Spider-Man: Brand New Day may well be the second-best film next to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, and streaming it at home calls for recreating as much of the theatrical experience as possible. For me, that means a proper surround sound setup, the meanest UHD screen I can use (I have a Samsung U79 55″ 4K UHD Smart TV), and preferably a physical disc. Until that release arrives, there’s the digital edition. And what buyers receive varies by service.
For viewers interested in how this adventure came together, the bonus material is part of the attraction. But choosing where to buy the digital edition requires a closer look at what each streaming service includes. While it won’t replicate what I experienced in IMAX and UltraAVX, I hoped the video quality would be just as detailed. And that’s where my expectations fell short.
CosmoGO, formerly the Cineplex Store, failed to deliver. And at the time of writing, their support channel has not responded to explain why its stream remains at such a low resolution. I do not recommend using this service at all, and when my investigation resulted showing that the video dimensions of 640×360 was used, I won’t be returning to this service anytime soon.
Thankfully Apple TV and Prime Video at least makes its offering clear. When I ran this JavaScript snippet in Chrome’s console during Prime Video playback, it reported 1920 × 1080. For code junkies, it’s a useful way to check the video dimensions the player is delivering. You just have to open your browser’s console window and enter the following query:
Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('video'), v => `${v.videoWidth} × ${v.videoHeight}`)The snippet doesn’t measure HDR, bitrate or overall picture quality. Even Peter Parker would approve of my methods, and when a listing advertises UHD, this code lets you check whether the current playback dimensions match.
Buying digital content also raises a question for me: how secure is access to something I’ve paid for when licensing agreements can change? TechSpot reported on Sony’s removal of purchased StudioCanal films and TV shows from UK PlayStation video libraries, making that concern concrete. Sony’s own notice confirms that licensing agreements ended customers’ access to those purchases. Paying for a title clearly doesn’t guarantee that it’ll remain in your digital library. That’s another reason I’m interested in owning any movie on disc.
Even after watching the film again, most of my thoughts from my movie review still stand. The movie is awesome. The platform I was given a code to access this film is not. Thankfully Apple TV delivered, and while the interface was unusual (I couldn’t find a play all for the bonus features), I adapted, and enjoyed the bonus material with pleasure. When what’s revealed concerns the passion for the franchise, the lore, and why Spidey matters, I had to grin. Out of all the short mini-docs (featurettes), three of them stood out:
Peter Parker and The Punisher, where Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal talk about their long-standing off-camera relationship, offers some audition tape moments of the two helping each other out to get a role of the lifetime, and it’s that camaraderie which made their on-screen characters a hoot! Even director Destin Daniel Cretton honours what Watts did, and simply said, he let the two actors play off each other rather than scream stick to the script!
Other videos include Webs, Wires, and Runaway Tanks, Live-Action Comics, Possession! and Outtakes: Goofs, Gaffes, and Gags. The latter is great to see Bernthal act goofy, a rarity, and overall, I enjoyed the material that showed just how much work was done with a green screen versus live-action. There’s a lot, and it kind of makes sense to control the background environment when lots of special effects get piled on top. The first short could’ve been made longer, but all i can say thems the breaks. A lot of bonus features offered these days rarely are longer than 15 minutes. With pieces averaging four minutes, there’s roughly 50 minutes of extra content to consider.
With Brand New Day, I’ll most likely double-dip since ComicBook.com reported on what to expect for the physical release: collectible editions are confirmed to be released alongside traditional versions!
For anyone buying Spider-Man Brand New Day strictly for its behind-the-scenes footage, the following outlets promise the full meal deal:
Apple TV / iTunes, Fandango at Home / Vudu Bundle, and Prime Video.
Also, it’s worth noting that the DVD release won’t have the same amount of material crammed in. It’s due to the limitations of this technology and how much data a DVD can hold versus Blu-Ray and UHD. When a digital rental doesn’t necessarily offer the same package as the disc you’d have borrowed from a video rental store of yore, the market is very much buyer beware.
Times have changed. Since not every release is guaranteed to offer what die-hard fans want: keepsakes, we have to be mindful on what deserves to be on our video libraries. Unlike those releases decades ago which went deep with director’s commentaries and why its important to interact with fans, especially during the filming of X-men 2, the idea is to keep these presentations short and sweet. Those were the best of times, and certain digital-only services offer the worst.
The Bonus Features are:
The Apple TV edition includes the following bonus material, totalling just over 52 minutes:
- Tom Holland: The Evolving Spider-Man (5:06): Holland discusses his expanding responsibilities, both as the film’s lead and behind the camera.
- Brand New Direction (5:40): Director Destin Daniel Cretton explains his approach to an older Peter Parker and the story’s more complex themes.
- Goofs, Gaffes, and Gags (3:27): The outtakes reel collects on-set mistakes, laughter and playful moments between takes.
- Webs, Wires, and Runaway Tanks (5:06): Stunt coordinator Peng Zhang explores the practical methods behind the film’s web-swinging and action sequences.
- Peter and the Punisher (6:12): Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal discuss their friendship and how that connection shapes their characters’ chemistry.
- Friends and Foes (6:01): The ensemble cast shares the experience of working together and bringing the film’s characters to life.
- Live-Action Comics (4:20): A look at translating Spider-Man’s comic-book imagery, including iconic covers, into shots for the film.
- Secret Sources and Hidden Spider Eggs (2:50): A guide to tucked-away references connecting the story to Marvel’s wider universe and other influences.
- Scorpions, Ninjas, and the Spider-Suit (6:03): The costume department explores the characters’ outfits and the work behind Spider-Man’s redesigned suit.
- Possession! (5:01): Behind the physical performances and practical techniques used to portray the villain’s mental powers.
- Lost Memories From Set: Camera Roll (2:21): A short collection of behind-the-scenes memories captured during production.
Streaming Spider-Man Brand New Day Promo Reel
