‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Review: The Long Awaited Return of Marvel’s Most Infamous Superhero

Written by: Tanner Stein

After nearly five years of waiting, everyone’s favorite webslinger returns to the big screen in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Spider-Man: Brand New Day follows Peter Parker, forgotten by the world, as he dives full-time into being Spider-Man. 

With the multiversal-level threats that occurred in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), it was finally time for Peter to return to saving New Yorkers as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Filled to the brim with new additions, including The Punisher, The Hulk, The Hand and more, some fans questioned if maybe there would be too much going on. That, however, is not the case, as Cretton perfectly manages everything, still making sure Peter Parker is the focus of the story.

Tom Holland excels as Peter Parker, delivering his best performance as the character to date. Holland’s performance is the perfect blend of fun, light-hearted Spidey antics and hard-hitting emotional moments that ground the character. Spider-Man: Brand New Day puts Peter at the lowest he’s ever been. No more Aunt May, MJ, or Ned to help him through it all, and this leads to Holland’s strongest take on the character. The emotional beats carry weight because of Holland’s performance, with and without the mask. When the mask is on, Holland’s physical acting is outstanding as he’s able to make it feel as though you’re watching the character come right off the page. Without the mask, Holland captures the charm of Peter Parker, one who’s no longer a kid, dealing with the heavy expectations of the world.

Although Holland is giving an incredible performance that doesn’t take away from the supporting cast. Zendaya returns as MJ, leading to some of the best scenes in the film. Although the action is exciting and huge, it’s the smaller character moments between Peter and MJ that bring the film together. Jacob Batalon returns as Ned Leeds, providing comic relief to counter Peter Parker’s misery. Other standouts include Jon Bernthal as The Punisher, Sadie Sink as the film’s antagonist, Tramell Tillman as Bill Metzgar and Liza Colón-Zayas as Detective Jean DeWolff. 

As the trailers showed, there was plenty of action in this film, taking a step up from previous installments. Spider-Man: Brand New Day has not only the best webslinging put to screen, but also some of the best fights in the franchise. Spider-Man takes on Scorpion, the Hulk and The Hand, and each fight is a unique exploration of Spider-Man’s fighting style. The action doesn’t feel wasted, with each fight pushing the story forward while still delivering on the expectations built over the years. 

Learning from previous Spider-Man directors, Cretton takes inspiration from the past films, allowing for a beautiful story told with breathtaking visuals. In the film, it is clear there was inspiration from both the Raimi trilogy, the Webb duology and the Watts trilogy. By taking aspects, along with Cretton’s own unique style, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the accumulation of all the best Spider-Man movies, leaving something for all fans to look forward to. 

Spider-Man: Brand New Day exceeds expectations, bringing in a new era for the character. After a half-decade of waiting, the webslinger’s return to the big screen did not disappoint, cementing Spider-Man: Brand New Day as one of the best live-action Spider-Man movies to date.