movie

Rated Spider-Man: Brand New Day 10/10

My favorite of the MCU Spider-Man movies by a mile. I might soften on it eventually, but I am still gleefully in the headspace of seeing it for the first time.I was pretty sure Sadie Sink was going to be Jean Grey, but it wasn't until she finally appeared on screen that I realized she was the body-hopping villain. I had assumed she would be helping stop the villain, maybe a new take on the Chameleon. Even though what we got was more straightforward, it still gave me a pleasant surprise.Everything with Jean Gray and the inhibitors (and even Hulk) is clearly setup for future MCU shenanigans, but I think it all still earned its place in this movie. The world is large, there are other superheroes, and choices have ripple effects. I am become Spider-Man, the destroyer of mutants.The supporting cast is all fantastic and well utilized; amazingly, Frank Castle is not diminished at all by being in a PG-13 movie, and his willingness to use lethal force is the perfect setup for Peter's near-sacrifice.The core journey is still Peter's, and it's all done beautifully. The spider hormone stuff is a little whatever, but the stress and strain on the man trying to shoulder everything by himself, denying what he needs, is just, well, undeniable. My poor decision to drink a sweet tea before the film meant I missed the "I'm both" fight scene, but the emotional journey was still clear.This is already getting long, so I'll wrap with my elation that they took my biggest issue from No Way Home - Peter taking away MJ and Ned's ability to choose to come back into his life - and literally put it in MJ's mouth.