JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Actor Tom Holland is in mythic hero mode this month. First, he played the son of Odysseus in Christopher Nolan's "Odyssey." Now he's starring in the contemporary myth - "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." Given that "The Odyssey" is close to 3,000 years old, we don't have to worry about spoilers. With the new "Spider-Man," we do. Critic Bob Mondello has promised to be careful.
BOB MONDELLO, BYLINE: Let's begin where a scruffy, no-longer-in-high-school Spidey does.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
TOM HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) Hi. My name is Peter Parker.
MONDELLO: He's reading a note he's written for the love of his life.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) You don't remember me, but we used to know each other. Something bad was going to happen, and the only way to stop it was to make everyone forget about me.
MONDELLO: A bigger sacrifice than it might be for most people.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) Because I'm not just Peter Parker. I'm Spider-Man.
MONDELLO: Now, if you're coming fresh to this story, this is all the background you really need. The next thing he says sets up where we're going.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) Maybe I'll never read this to you. Maybe I'm just writing this for me.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) And maybe that's my responsibility - to live alone with the truth.
MONDELLO: With great power and all that. Peter's no longer a Spider-teen, and though four solitary years of drowning his sorrows in crime fighting have helped him regain the hearts of New Yorkers...
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) You OK, kid? Yeah, you're OK.
MONDELLO: He's seriously lonely, living in a scuzzy apartment and following the social media adventures of his beloved MJ and best pal Ned, who've moved on without him.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
JACOB BATALON: (As Ned Leeds) Final semester, MIT.
ZENDAYA: (As MJ) Ned, who do you think is actually watching these?
BATALON: (As Ned Leeds) Maybe someone.
ZENDAYA: (As MJ) OK. Well, bye, someone.
MONDELLO: When they return to New York, Peter takes a chance and pops by.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
ZENDAYA: (As MJ) Nice flowers.
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) Oh, they're a housewarming gift.
ZENDAYA: (As MJ) I'm MJ.
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) I'm just a neighbor from across the hall.
ZENDAYA: (As MJ) Friendly neighbor.
MONDELLO: All of which is sort of a side issue because while he's clearly struggling with work-life balance, there's also something off about his human-arachnid balance.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) What is happening to me?
MONDELLO: His body is changing, going through what actor Tom Holland jokingly called spider puberty - headaches to go with increased agility and a disconcerting hormonal upgrade.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) All right. Organic webs. Peter 2 had them. He was cool. You're cool.
MONDELLO: Of course, he needs to learn to control them.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) Sorry about that.
MONDELLO: And he doesn't have a lot of time because New York is facing a new threat that seems to be inhabiting people, taking over both civilians and villains...
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) You sure you want to do this, Scorpion?
MICHAEL MANDO: (As Mac Gargan) You think I'm Scorpion?
MONDELLO: ...As it tries to break into a government agency called Damage Control - a bit on the nose, even for a comics-inspired story, but never mind. You'll notice the multiverse doesn't figure in any of this or potential catastrophes on a global scale. And though a token Avenger is on hand to complicate matters...
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) Dr. Banner?
MARK RUFFALO: (As the Hulk) No Banner. Only Hulk.
MONDELLO: ...As well as Sadie Sink playing a Marvel denizen I should let you discover for yourself, filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton and his team have fashioned a gratifyingly street-level Spider story that matches sticky web battles with a back-to-basics vibe.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) Give me a sec. I'm not in high school anymore. Oh. Did you stretch? You a big stretcher? It's so good for you. You ready?
MONDELLO: There are other folks along for the ride. A vigilante called Punisher helps keep things action-packed and comic.
(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY")
JON BERNTHAL: (As Frank Castle) Are you blushing? Ah.
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) How could you tell I was blushing?
BERNTHAL: (As Frank Castle) You're blushing.
HOLLAND: (As Peter Parker) I'm wearing a mask.
MONDELLO: Even as the overstuffed plot ventures into dark territory - that, again, I should let you discover for yourself - "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is a lot of fun, but it's predicated on the notion that even a Spider-kid who's been artificially kept a teenager for six decades needs to grow up. Marvel's not generally been in the growing-up business, but, hey, it's calling the next Avengers movie "Doomsday," so who knows? I'm Bob Mondello.
(SOUNDBITE OF MICHAEL GIACCHINO'S "SUITE NEW DAY") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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