This latest chapter is the fourth Spidey film with Tom Holland in the lead, and he continues to give the character a more human ethos than just about any other superhero of note. He is affected by self-doubts and the sacrifices he had to make to keep his friends safe. This continues to lead him down the road to a fairly lonely existence. Brand New Day ultimately addresses that and gives more than a glimmer of hope.

The isolation he feels because of Dr Stephen Strange’s spell that was enacted in the previous chapter, No Way Home, is in full effect. None of his closest friends or even his lover MJ, played by real-world wife Zendaya, know him at all. His sense of duty is the only thing that keeps him going, as there is little else in his life to bring him joy. The sadness in his lodgings and his lifestyle is palpable.

There are so many moments that lit up the audience on the night; it makes one feel that they need a bit more background detail to engage fully. The cinematography is also a challenge with the almost constant shifts of both perspective and direction in its action scenes. This approach also necessitates a very large amount of CGI-created set design, which tends to distance you from the proceedings. Spider-Man: Brand New Day integrates more characters from the MCU than any chapter before, but it still keeps most of its outsider charm intact.
Rob Hudson
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Most will be familiar with the heroic tale of the king of Ithaca, Odysseus, played by Matt Damon, and his journey home after fighting in the ten-year-long Trojan War; even those who are fuzzy on the fine details will remember the hollow horse. A blend of the harsh realities of the time mixed with a plethora of fantastical monsters and supernatural hazards leaves the film palette wide open for the imagination to run rampant. The current state of industrial technology also helps expand possibilities.

The sound design is also worthy of note, and if the cinema you choose can deliver the SPL needed to reach the intended decibels, you might want to bring earplugs; the volume level is that visceral. The relentless pace allows very little downtime, so make sure to secure plenty of snacks too. The first third of the film’s narrative follows Nolan’s preferred nonlinear timeline before settling into a more conventional arc until the end.

Technical notes aside, this is a work of colossal effort from both cast and crew. Nolan’s insistence on filming entirely with the overly large format IMAX cameras and shunning the use of green screen technology and subjecting the cast to real-world conditions restates the need for the force of will at play. This film asks much of its audience, and not just of their time, but it delivers an unrivalled cinematic experience. It does become a work for the ages.
Rob Hudson
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The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX® film screens for the first time and opens in cinemas everywhere on July 16.

The Odyssey stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong’o, with Zendaya and Charlize Theron.

The Odyssey is produced by Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan for their company, Syncopy. The executive producer is Thomas Hayslip.
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The Odyssey stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong’o, with Zendaya and Charlize Theron.

The Odyssey is produced by Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan for their company, Syncopy. The executive producer is Thomas Hayslip.

The Odyssey will be released in Australian cinemas July 16!
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But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves – a powerful villain no one can even see.

The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn’t forgotten them.

Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando and Mark Ruffalo, SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY will be released in Aussie cinemas July 30!
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The Odyssey stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong’o, with Zendaya and Charlize Theron.

The Odyssey is produced by Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan for their company, Syncopy. The executive producer is Thomas Hayslip.
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU/

The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX® film screens for the first time and opens in cinemas everywhere on July 16.

The Odyssey stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong’o, with Zendaya and Charlize Theron.

The Odyssey is produced by Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan for their company, Syncopy. The executive producer is Thomas Hayslip.
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU/

Four years have passed since the events of No Way Home, and Peter is now an adult living entirely alone, having voluntarily erased himself from the lives and memories of those he loves.

Crime-fighting in a New York that no longer knows his name, he’s devoted himself entirely to protecting his city — a full-time Spider-Man — but as the demands on him intensify, the pressure sparks a surprising physical evolution that threatens his existence, even as a strange new pattern of crimes gives rise to one of the most powerful threats he has ever faced.
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The Odyssey stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong’o, with Zendaya and Charlize Theron.

The Odyssey is produced by Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan for their company, Syncopy. The executive producer is Thomas Hayslip.
www.facebook.com/UniversalPicturesAU/

If this mirrors the action of actually playing the video game, then this approach makes a little more sense. As it is the film’s main momentum is built around the on-screen chemistry of its two male leads, Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg. Wahlberg plays Victor Sullivan a self-centred veteran fortune hunter and Holland’s Nathan Drake is the starry-eyed newbie.

The two main female characters played by Tati Gabrielle and Sophia Ali are not given that much to do but they do use what little screen time they have effectively. They engage in several kick-ass fight scenes and dupe the boys with quite a number of double and triple crosses. Antonio Banderas also hangs around as the resident bad guy.

It’s mostly harmless fun but really does strain your suspension of disbelief to breaking point. I guess not being a gamer might be a disadvantage in your enjoyment of this film as all the gamers I know universally praise the Uncharted series as an outstanding video game. Too bad that level of engagement and excitement is lessened by its transfer to the big screen.

Rob Hudson
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