Spider-Man: Brand New Day Review

Spider-Man: Brand New Day takes viewers on a  poignant, exhilarating journey for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man in one of the year’s best films.

This film is truly a Spider-Man story, one filled with heavy emotional weight, sensational characters and performances, and amazing action that will make your eyes go wide. 

We pick up with Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland, of The Odyssey) in the aftermath of Doctor Stephen Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch, of The Imitation Game) spell that made everyone in the world forget Peter Parker existed. He’s made a home in this run down apartment, has built his suit himself, and is now throwing himself into saving New York City. It’s a far cry from the “Iron Man Junior” comparisons that Holland’s version of Peter received in his prior appearances. He’s alone, and struggling with grief and loneliness, no matter how much the Web-Slinger tries to deny it. 

If you’ve ever lost someone or felt as if there was no one you could turn to, Holland’s work is going to strike a cord with you. There are plenty of moments where the heartache is visible on his face and even underneath the Spider-Man mask. Peter is in an endless battle throughout the film and Holland really makes you feel that the weight on this hero’s shoulders is just get deeper and deeper until it threatens to crush him. Grief and loneliness can turn people into shells of themselves, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day does a fantastic job of bringing that to the screen. Peter’s body changes, his senses and emotions become overwhelming, and it can be both cool and hard to watch at the same time. 

As this narrative progresses, you’ll root for Peter to find a way to healthily be himself and everyone’s Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. The path there is an emotional ride for all of these characters and the audience. Holland is exceptional throughout as he embodies Peter Parker and Spider-Man better than ever before. He may not have every hallmark you’d traditionally associate with Peter such as his passion for photography, but this is the hopeful character that so many including myself grew up loving without a doubt. 

Peter isn’t the only one put through the ringer during a story centered on grief, loneliness, love, and friendship though. Spider-Man: Brand New Day showcases the tragedy of becoming someone else through no fault of your own through Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson (Zendaya, of The Drama). Her dynamic with Peter adds to this film’s emotional core and audiences are treated to Zendaya finally being able to showcase what she can do as an actress after 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home gave us a taste of the talent she displayed in other projects.

Her work here can be best described as gut wrenchingly beautiful. Seeing the impact of Strange’s spell on MJ is devastating and watching Zendaya and Tom Holland navigate this new era for their characters while still having tons of chemistry will captivate you. As has been the case throughout this review, I’m tearing up just thinking about some of their scenes. 

Speaking of characters that add to Peter’s arc while also having a harrowing journey of their own. Sadie Sink (Stranger Things 5) is absolutely remarkable in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. I’m treading lightly to preserve the reveal of who she’s playing because everyone deserves to find out for themselves. Plus, Marvel pointed a sniper at my head as soon as I typed Sadie Sink’s name. One of my biggest fears with this film was that she would take too much away from Peter, but thankfully screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers didn’t let that happen. Sink’s character complements Peter well and they parallel each other in this really wonderful way. I’m excited to see what Sink’s future holds in the MCU, and this turned out to be an awesome, moving way to bring her into this world. 

The same goes for Frank Castle/Punisher (Jon Bernthal, of The Bear), Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, and another character who I won’t name but was overjoyed to see here. All three do a solid job of supporting Peter as he moves along. I get that some viewers would prefer a Spider-Man film with less MCU connective tissue, but to be honest, I don’t ever see that happening. Thankfully, this adventure feels very much like a Peter story that just happens to have MCU characters in it. Peter and Frank are fantastic together and to be honest, I wouldn’t mind if Frank showed up again in a future Spidey film. His inclusion doesn’t feel as jarring because these two have history in the comics and due to Tom Holland having tremendous chemistry with Jon Bernthal. 

So since Spider-Man: Brand New Day successfully tackles a variety of themes and characters before leaving you with this feeling of hope, what’s left to highlight? That would be the work of Director Destin Daniel Cretton and his crew. Not only does Cretton give audiences the emotional depth that’s been needed in the MCU as of late, he also showcases Spider-Man better than anyone ever has.

His visual style combines the greatest elements of the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield Spider-Man films, a sprinkle of the Sony PlayStation video games, and his own flair to create an extraordinary experience. Watching Cretton and company do things that I’d never seen with my favorite superhero on the big screen and then looking over at my nephew being just as in awe as I was is a memory that I’ll cherish forever. At long last, Peter Parker/Spider-Man has leapt from comic book page to screen in every sense of the word. 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day blew me away with its profound story featuring a performance from Tom Holland that cements him as the definitive Peter Parker/Spider-Man. The sky is the limit as far as where this character could go from here and I’ll never forget the smile I had on my face as I left the theater in a crowd full of people after seeing this.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now available to watch globally in theaters.