Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Spider-Man: Brand New Day takes place four years after the events of No Way Home, and follows Peter Parker (Tom Holland), who is now living entirely alone, having voluntarily erased himself from the lives and memories of those he loves in order to protect them. Crime-fighting in a New York that no longer knows his name, he’s devoted himself entirely to protecting his city — a full-time Spider-Man — but as the demands on him intensify, the pressure sparks a surprising physical evolution that threatens his existence, even as a strange new pattern of crimes gives rise to one of the most powerful threats he has ever faced.
Spider-Man has had quite the journey in the MCU, from fighting on the streets of Queens to taking part in Avengers-level events to dealing with iconic villains from across the multiverse. But after the truly devastating choice he had to make in No Way Home, Spider-Man was now on a new path and under a new director, ready to evolve things further for everyone’s favorite wall-crawling and web-swinging superhero. Spider-Man: No Way Home was truly a phenomenal film that I still love to this day but to be completely honest I think I ended up loving Brand New Day way more.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day to me is the perfect Spider-Man film that takes the character back to his roots in a more grounded and mature story that really hits hard on an emotional as well as epic level. Destin Daniel Cretton was able to bring new life and energy into Spider-Man’s newest chapter, delivering all the exciting thrills you’d expect him to deliver after his work with Shang-Chi while simultaneously giving a very character-driven narrative that feels far more deeper and thoughtful than the previous films. Jon Watts created a great foundation with the character in his trilogy, and Cretton was able to massively upgrade it in unexpected but very welcome ways. This was a film that I found to be extremely moving and relatable similar to last year’s Thunderbolts* and this year’s Wonder Man, which has now made me consider this film as one of my top favorite projects in the MCU and my favorite live-action Spider-Man film of all time.
The performances of Brand New Day from both main and supporting characters are truly phenomenal across the board, with each cast member bringing something to the table with their characters never feeling underused or unnecessary. The leading standout of this film is the titular superhero himself, played by Tom Holland, who delivers his best performance of the character so far in the MCU. Coming right off the heels of his incredible performance in The Odyssey, Tom Holland brings another incredible performance with his return to the beloved webhead who we see thriving as Spider-Man but greatly suffering as Peter Parker. He made the choice to erase his identity from everyone he’s loved and to seclude himself from them, resulting in him falling into a deep hole of depression and loneliness that begins to consume him both mentally and physically, which is represented by his sudden evolution of his spider powers. This makes him begin to become more Spider than Man and risk losing himself to become a monster.
Over the course of the film, Peter learns the importance of his humanity; the friendships, the love, the pain, the failures, and how they’re all a necessary part of growing up, which is what makes the character highly relatable to everyone, including myself. Tom Holland truly delivers a momentously powerful performance in this film, packed with emotion and tragedy, truly cementing him as the best live-action Spider-Man in my view.
Zendaya returns as MJ in this film as a more mature version of the character but just as dry-witted, sarcastic, observant, and deeply intellectual as we all know her to be. She remains a huge part of Peter’s life but only from a distance as he chooses not to return to her in order to protect her, creating a heartbreaking romance that seemingly may not return to the way it was. This film doesn’t undo the permanent consequences established in No Way Home nor is there some kind of loophole created to make everything return to normal like a fairy tale. Her memories and feelings for Peter have been completely erased, and therefore the mutual connection they once shared is now lost, making the moments that they share together some of the most emotional scenes of the film. Zendaya delivers such a magnificent performance in this film as well as amazing chemistry with Tom Holland that feels amplified thanks to their marriage in real life.
Jacob Batalon returns as Ned Leeds in a smaller role compared to the previous films, but still remains a comedic gem of a character that provides great doses of levity in a mostly mature film, as well as adds on to the tragedy of what Peter lost with his hard choice.
With Peter fully committing to his superhero life this brings him face-to-face with a number of special characters from the MCU that all play great parts in this film’s story and are given fantastic performances by their respective cast members. Certain characters that have been through similar experiences to Peter work both in the service of the plot and in the service to his personal journey, representing various struggles. The first among them is his main ally/rival throughout most of the film who is none other than the Punisher himself Frank Castle, reprised by Jon Bernthal. The character finally makes his first theatrical MCU debut in a Spider-Man film, which is incredibly fitting given the character’s introduction in comics was actually in a Spider-Man comic, and he was absolutely phenomenal!
Jon Bernthal steals the spotlight every single time he comes onscreen, sharing incredible dynamic chemistry with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, packed full of conflicting morals and honestly hilarious laughs. Even though the character’s hyper violence is slightly toned down a bit for this film’s rating, the character still retains all of the most important elements and traits he has been known for in his MCU journey leading up to this point. There’s no “Disneyfication” or ruining of his character in this film as some may have feared, and the humor is not too dissimilar to some of the humor he had back in some of his interactions with Daredevil and with some characters in his own series on Netflix. If anything the humor and dysfunctional brotherly-like relationship he shares with Peter in this film just shows that there is still some humanity within the merciless killer on the outside. There’s even a truly beautiful scene they share together later in the film, performed beautifully by Jon Bernthal, that shows a lesser-seen side of the character that gives us a small glimmer of the good man he once was before everything was taken from him. Frank also serves as a cautionary tale of what happens when you fully commit yourself to being a vigilante without a life, right when Peter needs that lesson most in his journey, and it is truly the best use of the Punisher for this kind of story.
Mark Ruffalo returns as Bruce Banner for a small but impactful supporting role as Peter turns to him for help regarding his evolving superpowers. But later events soon force Peter to fight him as the Hulk when he ends up regressing to uncontrollable, destructive “Savage Hulk” persona, last seen in Avengers: Infinity War. It’s a truly damn good fight, but the Savage Hulk’s return actually serves a crucial thematic purpose for Peter rather than just being some setup for the future or fan service. The Hulk serves as what happens when you try to fight nature and duality rather than embrace it, leading to you becoming a monster, which is what Peter fears he may become with his mutating DNA.
And then there’s another surprising guest star who was very well hidden from the marketing that makes their appearance in the film as both service to the story and to Peter’s journey that was a truly welcome addition to the film. This is a specific character who we have seen previously experience great loneliness and loss of their own but found their way out, resulting in them seeing right through Peter’s loneliness behind the mask and secretly wanting to see the best happen for him. I was so happy to see this character involved and be utilized in a genius way.
This film features multiple fun villains from Spider-Man’s rogues gallery that are mainly used to establish Peter’s four-year-long battle to protect New York from crime, and it includes the long-awaited return of Michael Mando as Mac Gargan, aka Scorpion, who was worth the nine-year wait even in a small supporting role.
But the true main villain of this film is the mystery character played by Sadie Sink who is absolutely f**king perfect as this character and ends up being someone very surprising. She starts off as a malignant figure in the first half of the film, but after the revelation of her identity and the tragic reason behind her motives, she ends up being one of the most compelling characters in the entire film and a perfect opposition for Peter. Sadie Sink delivers beautiful amounts of empathy and presence in her performance for the character and ends up having incredibly powerful emotional moments that really moved me in unexpected ways, especially in one vital third-act sequence with her and Tom Holland’s Peter. This specific sequence hit a really special place in my heart for many personal reasons, bringing me to tears, and it really cements Sadie Sink as a truly phenomenal actress who has been able to grow beyond her role in Stranger Things with the immense talent she has. She is the best and deserves the best, which is why I’m excited to see what becomes of this character going forward in the MCU.
The Department of Damage Control (DODC) once again returns but this time with the introduction of the head of the group, named Bill Metzger, played by Tramell Tillman. Tramell Tillman delivers a fantastic performance as this character, showing a charm filled persona on the surface but hides a suspicious side to him underneath that slowly begins to emerge. Damage Control continues to evolve into something far more sinister over the course of the MCU with Wonder Man and now in this film, which further dials up the threat they pose to all enhanced individuals, including heroes, villains, or civilians.
The film’s narrative adapts and balances a lot of various genres pulled from Spider-Man stories that can be fun and vibrant, but at its core, it is a grounded and mature character-driven narrative focused on the lonely journey of one of the most beloved heroes in fiction, with stakes on a human scale. Peter endures countless struggles as a result of the tragic choice he made in No Way Home, and he faces perhaps his greatest challenge in life, which isn’t a new villain but instead his own human heart that is in conflict with itself. The themes of loneliness and struggles with mental health are handled with great care, making for the most relatable live action depiction of the character we have had in a long time, and one I felt even more attached to than ever, given my own struggles I’ve been dealing with these last few years.
If No Way Home was considered a love letter to the legacy of live-action Spider-Man films, then this film serves as a love letter to everything about Spider-Man from across all media. This film includes all the emotional and tragic elements of the character from comics, while simultaneously including crossover characters that all have a genuine narrative and thematic connection to Spider-Man, which is also something pulled straight from comics. While I liked the inclusion of characters like Iron Man, Nick Fury, and Doctor Strange in the Jon Watts trilogy, there was always a part of me that felt they were mostly planted in by the studio rather than feeling like natural inclusions that can truly connect to Peter Parker. Now with characters like the Punisher, Hulk, and the special guest star, they all have a lot more in common with Peter’s journey from his current struggles to his past experiences that they do feel like natural inclusions to the story being told. They never feel like they are taking away from Peter’s story, but rather adding to it in beautiful ways and maintaining the mature tone established from start to end.
That same mature tone extends beyond the narrative to the action, with Cretton and his incredible stunt team creating some of my favorite live-action Spider-Man fight sequences I have ever witnessed that are both visually spectacular and crafted as practically as humanly possible. After the truly amazing action work Cretton and his team did for Shang-Chi, I had the feeling we were in for something truly special with their take on Spider-Man’s abilities, and I was not disappointed. From scenes involving practical stunt web swinging to Insomniac Games-inspired combat, this film’s action is epic beyond words and visually pleasing to the eyes. I never had any issues with the action of the previous MCU Spider-Man films, but there is no question that this was a massive upgrade for the character that was definitely wanted and needed for a long time.
But the beauty of this film isn’t just restricted to the action as it is also applied to the rest of the film through the cinematography, editing, sound design, practical effects, and CGI that goes off the rails in the best way possible. There are even some incredible shots of classic Spider-Man comic book covers and panels brought to life through incredible practical work and cinematography that both pay homage to the source material and give the film a unique visual identity.
Giving the film a unique audible identity is returning composer Michael Giacchino, who once again delivers another phenomenal score for the film, enhancing the emotions, the action, and the overall tone of this film to amazing heights. Even with the massive change in director and crew, I’m so glad Michael Giacchino was kept on for this film and knew the assignment for it when it came to making the music for it.
With such an immensely talented and passionate director and crew at the helm of this film I expected nothing but greatness and that is exactly what I got, along with so much more. I will always adore and respect the work Jon Watts did with the character in his trilogy but I am also willing to embrace the massive improvements and upgrades made by another great artist who truly understands the character and allows him to evolve to his full potential in this universe. It’s not known yet where exactly the character’s story will be going next, aside from a massive tease in the post-credit scene at the very end of the film, but one thing is for certain is that Spider-Man has a bright new future ahead of him. I’m going to give Spider-Man: Brand New Day an A+ = 100.
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