The latest Tom Holland Spider-Man tries to balance the exploration of Peter Parker’s feelings of solitude and isolation with the physical evolution of his alter ego. While the special effects throughout the film, which especially enhance the latter aspect, are really strong, it is the former psychological area that shines, especially when it pushes into dark and depressing territory.

Peter Parker is no more. Alone and reclusive, nowadays his only identity is Spider-Man. Dedicating all of his time to stopping crime, New York is safer than ever, but deep inside he is more restless than ever. Physical changes and a new elusive threat will make him reassess his approach to life and the way in which he channels his powers.

The first act is the highlight of the film. Going deeper into Parker’s loneliness after Aunt May’s passing, and MJ and Ned’s non-recollection of him, the way in which he is fighting against his attachment to the past by surrendering himself to the Spider-Man persona, not stopping his vigilantism duties for one second, is very well crafted. The way all the pieces are put together, his physical pain from taking his body to the limit, his constant routine which enhances his feelings of loss, and the spectacular fashion in which he stops criminals, is incredibly engaging.

This leads to the emergence of a new strength (?). As he becomes more self-obsessed and depressed, his arachnid senses elevate. The effects used to display this, while non-exceptional, are very well accomplished. The eyes going fully black, the new organic web fluids coming out of his own body, the boosted reflexes. Not without the elevated level of brutality that comes as very fresh and energises a character that had become a bit stale throughout this new franchise.

Another effects and physics choice that brings the depiction to new heights is the showing of the Spider-Man costume fabric resisting air pressures as Spidey flies across New York, and the way in which he starts to pull himself from his webs (quite unnecessarily loudly voiced by the character).

All these good effects are well combined with spot-on photographic choices regarding image composition for the action sequences that take an extreme slow-motion approach. Otherwise, the more high-paced action, which is still very much prevalent in the film, is just there, put down a bit as a requirement rather than something that is thought through. Some of these great shots occur during a montage of Spider-Man fighting early in the film, or during some shots in the climactic fight, or during his tag-teaming with The Punisher (Jon Bernthal).

And precisely, this teaming up of Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal is another one of the strengths of the film. The chemistry between the two actors is great, and the combination of the two characters plays well with one another, bringing out the funniest moments in a film that otherwise delivers unintelligent and cheap comedy that does not land. Something that is surprising for a Spider-Man movie, even considering its more adult and mature behaviour and tone for the character.

Nonetheless, all of these very good elements, as mentioned, are concentrated in the first act, at most until half of the movie. From then on, as we start to build up the resolution, characters start to intertwine, memories start to resurface, and therefore sentimentality takes a preeminent position over darkness; the story starts to flounder. While we can perceive an intent to keep the relationships between characters nuanced, the choices in how to unravel certain pieces of information (the only salvageable one is V-max, which is very well taken from Hitchcock’s book of tricks), and the way relationships are rekindled or built are evidently presented. The one person who actually manages to keep all of this afloat, so it does not sink, is Tom Holland, whose performance really conveys all the feelings of depression, anger, despair, hope, and acceptance extremely well, even when hiding behind a mask.

Nonetheless, the stumbling ways in which the story evolves are nothing but heightened in its ending. The action, with a tiny exception as previously mentioned, does not captivate, and the emotional resolution feels not only obvious or expected, which should not be inherently bad, but simply too cookie-cutter presented. The only thing that leaves us wanting more is where Holland will take this evolved and grown-up Spider-Man into the future.

In conclusion, there are too many flaws in an otherwise very strong and needed telling of the Spider-Man mythos that, to some extent, could be considered a soft reboot for the character. The ambitions were big, and the intentions were there, but precisely the fact of not fully leaning into its more daring elements, by trying to keep some of the conventionalisms of the character within the MCU, is what ends up affecting a film that could have been great but ends up just being good enough. Hopefully they go all-in next time on its most challenging, character-bending elements.