This Wednesday, my kid and fellow Biff Bam Popper Anya Scorsone-Burns, along with BBP alum Scotty G, are heading to an early screening of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the latest Spidey film to feature Tom Holland, and the first since the massively successful Spider-Man: No Way Home.
There’s so much hype surrounding Spider-Man: Brand New Day, most notably because nobody is saying who Sadie Sink of Stranger Things fame is playing in the film. Most speculate she’ll take on the role of Jean Grey, and really kickstart the Mutant Era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Tom Holland himself was recently quoted as saying the character doesn’t appear in the film, and with Holland’s rep for spoilers and bad lying, I think we’ll all be a little disappointed if Sadie isn’t, in fact, Jean.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been getting progressively more excited about a new Spider-Man film. Holland has done the role proud, and I’m eager to see the latest take on Spidey, since it’s clear it really is a brand new day for the character, who is now a lone wolf following Doctor Strange’s spell at the end of No Way Home that left Peter Parker without his girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon). However, as we all know, there have been Spider-Men before Holland, Tobey Maguire, and Andrew Garfield, both of whom had their own great interpretations of the character.
This weekend, I decided to revisit Spider-Man 2, the Sam Raimi-directed film that saw Maguire’s Spider-Man face off against Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), in what’s considered by many to be one of the greatest superhero movies of all time. The decision came in large part because I also had a new LEGO set to build, in this case, one that captures the pivotal subway car rescue scene from Spider-Man 2.
Over the course of two hours, as Spider-Man 2 played on my TV, I went about building the Spider-Man vs Doc Ock Subway Train Scene, and like so many LEGO sets, it was a lot of fun to put together. This was fairly simple with virtually no frustrating moments as I pieced it all together. The set does take a few liberties, mind you – most notably, that neither Aunt May nor J. Jonah Jameson were anywhere near the action it depicts, but that’s not even a quibble. I’m super happy that both characters are included; I’m pretty sure I can hear the voice of J.K. Simmons coming from the tiny LEGO figure.
I will say that the highlight of the Spider-Man vs Doc Ock Subway Train Scene is the thoughtful Doc Ock LEGO minifigure that’s included. The designers absolutely nailed Doc’s four arms, and they add a real weight to the character. When they’re fully extended, the minifigure absolutely feels bigger, especially when compared to the others in the set.
Unsurprisingly, considering LEGO’s attention to detail, along with Spider-Man’s masked face, we also get Peter Parker unmasked, just as he appears in the movie. It’s a nice touch that makes sure this set hits the film’s emotional moment.
As mentioned, Spider-Man 2 runs slightly over two hours, and that’s about how long it took for me to complete the Spider-Man vs Doc Ock Subway Train Scene, keeping in mind I did pause my work to watch the movie as well. It had been a while since I had put on Spider-Man 2, and I found myself really enjoying it all over again.
Along with the Subway Train Scene set, which is available here, there are other Spider-Man LEGO sets available, including a brand new one that focuses on Spidey’s battle with the Hulk in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. You can check that one out here.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is in theatres this week. I can’t wait!
