The Spider-Man franchise continues to prove that with great power comes great responsibility, especially the responsibility to outdo itself.
After battling Vulture, Mysterio, and dodging the dreaded threequel curse, Spider-Man: Brand New Day doesn’t just clear the bar set by the Home films; it easily swings right past it. Written by No Way Home’s Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi), Spider-Man: Brand New Day takes us on a fun, fast, edge-of-your-seat adventure. The film brings a new take on a legendary Marvel character, delves into Peter’s latest round of trauma and growth, and delivers the perfect bromance between Spider-Man and Punisher we never knew we needed.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day picks up with the fallout of Peter Parker’s decision to have Doctor Strange wipe the world’s memory of his identity. MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon), with no memory of Peter, have gone to MIT to make new memories. Meanwhile Peter stays in New York, suffering in silence and throwing himself into work with Detective Jean Dewolff (Liza Colon-Zayas) — cracking down on thugs, bank robbers, and super-powered criminals.
Peter’s isolation gets worse when he discovers MJ and Ned are back in New York City. This trauma triggers biological mutations in Peter’s spider DNA to overtake his human biology. And just when you think life can’t get messier, a new villain emerges, one who can hijack anyone’s consciousness … except Peter. This leads to Peter racing to fix his mutation, confront his grief, and stop this mystery threat before the people he loves get caught in the crossfire.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day works from start to finish. It’s funny, emotional, action-packed, and loaded with twists, turns and cameos that’ll satisfy long-time Spidey fans. Brand New Day keeps this franchise fresh is its relevancy and its constant need to raise the stakes which it does easily by taking Spider-Man back to basics. After Peter’s attention was on high school, Europe, space and the multiverse in the first three films, it’s good to see this film bring Peter Parker back to being what he is: a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man dealing with street-level crime. We get Spider-Man doing the Spidey things we love like fighting everyday crime instead of grappling with multiversal disasters. The grounded street-level New York City crime-fighting wall crawler uses strategy, wise cracks and determination instead of Stark Tech.
When it comes to raising the stakes, this movie would make Stan Lee proud. The opening sequence alone brings iconic comic covers like Amazing Fantasy #15, Spectacular Spider-Man #142, and Amazing Spider-Man #221 to life. There are plenty more epic moments, but the biggest by far is the confrontation between Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk. That scene alone is worth the price of admission.
What really makes Brand New Day stand out is Destin Daniel Cretton’s direction. He brings the grounded intensity of Shang-Chi into Spider-Man’s world. His direction gives the action a punchy, street-level feel the franchise hasn’t had in a long time. Cretton keeps the camera locked on Peter, making every fight and emotional moment hit harder and feel personal. The film moves with purpose, confidence and just enough chaos to remind you why Spider-Man works best when he’s swinging through New York streets instead of spaceships.
The film is filled with sensational performances. Tom Holland delivers one of his most grounded and emotionally raw performances as Peter Parker, carrying the weight of isolation, mutation, and responsibility that pushes the character forward. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon bring a fire of intensity guaranteed to make audiences laugh and cry. Sadie Sink is a standout addition, injecting the film with a vengeful finesse that only she could bring to such a bold and younger version of the iconic character she portrays in the film. Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is pitch-perfect, brutal in the best ways and funny. Mark Ruffalo brings a balance of calm and danger that has made his run as Hulk so memorable, like in one scene where he’s trying to keep the beast at bay.
If there’s one drawback, it’s that Brand New Day occasionally tries to do a little too much. The film is packed emotionally, narratively, and visually. Peter’s mutation arc feels like it gets resolved a little too prematurely which doesn’t take away from the film, but feels more like a convenience to move the story forward.
Overall, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is everything a Spidey film should be: fun, engaging, heartfelt, and exciting. It’s the kind of Spider-Man movie that reminds you why this character has been beloved for over 60 years. It’s one of Marvel’s best MCU franchises to date. Whatever web Peter spins next, should be a good one.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now playing in theaters everywhere.
