Spider-Man: Brand New Day (dir. Destin Daniel Cretton)
Certificate: 12A
Running Time: 145 mins
UK Distributor: Sony Pictures
UK Release Date: 29 July 2026
WHO’S IN SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY?
Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, Mark Ruffalo, Florence Pugh, Marisa Tomei, Marvin Jones III, Eman Esfandi, Zabryna Guevara, Liza Colón-Zayas, Keith David
WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?
Destin Daniel Cretton (director), Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers (writers), Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, Rachel O’Connor and Amy Pascal (producers), Michael Giacchino (composer), Brett Pawlak (cinematographer), Nat Sanders and Gina Sansom (editors)
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Peter Parker (Holland) finds his responsibilities as Spider-Man tested in unexpected ways…
WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY?
Ever since Spider-Man was formally introduced within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the New York-based superhero has been going places. And I mean that literally: he’s been to Washington D.C., gone across Europe, and even to an alien planet, all well beyond his usual comfort zone of the Big Apple. Because of that, most Spider-Man fans (Spider-Fans?) have been clamouring for a return to more street-level adventures for the web-slinger, something far removed from all the multiversal plotting that has engulfed much of the MCU lately.
With Spider-Man: Brand New Day, they may have just gotten their wish. The film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, is a much more grounded and mature outing for Tom Holland’s incarnation of the character which, unlike his previous solo MCU outings, emphasises the hero’s deep-rooted yet somewhat tragic belief in doing the right thing at the expense of his own happiness. After all, with great power etc. But it is also a blast of a film, offering by far the most impressive visuals, action, performances and writing of any MCU Spider-Man movie, while nudging the overall direction of this universe into new(ish) and exciting areas.
We pick up on Holland’s Peter Parker a few years after No Way Home, which of course ended – spoiler alert for a five-year-old movie – with him making everyone in the world forget who he is, which also includes both his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon). In that time, Peter has dedicated pretty much his entire life to being the masked superhero Spider-Man, stopping various criminals and earning the respect and adoration of the city, as well as teaming up now and then with other street-level figures like Frank Castle/The Punisher (Jon Bernthal, reprising his role from the Daredevil and Punisher TV series). However, Peter cannot help but pine for a reunion with MJ and Ned, who have gone on to become MIT graduates and subsequently lead their own lives without their former forgotten friend, which triggers an unusual evolution in his arachnid-based DNA – among them, organic web-shooters and extremely heightened senses – that could also help him while facing off against a new telepathic enemy, as played by Sadie Sink.
Before I continue, I am aware that there has been a LOT of speculation surrounding the identity of Sink’s character, which most will probably have already either figured out or have had spoiled by certain media outlets. In the interest of preserving spoilers, I will not reveal her identity in this review – even though I probably don’t need to, because it’s the worst-kept secret in Marvel history ever since the “surprise” third-act appearances in No Way Home – but I will say that Sink is great in the role, and it will be very interesting to see where this character and her take on this part ends up going in future movies.
In regards to the movie itself, Brand New Day is certainly packed with a lot of plot and characters, often to where it can be hard to keep up with everything that’s going on, but the script, as credited to Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers (Justin Kurtizkes, the screenwriter for Zendaya’s Challengers, reportedly did an uncredited polish), keeps it all at a consistent pace and tone which allows for much of it to unfold fairly naturally. The humour is dialled way down compared to previous entries, although it still finds time to land a few strong laughs, particularly whenever we get to witness the inspired odd-couple pairing of the good-hearted Spider-Man and the hardened bleakness of The Punisher (and between this and The Odyssey, it’s apparent that Holland and Bernthal have a pretty good on-screen dynamic with one another). Plus, for MCU fans, there are a couple of fun surprise cameos and Easter eggs to spot in the background, though they don’t take as much precedence here as they did in other movies, keeping the focus as firmly as it can on its titular hero.
Speaking of, it shouldn’t be so surprising to find that Spider-Man is the true anchor of his own film, and yet it is, because thanks to Holland’s emotionally resonant performance – which might be his strongest to date in the role – as well as how the character is written, it is exceptionally easy to root for and empathise with Peter Parker as he goes on this much more personal journey. You can feel his drive to be the hero that he needs to be, both in costume and as a generally good person, but also his anguish as he struggles to face the fact that the people he loved are now no longer around or have moved on to other things, more often than not because of him directly. There are a lot of scenes in this movie where Holland’s Peter will just be talking with others about how difficult it is to balance his newfound responsibilities, which add greater dramatic depth to his character but also allows the viewer to better understand why sometimes he may not always make the right decision, or ones that are based purely on impulse rather than exact heroic calculations.
Those scenes end up being just as gripping and engaging as the action, which surely ranks among the most accomplished in any Spider-Man movie, MCU or otherwise. Cretton adapts the kinetic fight choreography and camerawork he brought to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings into a set of sequences that make full use of Holland’s agility in the role, as well as the creative possibilities of literal mind-hopping and the unexpected hilarity of Bernthal’s Punisher reacting to a supernatural threat like Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk (keeping the tradition going of at least one other major MCU player having a more supporting role in a Spider-Man movie). It’s filmed with such vibrant force and stylish flair that you’re amazed by how well it all flows, even when one or two visual effects look a little iffier than others, or when it briefly loses focus whilst juggling perhaps too many characters and plots at once.
But while it may occasionally stumble upon its landing, Brand New Day is by far the most emotionally resonant, thematically mature, and purely entertaining MCU Spider-Man outing to date. It captures quite excellently what people love about this character, Holland’s interpretation and the world he regularly occupies, which should he be called away from it once more – for, say, an Avengers-level threat to the universe(s) – will leave us pining for it all just as much as he undoubtedly will.
SO, TO SUM UP…
Spider-Man: Brand New Day features some of the most impressive action and exciting developments in the superhero’s MCU history, though at its heart is a tender and winning turn by Tom Holland whose emotional resonance in the role arguably makes him the definitive version of the beloved character.
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