Review: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Gets Peter Parker Right and Returns to Form

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is the first of the new MCU films to feel like a “Spider-Man” film. From day one, I’ve always felt Tom Holland made a perfect Peter Parker. He had the youthful look to him and the jokey kid from Queens attitude that made the comics so lovable. Changes were made among Peter’s friend group. His high school comrades were MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalan) and not Harry Osborn, Flash Thompson, or Gwen Stacey, as were featured in the Marvel comics. But the real reason the previous films felt too newish was in how hard Kevin Feige and the writers needed Spidey to be part of the MCU. The needed it so much they forgot who Peter Parker is. This film — directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers — thankfully remembers. 

Five years have passed since Spider-Man’s last foray in “No Way Home.” That film — which often felt upstaged by Peter’s more reckless nature and the prowess of Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) — ended dismally and darkly. In order to save the world from catastrophe, Peter had to agree to have everyone who knew him forget who he was. His aunt May deceased (Marisa Tomei), that meant his only two friends — one of them his girlfriend and the love of his life — would forget they ever knew him. “No Way Home” tests the impact of this at the end, as Peter goes into the bakery where MJ works, a letter in his hand to explain everything he doesn’t have the heart — or courage — to say. The film ends on a somber note as he must contemplate a world where he is utterly alone. 

Marvel Understands Peter Parker this Time

What works about “Brand New Day,” is the film defies its hopeful title and basks Peter in loneliness. He fights crime nonstop as a coping mechanism. He befriends a police detective, Jean DeWolff (an excellent Liza Colón-Zayas), who appreciates his help in plummeting crime but almost maternally urges him to enjoy some time out from under the mask. I found these scenes interesting: DeWolff has two children and has this utter New York feel about her. In fact, much of “Brand New Day” is very New York. Not in that savvy, sexy way rom-coms portray but in an intimate, sometimes dreary cityscape full of neighborhoods and people. And like the impeccable “Spider-Man 2” by Sam Raimi, the film opens hard and fast, but quickly dispatches a host of villains to center on Peter. And while the film has some exquisite action sequences, this is its biggest strength. 

What also works about “Brand New Day” is the film’s talent for misdirection. A villain emerges that can jump from body to body, who Spider-Man tracks to a young girl played by Sadie Sink, who’s already received much praise for her role. She seems intent on breaking into the centers of a place called Damage Control. We meet its head, played by Tramell Tillman, who seems to be reusing some of Spidey’s captured foes and accompanying tech to fight the good fight. Yet the way Cretton handles the villain — Spidey is assaulted by various foes, allies, and even tortured with the psychology of his loss of MJ — lets us follow his thread until we start having second thoughts. I’m trying hard here not to give away more as Sink’s character is integral, but likely a jump off to future films. Avoiding spoilers is due diligence. 

Sparse but Impressive Action Throughout

Being an MCU film, Parker comes across other heroes, mainly Bruce Banner/The Hulk (reprised by Mark Ruffalo, he seems more learned scientist than beast until, well you know), Black Widow from “The Thunderbolts” (Florence Pugh), and the movie’s bright spot, Jon Bernthal, reprising his role as The Punisher.  All are good, but I liked Frank the most. At the screening I attended, a pre-movie interview between Holland and Berthal left me amused as the actor’s nothing like The Punisher in real life. He seemed almost warm. Here he acts the gruff bastion of vengeance when he must but later lets his vulnerable side show. Frank views his life not as a choice but a curse; it’s interesting to see him and Parker play off each other. Parker is older and wiser, but Frank’s still a role model he sorely needs, and “Brand New Day” knows it. 

The action sequences in “Brand New Day” are impressive, and I liked the way 2026 Spidey uses tech to his advantage. His apartment is tripped out in spy programs and police scanners that are sent to his smartphone. Likewise, the chase sequences in the film felt faster and seemed more dangerous than even “Spider-Man 2.” You can feel the sheer force of Spidey’s swings and the fact he could maybe even die if he hit a wall at that speed. And Cretton does what made other “Spider-Man” iterations work so well: with Spider-Man often fighting with his mask off, it works to not just humanize him, but show the utter beating he takes between fights. An interaction with an unhinged Hulk left me cringing, while an end scene between Spidey and some ninjas made me think of “The Raid: Redemption,” “The Matrix,” and “Mortal Kombat” in tandem.  

Zendaya and Bernthal Excel

Another of the film’s strengths is Zendaya, who, alongside Holland, is an experience. The pair are married in real life. Here, one must act like he’s lost the love of his life and the other as though she didn’t know he existed. There’s a wise-ness to both performers, but I was impressed with how effortlessly Zendaya could switch between the MJ who thought she had her life together to someone who might just believe this crazy guy named Peter Parker, even if she can’t remember him. A rooftop scene is one of the most heartbreaking. “Brand New Day” is a sad movie at times. MJ sand Peter are now twenty-somethings and not the kids we’ve come to know and love. But they’re old enough to know pain, and it shows during their interactions. Batalon, as usual, is a genial addition and plays off his interactions with Spider-Man well. 

There’s more that can be said to cover all the ground laid by “Brand New Day,” but on its base it’s an excellent “Spider-Man” film more than it’s a MCU film. And that’s its biggest compliment. It’s funny (at times), but at other times is dark and dismal. What makes Spider-Man so engaging and relatable is how real he feels. He is a young man who spends most of his time alone, fearing getting close to others due to the few times his attachments have cost loved ones their life. The previous Holland led films almost forgot that, so busy were they with Iron Man, Dr. Strange, and Happy Hogan tie-ins. 

A Message to Not Go it Alone

Here, for most of its run-time, Spider-Man feels alone. He’s his own hero and not part of a universe. And while Cretton and company are doubtless setting up future films with Sink’s character and others, it uses them wisely. Sink does a fine job, and her scenes with Spider-Man at the film’s close are reason enough to see the film. This is because, alongside Parker feeling real as a character again, “Brand New Day” remembers also what makes up Spider-Man. He’s the guy who always tries to do the right thing, wants to protect people, and uses empathy just as much as he uses might. The clever comparison between he and Castle’s methods at the film’s closing scenes highlight the better parts of Marvel Comics: with great power comes great responsibility, and the kinder way is always the harder. But it’s worth it in the end. 

All together, “Brand New Day” is a very good “Spider-Man” film. Holland is great and has clearly settled into the role. He’s wiser and more mature. It’s also the first “Spider-Man” film in decades to show a city in debt to the hero again, and the first time since “Spider-Man 2” to give him hope. The supporting players are likable, and the film has both darkness and light to it — much like our hero through the film’s run. And while it is an MCU film and sets up other films outside of the “Spider-Man” world, it’s also the first in a while to feel like it belongs solely to its protagonist. It ends the way it must, not as a cliffhanger or sequel plug, but with levity for its main characters. And seeing how despairing “No Way Home” ended, it’s a change fans of the series could sorely use.