), take pictures of monuments and buildings, along with other activities. As the game progresses other options will be open to the player. Taking down enemy strongholds, beefy side-missions, chasing down escaped pigeons… I’m still not sure how I felt about this last one, but at least it was fun. At any given time, a crime will occur and it’s up to Manhattan’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to tackle the situation. They can range from a car chase to a kidnapping to breaking up a drug deal. The downloadable content adds an extra range of crimes to dive into.

Speaking of the downloadable content, this was my first experience with the additional story. Entitled The City that Never Sleeps, this DLC follows a three-part arc that sees Spider-Man attempt to take down the mob boss Hammerhead who is trying to fill the vacuum left by Fisk and Li. The overall storyline was enjoyable, even if it dips a bit in the middle. It adds extra story development for Yuri Watanabe and her inevitable turn to vigilante justice. Though I liked the overall story, the character changes happen a bit too quickly, especially in Yuri’s case. A decent extra tidbit to pad onto the game, though not quite as great as the main game.

It must be noted that as a remastered version of 2018’s Marvel’s Spider-Man, visual fidelity has increased. The bells and whistles that the PS5 grants are immediately recognizable. Nearly instant load times, ray-traced reflections, higher frame rates and quicker movement are all included in this build. The game looks a bit better, but the original game looked great already. The switch in character model for Peter (also available in an update for the original version of the game) was an interesting choice and I’m not sure whether it was necessary, but the model looks good and all animations in the game are fantastic. It’s not the biggest overhaul I’ve seen in a remaster, but it’s definitely the best version of a great game.

By the end of Spider-Man, I had run the full gamut of gamer emotions. I laughed, teared up, felt tense, excited, worried. Spider-Man manages to tell a great story within the confines of a superhero suit. And in the end, tasks our hero with being greater not just by doing difficult things, but by having to make difficult choices as well. In Marvel’s Spider-Man, Insomniac has created my favorite superhero game and one of my favorite all-time action games.

[Though I didn’t review the Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales expansion here, it’s worth noting that many of the mechanics are similar and even improved upon. The story is separate and exclusively follows Miles as he comes to terms with being Spider-Man and what that means to him. If you haven’t played either, they’re both worth the price of admission.]

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The Math

Objective Assessment: 8.5/10

Bonus: +.5 JJJ. +1 for creating my favorite traversal mechanics.

Penalties: -1 for Ubisoft cut and paste open world exploration.

Nerd Coefficient: 9/10

Posted by: Joe DelFranco - Fiction writer and lover of most things video games. On most days you can find him writing at his favorite spot in the little state of Rhode Island.

NERD MUSIC Weekend Mixtape: Superhero Themed

Mikey's Superhero Themed Mixtape (4.1.16)

As the comics blogger for the site it seemed appropriate that I would share a Superhero themed mixtape with the crowd.  While not all of these are as overt as "I am Superman" by REM, I feel that they all invoke feelings of super powers.  Whether it is from finding revenge in the belly of a whale or pride in your nerd dungeon, these songs include some of my favorite lines of all-time.

"I break it up like it was horcruxes" - M.C. Chris

"I may look like Clark Kent, but I'm no Superman" - The Impossibles

"Always, will your mother will watch over you as you avenge this wicked deed" - The Decemberists

"She's got to be strong to fight them so she's taking lots of vitamins" - The Flaming Lips

"Who came up with Person Man? Degraded man, Person Man" - They Might Be Giants






Also, if you don't think Neville is a hero, get off my lawn!

POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.