Screen Test

Four years after the world forgot the secret identity of Spider-Man, Marvel's iconic web-slinger returns for the fourth instalment of the current Spider-saga, Brand New Day.

Now stripped of the borrowed high tech resources previously given to him by Iron Man for the past five films he has appeared in, Tom Holland's interpretation of the classic hero is once again operating as a grounded, localised urban legend in the streets of New York, dealing with various real-life personal problems while he attempts to fight crime.
As these problems increase, new a new mysterious villian emerges with the ability to control minds, and a solitary Spider-Man must work to reduce these threats, and trump his own demons - all while his powers undergo a terrifying evolution.
Local filmgoers can catch every heart-pounding swing on the big screen, now showing at Peninsula Cinemas Warragul.
Resident Gazette film buffs, Nick Duck and Aidan Knight, caught the film ahead of time, here are their thoughts...

Nick Duck: Boy it's good to be back.
As an unabashed Spider-Man fan, seeing Tom Holland's version of the character getting back to basics and being New York's favourite hero filled me with plenty of joy.
I've enjoyed the wall-crawler's recent outings well enough but there's no doubt that taking heavier inspiration from both the comics and other on-screen iterations of Spidey was for the best.
In particular you can feel the influence of Sam Raimi's masterful Spider-Man 2 all over this, especially when it comes to Peter Parker's struggles to balance his civilian and superhero lives and the toll it takes on him both mentally and physically. Director Destin Daniel Cretton brings a fresh voice MCU Spider-Man, particularly in the action sequences, which handily clear everything Jon Watts did in the previous three films.
The tie-ins to the larger MCU, which have so often bothered me, were also kept fairly in check, with Jon Bernthal's Punisher being a real highlight. Safe to say those who checked out of Marvel a while ago - and I wouldn't blame you - won't be too lost.
It's a little long in the tooth and the pacing certainly sags towards the back end, while I also have some personal nitpicks surrounding the villain, but for mine this is the best live-action Spider-Man since Raimi was at the helm.

Aidan Knight: Easily the best Holland Spider-movie, as he has matured both as an actor and within the storyline.
Brand New Day serves as a really interesting blend of remaining faithful to the comics, without allowing fans to predict what happens from the source material.
Seasoned fans will know the worse time the hero is having the better time they will have in cinemas, and this built on that concept far better than the last film, but still fell short in a few aspects.
It is one of the longest Spider-Man films, totalling about five minutes less than the previous film, but the third quarter of it drags enough to give it the opposite effect.
The emphasis to the titular character returning to street-level heroism firmly within New York is the best thing Brand New Day has running for it, and clearly demonstrates a need for Marvel Studios to make this choice across the board - with a majority of audiences experiencing "superhero fatigue" over the past five years, mostly attributed to the overuse of the connected multiple universes these films often employ.

ND: ★★★★☆
AK: ★★★☆☆
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is rated M for moderate action violence and
low-level coarse language.