Spider-Man: Brand New Day is playing in UK cinemas now and releases in the US on July 31 from Sony Sony Pictures.
Synopsis
It’s a BRAND NEW DAY for Peter Parker. Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him—and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him—sparks a change in Peter he may not have the power to control. 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.
Review
It’s hard to believe that Tom Holland has been playing Spider-Man for over a decade now. We’ve seen the still-young star grow up through the MCU but amazingly the same grace has been afforded to his character. As Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives in UK cinemas today it finds Peter Parker at a crossroads in his life, isolated from everyone he loves and struggling to find his place in the world. With a new director, Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi), on board, can the Spider-Man franchise find a way to give meaning to the uncertainty of Peter’s 20s amongst all the comic book action?
The overriding edict of Jon Watts’ Spider-Man trilogy was to have fun, highlighting elements of the character which had been missing from both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s portrayals. Holland’s youthful energy and excitement has shone through consistently, eventually being expanded into a broader range in his Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame storyline with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jnr). But with 2021’s No Way Home the character began to walk a much more serious path, one which has become the backbone of Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers’ Brand New Day script.
We return to Peter Parker’s story four years later in the timeline of the MCU. Cretton utilises a very swift and effective montage to fill in the gaps of what he’s been up to. It’s full of fan pleasing moments with villain cameos and comic book homages aplenty. As mission statements go, this is a new director instantly telling the audience he gets the character and he understands what the audience wants. It sets a high bar for what follows in the 145 minute runtime, balancing a strong character arc with visionary action set pieces.
Anchoring the entirety of Brand New Day on Peter’s isolation and its impact on his life is the perfect decision. It clearly sets the film apart from Holland’s prior trilogy as well as most recent releases in the MCU making it easily the most character-driven Spider-Man film to date. Helping that is the fact that this is the performance of Tom Holland’s career. Whilst many are looking to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey for evidence of what Holland is capable of, Brand New Day is arguably the better performance of his two summer 2026 blockbusters. The depth of Peter’s despair is so relatable to the audience and even when it’s masked by all the usual cacophony of comic book noise it challenges Holland to expand his performance.
The film asks questions of what it means to be truly alone, exploring its impact on Peter’s judgement and consequently what that means for those around him including MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon). To frame that exploration Brand New Day introduces The Bear’s Liza Colón-Zayas as Detective Jean DeWolff. DeWolff is Peter’s only human connection when the film starts. The warmth of their interactions shines through perfectly in the script and works to remind the audience of what he lost in Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) who casts a long shadow over this film. The arc in the script is well constructed and culminates in a defining moment for Peter which sets up a brighter future ahead… after Doomsday and Secret Wars of course.
So it’s interesting that with such a strong heart Spider-Man: Brand New Day often tries to pull focus toward louder, brassier elements such as the Hulk (Bruce Banner), Scorpion (Michael Mando), Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and more. In fact Brand New Day’s dense script really piles on the pounds by throwing so many elements into the mix. Some, like The Hand, are completely superfluous but still offer Cretton the chance for some incredible visuals during the film’s many action sequences. Others, like Hulk and DeWolff, make a genuine impact on the film but disappear for large chunks of the runtime with their unexplained absences leaving a hole in the overall narrative flow. In that respect Brand New Day becomes quite episodic and feels like binge-watching a limited run series more than a movie.
Luckily for us even a messy periphery in Brand New Day isn’t enough to throw off Cretton and his cast. Whilst Jacob Batalon is underutilised, Ned’s impact on the story is unmistakable. The same isn’t true of Zendaya whose MJ is vital to Peter’s journey. The connection the couple share in real life brings a new energy to their on screen dynamic with MJ having no memory of their connection. A tender scene on Punisher’s boat is exemplary of how these two actors are able to weaponise their connection to create an undeniably magnetic performance. The aforementioned Colón-Zayas is a radiant addition to the cast who needs to return to future sequels and be protected at all costs. Holland has an equally great connection with Bernthal’s Frank Castle. Brand New Day allows Punisher to lean into humour and it fits well with Bernthal’s performance, cutting through some of the film’s most tense moments with buddy-cop humour.
But it’s Sadie Sink who really impresses with an expectation-defying performance. Much will be written about her performance and her character when we’re able to openly discuss it. But her performance is both self-assured and confident, taking a huge step up from her already memorable performance in Stranger Things. The origins of her character have been rewritten into an MCU template that falls a little on the side of generic. But Sink performs the hell out of the material proving she’s capable of being the villain whilst simultaneously showing a warmth and devastation that creatures a true Grey area to where the character sits in the battle of good versus evil.
Visually, Spider-Man: Brand New Day packs a punch that has been lacking from the MCU for some time. Teamed with cinematographer Brett Pawlak, Cretton has created something which is genuinely unique. There are plenty of unexpected camera angles and setups which add a whole new dynamic to both web slinging and action sequences. Layering in slow-mo moments and POV shots in these moments gives Cretton a creative license to have fun. The fact the film is also dynamically lit also helps to increase the overall sense of atmosphere. This isn’t simply Spider-Man in sunny NYC like in past movies. There’s plenty of snow, rain and even night shoots really amp up the sense of pacing as well as creating a varied an eye-catching palette.
For the most part the visual effects also pack the necessary punch to carry the film. There are occasional missteps and uncanny valley green screen but thankfully these moments are few and far between. Instead, Brand New Day utilises practical, in camera effects and stunts for a distinctly more visceral aesthetic. It feels like an approach to filmmaking that earlier MCU films utilised but which became forgotten as the franchise grew to reach juggernaut status. That renewed sense of back-to-basics is something Marvel Studios should carry forward as much as possible because it’s undeniably more captivating for the audience.
It’s not just Peter Parker who is maturing in Brand New Day, Michael Giacchino returns for his fourth Spider-Man score and is maturing all of his themes from the past three films. There’s plenty of new music to be heard across the film. But it’s the returning motifs from Homecoming and the rest of the trilogy, now approached in more contemplative and sombre ways which really drive home the journey that Peter has been on across all of his appearances in the MCU.
Many of us struggle with our identity in our 20s. We’re fresh out of education and entering the workforce for the first time. Friends have come and gone. Family may have come and gone too. It’s a transitional phase with little financial stability but plenty of adult problems. Everything about Spider-Man: Brand New Day beautifully tackles those themes through the analogy of Peter’s struggles as Spider-Man. Whilst its messaging is often challenged by cameos and distractions the results are still easily the most grounded, well acted and consistent Spider-Man film ever produced.
Verdict
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the most grounded, mature, and well-acted entry the franchise has ever produced, anchored by the best performance of Tom Holland’s career. Its script is often distracted by too many moving parts, but when it focuses on Peter’s isolation, this is Spider-Man finally allowed to grow up.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
