With the new installment of Spider-Man, something similar happens as with the old dilemma (or just confusion of a bad student) between enough and necessary. Faced with the phrase "If A is true, then B is true," one can fall into the error of considering that, conversely, if B is true, then A is also true, or that if A is not true, then B is not true. And no. It becomes clearer if you bring the ball down to the ground and think about the phrase "If I get wet, it's because it's raining" and complete the relevant variations. One can also get soaked with a hose or the sweat caused by a heatwave. It all boils down to not having a clear understanding that a necessary condition is an essential requirement for something to happen, but it does not guarantee it on its own. On the other hand, a sufficient condition is one whose mere presence brings about the result. Otherwise, sometimes, what is necessary is not enough.
To summarize and not extend the introduction more than the successive rebirths of Spider-Man in the movies have already done, the new installment signed by Destin Cretton is a necessary condition, but, and here come the bad news, not sufficient. Otherwise, stating that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is by far the best Marvel movie in a long time, which it is, is not enough to shake off the feeling of being in the same old and tiresome routine every day. That's how it is.
In its favor, undoubtedly, is the new director's ability to inject energy, dynamism, and humor into truly spectacular action scenes. Equally remarkable is the effort of the actors (especially Zendaya) to place their characters in a different place away from the adolescent turmoil (or torture) of the previous episodes. Everyone, with Tom Holland at the forefront, has matured, grimaces less (except for the friend played by Jacob Batalon), have become gods or demigods under the guidance of Christopher Nolan in the next room, and it's good that it's that way. On the downside, there is the poorly disguised effort to replace originality (or simple novelty) with confusion in a confused jumble of arguments (there are many), characters (there are too many), plots, subplots, and atmospheric sound riding on an ostentatious and overloaded soundtrack. For a moment, it is inevitable to conclude that movies accumulate more and more sound and narrative elements every passing day not to increase entertainment but simply to drown out the increasing noise of popcorn, released soda gases, seat motors folding and unfolding, trips to the bathroom, mobile phone melodies... But that's another matter.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day places our hero at the moment of being alone. The first symptom of adulthood. After Doctor Strange wiped the memory of all his friends and his girlfriend, he dedicates his life to saving humanity full-time and without extra pay. The dream of any Spanish entrepreneur, really. Consequence: burnout syndrome, depression, headaches, constipation, and a consuming arachnid impulse. But since problems never come alone, a strange entity (Sadie Sink) seems to be possessing the bodies and minds of the city's people with the purpose of obtaining what seems to be a very important secret. It is then when Parker-Spider-Man must learn to manage his time, take days off, ask for help, request leave... In other words, the nightmare of any Spanish entrepreneur. And so, from Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to Black Widow (Florence Pugh in the most amusing appearance) passing through Menelaus himself in the skin of Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and some more martial arts experts will show up ready to redefine the superhero worker's statute. Overtime is paid.
What follows is both action, redemption, overcoming, and, finally, salvation. In other words, Spider-Man recites his ideology with the clearest and loudest voice than any superhero has done in a long time, but... we already knew it. Marvel, itself, suffers from burnout syndrome. Everything the new Spider-Man movie does is as healthy as it is necessary, but, no matter how we look at it, it is not enough. It is necessary for it to rain to get wet, but there are many better ways to get soaked without superheroes beating each other up in the process.
Director: Destin Cretton. Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal. Duration: 144 minutes. Nationality: United States.