Spider-Man had a magic spell cast on the world to make the entire world forget he is Peter Parker. His girlfriend, MJ, and best friend, Ned, now don’t remember him, leaving Peter without any connections. Peter was going to tell them both, but after seeing how safe their lives became without him or the dangers of being in Spider-Man’s life, Peter decided to let them be. Without anyone, he becomes a full-time Spider-Man.
However, Peter can’t let go of his friends and really misses them. When not doing his Spider-Man work or daily tasks, he often spends his time looking at their social media accounts, seeing their lives go by without him. It is clear that Peter really misses them and would just like to even talk to them.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day pushes its thumb on Peter Parker’s heart and mind. Peter just keeps helping as Spider-Man, even as it hurts his mental health. When Peter sees something that really hurts him, his spider hormones begin mutating, and now he can shoot webs from his hands, with the web fluid in his body. This mutation isn't a body horror to him; it's just natural. It's like how loneliness is for people in the real world- they're not feeling this demon force breaking their body; their bodies are just responding to it in hurtful ways.
Peter isn't the only one with issues; a new villain with the superpower to "hop" into people's minds and control their bodies and speech emerges. Played by actress Sadie Sink, when this character tries to enter Spider-Man's mind, she can't, as his superpowered spider genetics are able to block her at first. However, when he starts mutating, she can now enter. Sink's character and performance are a highlight of the film, with Sink really showing the character's drive, seriousness, and later anger.
The movie has an emotional moment when Peter comes back from a battle and sees MJ reading a letter he wrote to her years ago where he was gonna explain everything. MJ angrily tells Peter he had no right not to tell her. But she also tells him she doesn't love him because she doesn't have the memories they shared. She doesn't know him. This really hurts Peter; after years of wanting to talk and spend time with her, one of the first things she says after learning about their past is, "I don't love you." She doesn't love him because she doesn't know him. But there is still that "romantic something" they share. It's like how many people who know each other and have lots of shared memories don't have romantic relationships because they don't have that "romantic something." Peter and MJ are the opposite; they have that "romantic something", but don't have the shared memories. After that, they spend more time together, and the "romantic something" shows between them.
The latter part of the movie is wowing. It brings a sense of wow, with a sense of scariness. It's like a puzzle for Spider-Man and the audience to solve, where just finding or having the courage to put the first piece in, knowing that there's more, is a bit breathtaking.
