Review of 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day'
Following on from the events of No Way Home, Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is a recluse having erased himself from the memories of those he loves spending his time on the street fighting crime. The film opens with Peter Parker (Tom Holland) writing a letter to MJ (Zendaya), hoping that he may one day give it to her and explain what happened between them. During a tank attack on the Department of Damage Control he encounters a new type of entity that is able to seize control of the minds of other people, making others do whatever they want. As he puzzles through this new challenge he notes troubling headaches and physical changes as a result of his spider DNA. He is lonely but encounters MJ and Ned (Jacob Batalon) who, of course, do not remember him. With the help of Frank Castle/The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and Yelena Belova/Black Widow (Florence Pugh) the pieces begin to fall in place but then MJ is possessed and he is forced to face the consequences of his actions…
Quite a lot of fun with lots of action and a good deal of character development. Holland is so good in the role with his boyish looks it really adds to convincing us of his character while Jon Bernthal is great as the Punisher - A brusk, violent, sweary hero who simply wants to do what is right…in his own heavy-handed way. The two work great together, connecting in a very real way. It is great to see the relationship between Peter and MJ explored again, though with some seriously tragic twists (with the note he wrote playing a key role). It is great to also see some of the other Marvel characters on the big screen again including Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and a hint at what is to come with the introduction of X-Men's Jean Gray (Sadie Sink).
The action is in and around the grittier bits of New York City, a city that is getting to understand their new Spider-Man hero. Lots of industrial landscapes and fantastic views of the city from above and as Spider-Man swings through it. It feels a much more accurate picture of life in the big city with the crass, unfeeling people of the city and the contemporary feel of the whole thing. The action is huge with massive set pieces, buildings destroyed, cars thrown, big fight sequences (particularly a fantastic one with Spider-Man taking on a group of martial artist villains towards the end)…All looks amazing. I particularly found the first-person perspective sequences of Spider-Man swinging through the city at break-neck speed quite incredible, really giving you a sense of what it would be like.
It was a bit long at almost 2.5 hours long and it does seem to be often quite laggy as the key points of the film are given lots of screen time, perhaps too much. There is quite a brief end-credit sequence that I am not entirely convinced you need to stick around to watch…It was also nice to see a short introduction from Tom Holland before the airing of the film saying how proud they were of the film and hoping we would enjoy.
Though long, a great chapter in the Spider-Man story. Looks fantastic and plenty of action. A great summer film to be seen, if possible, on the big screen.
Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”
Review Date: 2026-08-15
Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Year: 2026
Length: 145 minutes
Genre: Action/Adventure
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22084616/