‘Brand New Day’ a deep tale

By Ethan Sprouse | Manor Ink

Coming out of Telemachus and Athena in “The Odyssey” and right into Peter Parker and MJ in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” Tom Holland and Zendaya star with Sadie Sink and Jon Bernthal in the next installment of the Spider-Man movie franchise. With humor that feels like it was pulled from the original comics, strong depictions of grief over losing those you love and a good bit of learning to navigate the world as you grow up, this movie is packed full of fun from start to finish.

The story starts with Peter Parker, who’s been Spider-Man since 2022 – at least that’s what the public thinks – picking up where the last movie left off. It tells an amazing story of the pain of everyone forgetting who you are while you’re still alive. By the movie’s end, it’s a beautiful tale of reconnection and learning how to go on after you think you’ve lost everything.

Because “Brand New Day” is a Marvel film, it is amazing at keeping you interested through both jokes and terror with and for the characters. Throughout multiple points in the film, I felt numb with fear and I would have to shake myself, realizing I was so focused on the movie I forgot it was a movie. I was actively moving with it.

The cinematography in this movie is amazing, especially while Spider-Man is swinging around New York City, and the fight scenes are so realistic I was subconsciously dodging attacks.

The movie was absolutely a ride, and I left the theater unable to stop grinning. It’s an absolute must-see for fans of both Marvel and Spider-Man alike. The emotional depth of the movie was stunningly realistic and painful to watch, because it actually felt like the actors were experiencing that pain, not just the characters, and that lets you connect to the movie on an absolutely deeper level.

A full ten-out-of-ten stars!

‘Odyssey’ too quick a trip for Homer’s poem

By Oscar Clevenger | Manor Ink

To put it succinctly, Christopher Nolan has delivered another Christopher Nolan film. “The Odyssey” has its fair share of set pieces, beautiful cinematography and A-list actors. However, while it will likely bring home countless trophies at award season, the film is not without flaws. This summer blockbuster suffers from some growing pains in its transition from poem to film.

The major problem is the pacing. Although the film is almost three hours long, it still feels too short for Homer’s epic poem, which ranges up to six hundred pages in print. This squeezing of the film means that some events in The Odyssey have little time to breathe.

The most obvious offender is Odysseus’ island hopping on his return home. By being bounced around by his foes in such short order, the novelty of each encounter quickly diminishes. Furthermore, all these events take up important space to build relationships.

Although a majority of the runtime is centered around Odysseus’ crew, each member lacks personality and unique relationships between themselves. Before the crew is whittled down, many of them are faceless. This fact is also more evident in characters outside of the crew members – they have even less time to establish themselves.

The most developed persona in the film is Robert Pattinson’s Antinous who stands out among the rest of the characters, for he is understandable and detailed. However, as much as I enjoyed Antinous, he was just a reminder of how good the rest of the characters could have been had they been properly developed.

In a film focusing on a hero’s return, it feels strange that Matt Damon’s Odysseus and Anne Hathaway’s Penelope are flat compared to the story’s villains.

While I have problems with “The Odyssey,” one of the best things to arise from the film is the increased discourse surrounding Homer’s poem as a text. The film is valuable as a cultural moment, as it offers a chance to talk about the classics. Nolan’s film did not knock my socks off, but I do appreciate all that it stands for, and for that reason I give it a solid six stars.