Spider-Man: Brand New Day ★★★★

Released: 29 July 2026

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Starring: Tom Holland, Zendeya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Sadie Sink, Liza Colón-Zayas, Marisa Tomei and Tramell Tillman

Ten years after his scene stealing appearance swinging into the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has finally reached perhaps his most defining moment yet. With Jon Watt’s Spidey trilogy coming to an epic close with an emotional reset in No Way Home, one of Marvel’s hottest directors takes the reins soon after his brilliantly meta take on Wonder Man. But with great power, comes great responsibility – can Destin Daniel Cretton successfully propel the franchise forward with Brand New Day?

Years on from the game-changing events of No Way Home, Brand New Day centres on a forgotten Peter Parker devoting every waking moment to crime-fighting, partnering with Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas) and sometimes (begrudgingly!) Frank Castle/The Punisher (Jon Bernthal). However, as the wall-crawler pushes himself both mentally and physically, his Spidey powers evolve into something new and potentially threatening – especially as a powerful fresh threat makes their presence known in New York City.

Brand New Day is perhaps the best film about Spider-Man yet, and definitely one of the most comic accurate. Director Destin Daniel Cretton has created a real love-letter to Spidey’s New York, with the city and its inhabitants feeling authentically lived-in, making NYC as much a character as Spider-Man himself – an element which Insomniac Games did so well in their Spidey games. The climax of the first Sony x MCU Spidey trilogy drives this film’s entire narrative and Peter’s emotional journey, as he grapples with the consequences of his choices, his loneliness, and his longing for friends and family.

This is a truly great Peter Parker vs. Spider-Man conflict, as Peter has to learn and come to terms with what it truly means to be both. With his friends and family out of the picture, he’s poured everything he has into protecting New York. His actions have even earned him the Key to the City, but in dedicating himself entirely to Spider-Man, he’s buried his true emotions – and, in many ways, Peter Parker himself. That internal struggle is reflected physically too, as Peter’s evolving spider DNA begins to amplify the divide between his humanity and his Spider-Man instincts.

It’s here that Brand New Day finds its greatest strength – its emotional core. The theme of healing and self-acceptance isn’t just Peter’s arc – they extend to those around him too – The Punisher, Bruce Banner/The Hulk, and certain other characters who we’d be remiss to spoil. This is the most human and heartfelt of Spidey’s outings yet, with several scenes tugging on the heartstrings (and also proving real gut punches!) which perfectly encapsulates what it is to be Spider-Man: the loneliness, loving and losing, and ultimately finding yourself.

One scene in particular sees Peter Parker truly experiencing the impact Spider-Man has on New York and its residents, witnessing their love and support for the hero, and it’s note perfect. Grinning, Peter Parker turns to see a kid dressed in a Spidey suit, and the two share a moment where they strike the iconic pose at each other and smile. It’s a beautiful moment that feels like a celebration of everything Spider-Man represents, whilst serving as a reminder of why Tom Holland’s charming portrayal of the hero continues to resonate.

One of the film’s few downsides however is its slightly bloated runtime, which occasionally feels like it’s ending more than once (à la Return of the King). Thankfully, the emotional payoff connecting Peter to a certain character – along with one final twist – makes the extra runtime worthwhile.

While Tom Holland received criticisms over his performance alongside Anne Hathaway in Christopher Nolan’s epic adaptation of The Odyssey, he has certainly put to bed those claims in Brand New Day. This is Peter’s strongest and most emotional arc yet, and Holland excels with the gravitas, maturity and weight of the story, with his fourth outing as the web slinger proving his best. While Toby Maguire proved the best iteration of the nerdy Peter Parker, and Andrew Garfield the best version of jokey, trash-talking Spider-Man, Holland is perhaps the greatest portrayal of the two sides of the hero.

The British actor shares such an engaging and heartfelt chemistry with Jon Bernthal’s Punisher, Liza Colón-Zayas’s excellent Jean Dewolff and obviously the OG cast Zendeya and Jacob Batalon’s respective MJ and Ned. Each scene with the Punisher is comedy gold as they both argue constantly (will we ever find out what happened on Staten Island?!) but there is also an endearing connection over their shared loneliness. The pair’s growing friendship is a truly poignant addition to the universe, resonating best in the film’s moving climax. The Bear’s Liza Colón-Zayas continues to shine with her take on the detective, proving one of Peter/Spidey’s greatest anchors and connections to the community, while it’s just wonderful to spend more time with the OG trio as we’ve grown up with their characters.

Zendeya continues her incredible run too, proving just why she’s one of the most exciting performers of her generation, particularly in one gut punch of a sequence which sees her flex an entirely different set of skills we haven’t quite seen yet – and would love to see move of in the future.

One of the biggest concerns with the fourth instalment – particularly thanks in part to the film’s trailers – was the fact the film would be overstuffed with Marvel characters. So perhaps Destin Daniel Cretton and writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers’ biggest feat is balancing the many characters without the film feeling cameo heavy, fan service-heavy or pandering to future movies. As mentioned previously, each addition feels connected to Spidey’s arc, with the film feeling like an organic comic book world, an element which Sony and Marvel have each grappled with previously.

And this is the concern around Sadie Sink’s “villainous” character in particular, however, the Stranger Things fan favourite certainly shines and proves exactly why she’s one of the most talented prospects from the sci-fi franchise.

To say too much about the character would again be a disservice to the film’s many reveals, but it’s certainly a refreshing take on the individual and their origins, and definitely a departure to what we’ve seen before, setting up an emotional tie to Spidey going forwards.

Lastly, director Destin Daniel Cretton elevates the action and iconic Spidey swinging sequences across the city, bringing a whole new level to the franchise. There has been plenty of behind-the-scenes footage teasing the fourth instalment filming in Glasgow – and the filming on location certainly pays off, with plenty of the practical fight sequences adding to the authenticity. There is also plenty more acrobatics in store, with Holland and his excellent stunt doubles excelling with the wire work and hand-to-hand combat, an element which Cretton undoubtedly improved upon with his experience on Shang-Chi.

Brand New Day’s climax action sequence featuring the Hand is potentially one of the finest – and well choreographed – Spidey action sequences we’ve seen yet. And that’s not to mention the most comic book accurate Spidey suit in action too, along with an action sequence which features several iconic comic book covers brought to life.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day doesn’t just continue Peter Parker’s story after the world-changing events of No Way Home – it redefines the Peter Parker/Spider-Man conflict and what it truly is to be the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man. With a heartfelt exploration of loneliness, self-acceptance and healing, paired with exhilarating action and arguably the most authentic live-action depiction of Spider-Man’s New York, Destin Daniel Cretton offers a superior portrayal and understanding of the character at his core. It is also Tom Holland’s strongest performance as the wall-crawler – and perhaps the best live-action Spider-Man film to date.