Spider-Man: Brand New Day Review: Tom Holland's Best Outing Yet Puts The Marvel Hero Through The Wringer

What makes Spider-Man so special? A question this obvious might seem insulting at first, until you remember it's something Marvel Studios has been struggling to answer since the moment Tom Holland first arrived on the scene 10 years ago in "Captain America: Civil War." The optics of soft-launching Peter Parker's arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by playing second fiddle (or more like twelfth) in a crossover battle between heroes he had no real connection to was bad enough. Using that as a springboard for an entire trilogy that basically surf-dracula'd its way to finally depicting the Spidey we all know and love was even worse. Despite some charming characterization, a handful of inspired moments, and a star all but begging for a vehicle worthy of his pitch-perfect casting, it seemed like we were doomed to one missed opportunity after another.

Leave it to "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" to swoop in and save the day — even for the biggest skeptics among us. Destin Daniel Cretton takes over for previous trilogy director Jon Watts, instantly leveling up the proceedings with a shot in the arm and a convincing right hook to the very idea of superhero fatigue. Here, he adds the deft touch for emotional depth he brought to "Short Term 12," combined with the action bona fides he showcased in the otherwise unremarkable "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings." And rather than shamelessly coast on the strength of novelty, vibes, and all the best parts of previous iterations of the character, "Brand New Day" makes the shockingly bold choice to embrace what makes this Spider-Man so unique.

Holland's sheer commitment to the role, Cretton's (mostly) seamless approach to shared-universe storytelling and, yes, an innate understanding of Spidey's true appeal makes this the MCU's greatest "Spider-Man" outing yet.

It's hopefully not too contentious to claim that the MCU has oftentimes lost itself in the morass of its own cinematic universe. As the years have gone by and the franchise's pop-culture power has grown, each passing installment has only further and further resembled an ouroboros — a Chitauri Leviathan eating its own biomechanical tail. This trend perhaps reached its nadir with 2021's "No Way Home," a glass cage of a movie that may never escape the ignominy of its ugly, stilted, pandemic-filmed visuals and plot entirely driven by nostalgia for the past.

"Brand New Day" couldn't be more different. Peter Parker's opening narration quickly catches viewers up on the memory-wiping events of the previous film, while the action-filled montage that follows sets a new tone for this take on our wall-crawling hero. Suffering the consequences of his actions, Peter is everything we've never seen from this MCU version before: lonely, forgotten, and toiling mightily to "Do the hard thing," as he puts it.

It's here where Destin Daniel Cretton's insistence on shooting in real locations, and with a thematic emphasis on moving forward rather than looking back, pays off the most. With each distinctive flourish that Cretton and director of photography Brett Pawlak ("Short Term 12," "Just Mercy," Marvel's "Wonder Man") bring to the table — eye-popping colors with actual contrast, dizzying point-of-view shots, and influences pulled from the PS5 games and even "The Matrix: Reloaded," fascinatingly enough – the sequel continues to set itself apart. I promise this isn't meant as a backhanded compliment, but here it goes: The most satisfying part about "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is that it looks and feels like a real movie, in every sense of the phrase.

In many ways, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" would have to be described as more than the sum of its parts. On the surface, there's much to be weary about. The marketing has mainly zeroed in on what appears to be umpteen cameos and connections to the wide world of Marvel, the implicit promise of Peter reuniting with best bud Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) and one true love in Zenadaya's MJ, and, of course, the mystery box surrounding the identity of whoever Sadie Sink might be playing. If we ascribe to the multiverse theory, there are probably infinite possibilities for all of this to have gone horribly wrong. Thankfully, not unlike our Avengers in "Infinity War" and "Endgame," we somehow found the one universe where things went right.

Well, mostly, that is. As tempting as it may be to grade these blockbusters on a curve, it's only fair to point out where "Brand New Day" falls short of expectations. Though subtlety has never been a strong suit in comic book movies, there's something particularly grating about how this sequel holds your hand every step of the way. Themes are explained multiple times in dialogue for those in the cheap seats, while composer Michael Giacchino's otherwise stirring score can't help but underline the point several times over. And as for those cameos? Big-name stars like Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner and Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle bring the goods (and play more sizeable roles than anticipated), but some wonky plotting and stutter-step pacing makes the 145-minute runtime feel even longer at times.

It's all thanks to Daniel Destin Cretton's shrewd control of tone that this ride stays on the rails as much as it does.

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" lives up to its title by its laser-sharp focus on our web-head, his influence on New York City and its citizens (almost Sam Raimi-like in capturing the metropolis' one-of-a-kind personality), and how far he's come. Peter's DNA may be changing and mutating before his very eyes in an echo of "Spider-Man 2," but the idea of evolving and adapting is baked right into the script by co-writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. For a movie dealing with the aftermath of a magical wizard's spell to wipe everybody's memories and avert multiverse-threatening disaster, it's downright shocking to realize how real and emotionally grounded it feels to see Peter pining for his old life with his old friends ... yet struggle to reset things back to the status quo, as the MCU would normally dictate.

The notion of consequences, devastating personal loss, and the burden of great power shows up in practically every corner of "Brand New Day" — including in aspects I'm unable to spoil here. Sure, the screenplay may try a little too hard at times to celebrate Peter as the most gifted and special individual to ever live. But at least it makes him earn such a victory lap, genuinely putting him through the wringer in a story where might never makes right. Only empathy, sacrifice, and true heroism save the day.

Has the MCU finally cracked the code on what has bedeviled it for so long? Granted, Sam Raimi accomplished this twice over without breaking a sweat. But fourth time proves to be the charm, as "Brand New Day" gives Spider-Man the adventure he deserves.

/Film Rating: 7 out of 10

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" hits theaters on July 31, 2026.