SALT LAKE CITY — Sony dropped a new promotional video for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," featuring soccer legend Lionel Messi finally coming face-to-face with Tom Holland's friendly neighborhood web-slinger. I have to admit, even this old curmudgeon found it pretty charming.
The clip flips expectations in the best way. Rather than Spider-Man being starstruck by one of the greatest athletes to ever kick a soccer ball, Messi is the superfan, grinning like a kid who just spotted his favorite superhero at Comic-Con.
Honestly, I get it.
I am still convinced I once saw the actor who played Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez from "The Sandlot" at Nickelcade. I spent the rest of the day trying to work up the courage to say hello. I never did, and aside from not kissing my crush after a dance sophomore year, this is my biggest regret from adolescence. To this day, nobody believes that I saw him that day, but I know what I saw.
So, watching arguably the greatest soccer player ever have his own fanboy moment with Spider-Man feels oddly relatable.
The new promo is another fun tease for "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," which swings into theaters July 31, and if nothing else, it reminds us that even global superstars still get excited about meeting their heroes.
