Tag: action

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” review

It’s no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been struggling for a while. There’s been a few hits here and there since Avengers: Endgame, but overall, the quality has been lacking. A new Spider-Man movie is almost always a safe bet to turn things around. So, the question is, does Spider-Man: Brand New Day provide the spark that Marvel Studios needs to build momentum towards the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday? Luckily for them, it does.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, is probably the most personal and introspective Spider-Man movie since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. Set four years after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Peter is a bit of a lost cause. No one remembers him and he has no social life. The only thing that fulfills him is being Spider-Man and fighting crime in New York City. But there’s limits to that, and eventually all the pressure and responsibility start to affect him physically in unexpected ways. At the same time, a new threat emerges that is unlike anything he has encountered before.

Tom Holland as Peter Parker

Where Brand New Day truly shines is how grounded and personal it is. It’s got the usual big set pieces you would expect from a Spider-Man movie, but at its heart it’s a tale about loneliness, isolation, and how it’s okay to ask for help. This gives the film some emotional depth to an extent not seen in a Spider-Man movie since Spider-Man 2. While I don’t think it reaches the height of that film (not many superhero movies do), it feels refreshing to get a more grounded and personal superhero movie that deals with some timely themes.

Performances usually aren’t a noteworthy thing to point out when discussing superhero movies, but there’s a rare exception here. Tom Holland gives one of his best performances as a vulnerable Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He really sells a broken Peter Parker trying to find his place in the world. Jon Bernthal also shines as Frank Castle/The Punisher, giving one of his best performances as well as displaying good chemistry with Holland. The rest of the cast, notably Sadie Sink and Zendaya, also do a solid job in their roles.

Where I think Brand New Day stumbles a bit is that I think it has too many characters, and some characters are thrown in for the sake of being there. For example, from the trailers, it looked like Scorpion and The Hand were going to play big roles in the movie, but they ended up not being much of a factor. The movie would have been the same without them. Without going into spoilers, there’s also the fact that Sadie Sink’s character steals a bit too much of the focus away from Spider-Man. It sort of feels like Marvel was trying to introduce and set her character up for the future while also telling a Spider-Man story. It works to an extent, but the film still could have been more focused.

Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher

Overall, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a bit of a rarity: a superhero movie with a brain and heart, despite its tendency to feel overstuffed. While it is very much a fun summer popcorn flick, it’s also a thoughtful examination of loneliness and the effects it can have on someone. Combine that with heartfelt performances and thrilling action, and the result is a real treat. Hopefully Marvel Studios can continue this momentum with Avengers: Doomsday at the end of the year.

Rating: 4/5
Fediverse Reactions
August 7, 2026
“The Odyssey” review

Any time Christopher Nolan releases a new film, it feels like an event. This is no different with his latest release, The Odyssey. To put it in perspective, tickets for IMAX screenings went on sale last summer, a year before release, and they sold out pretty quickly. With the insane amount of hype leading up, it begs the question, does The Odyssey live up to it? It most certainly does.

The Odyssey is an adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem, Odyssey, which tells the story of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, and his ten-year journey home following the end of the Trojan War. Meanwhile, back in Ithaca, Odysseus is presumed dead after being away for twenty years, which leaves his wife, Penelope, and their son, Telemachus, to deal with a group of unruly suitors competing for Penelope’s hand in marriage.

Matt Damon as Odysseus

Since this is a direct adaptation of an existing work, the foundation of the story is already laid out, so it ultimately comes down to execution. This is where The Odyssey truly shines. The sheer size and scope of a film like this would intimidate almost any director, but Nolan doesn’t back down. Early on, Nolan made the decision to film The Odyssey using IMAX cameras entirely, which was unprecedented and had never been done before. Even though it was a huge financial and technical endeavor, his commitment to IMAX pays off here. The film looks and sounds amazing. And because of Nolan’s devotion to using more practical effects instead of CGI, there is a level of authenticity to the film that makes it even more impressive. The combination of epic scope, visuals, and sound creates a level of immersion that’s rarely seen. It almost felt like I was actually on the journey with Odysseus.

The movie also takes us on a journey through different genres. It has plenty of action and adventure sequences, romance, and even some horror scenes sprinkled in here and there. The horror scenes are particularly effective and well done, especially the one involving pigs (if you know, you know). If Nolan ever decides to do a horror film, he’s shown that he’s more than capable of pulling it off.

There are a couple gripes I have with the film, but they’re closer to nitpicks than anything else. As typical in Christopher Nolan films, the dialogue can be hard to hear at times, even in quieter, less action-oriented scenes. Also, in terms of how the narrative is told, I would have preferred more linear storytelling instead of Nolan’s typical non-linear approach. The film often goes back and forth between different time periods instead of telling it in chronological order. The story isn’t hard to follow, so it’s not a huge deal, but I do think a more linear, streamlined approach would have been better, especially for more general audiences.

All in all, The Odyssey is a masterful example of what happens when you combine talent with a director that truly cares about their craft. It stands tall as one of the year’s best and one of Christopher Nolan’s finest achievements. And with a filmography as impressive as his, that’s really saying something.

Rating: 4.5/5
Fediverse Reactions
August 4, 2026