Title – Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)
Director – Destin Daniel Cretton (The Glass Castle)
Cast – Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Florence Pugh
Plot – Isolated after the events that whipped his existence from the memories of all those he holds dear, Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Holland) must contend with new threats that are aimed at him and the city of New York.
“Sometimes Spider-Man has to do the hard thing, even if it breaks Peter Parker’s heart”
Review by Eddie on 31/07/2026
Soon to become one of the biggest box-office behemoths of all-time, the 4th solo entry into the Tom Holland Spider-verse that started all the way back in 2017 with the highly enjoyable Homecoming, shows no signs of slowing down as new director Destin Daniel Cretton grounds his first foray into the world of everyone’s favourite web-slinger into a more character driven and introspective outing that is sure to keep audiences well and truly pleased.
Following directly on from the series altering events of the wildly fun No Way Home from 2021, Brand New Day finds Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man living in a world where those nearest and dearest to him no longer remember their relationships and friendships with the masked crusader of hope, giving a chance for Cretton and audiences to explore a Spidey story that gives added time for the central figure to take centre stage as well as the city of New York itself.
It’s quite the feat for the feature film landscape of Spider-Man to still be delivering what feels like fresh and interesting iterations of a character and his story arcs that have now been playing out before us in various mediums since 1962 but that’s exactly what Day does here, with Holland and the conflict of Parker the human arguably never better on screen as Cretton and his leading man offer a considered and emotionally resonate approach to their central figure and Holland once and for all stamping his authority over this role that will forever define his careers legacy.
Taking a softer approach to the sometimes-overbearing Marvel attitude towards to their cinematic properties that puts humour front and centre even when it goes too far, the secret weapon to Day’s win as an engaging outing is moving past that take on things and while the past Holland escapades have provided us with some great levity and humorous moments, Day does a great job of evening out the ledger, which isn’t to say things are all po-faced here, with Jon Bernthal’s important role here as Frank Castle/The Punisher ensuring there’s still a lot to smile about, but there’s an acceptance that for the Spider-Man brand to continue in this form, there needs to be a natural maturing that takes place.
Less reliant on spectacle, which is still here in some well-filmed segments and is undeniable when Spidey is flying through the bustling New York cityscape, Day can’t be accused of being a Hollywood blockbuster that is all about bang for buck with many of its best ingredients coming from the quieter moments of Spider-Man’s unenviable position and the supporting cast, including the valuable new addition of Sadie Sink in an integral role.
Fresh off her stint in pop-culture beast Stranger Things, Sink is clearly set for big things over the coming years and alongside proven performers here, that includes important turns from proven Spider entities Mark Ruffalo, Zendaya and Jacob Batalon, Sink makes a big mark and her character’s integration into the Day plotline is clearly going to be one Marvel can integrate into broader storylines moving forward, in hopefully gripping ways.
Ticking all the right boxes of what we’ve come to expect from this series that refuses to take the foot off the pedal, Day is going to be a massive winner for cinemagoers and Marvel/Spider-Man fans, proving that while Marvel and the broader comic book movie landscape is facing its challenges, Spider-Man is still flying high and continuing to give us top-quality content to consume thanks to its cared for and considered approach to material so many know and love.
Final Say –
A more introspective take on the Tom Holland era of web-slinging, Spider-Man: Brand New Day delights, surprises and entertains, swinging on its merry way to record breaking box-office hauls and more eager fans keen to see what comes next for our friendly neighbourhood hero.
3 1/2 grand pianos out of 5
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys) 
The best Spider-Man film so far and my favourite film this year, and that’s saying something seeing Project Hail Mary also came out this year. I have been a fan of PlayStation’s “Marvel’s Spider-Man” since it came out and this film feels like it took a lot of inspiration from the game, including action sequenes, web bombs, acrobatics, phone alerts, riding the elevated trains and the relationship with the detective. Another major point of beauty was the way they captured New York. Not just the city and skyline that we have seen in all the other movies, but the Burroughs and the vibrancy of the streets. This one made me feel things that I haven’t felt since Avengers End Game and only reinforced my love for Spider-Man.
That’s so great to hear mate. I am so happy for this franchise to be hitting the mark the way it is. It’s just such an easy to enjoy series and it’s been fascinating to see it remain so relevant and fresh. This one’s going to just make huge $$ and that makes me really happy, as I am sure it does Marvel ha.
E
I really enjoyed Spider-Man Brand New Day. It was just what the franchise needed at this point, and indeed the MCU itself. This film packed a real emotional punch in Holland’s portrayal of Peter / Spider-Man and I thought its easily his bet outing yet as. Superb supporting cast, exciting set-pieces, and a thrilling plot all made for a perfect superhero summer blockbuster.