Review: ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ finds the human behind the mask
Updated: Oct 13
by Liam Gatcliffe
Since 2002, superhero fans have left cinemas in awe of the web-slinging New Yorker that the world has come to love as Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire starred for three films, Andrew Garfield for two, and lately, Tom Holland for the past decade. Holland first appeared in “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), and since then has established a standalone trilogy along with some other Avengers films. Debates have now begun over which of the three is the superior Spider-Man, which intensified when all three actors appeared in Jon Watts’s 2021 film “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Holland may have solidified his legacy, however, with his fourth film that graced theaters on July 31.
Where we left off…
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” picks up where “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ends. As the only solution to saving the world from incoming universes and their evils, Peter Parker pleads with Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell in which every human being forgets who he is. Reluctantly, Strange does so, and every memory of someone who knew and loved Peter Parker was erased. Peter’s girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya), and his best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon), go off to MIT while Peter fully submerges into the Spider-Man identity with no one else on Earth who loves him.
New York’s streets have been cleaned up, and Spider-Man is lauded as a hero. Nobody knows who lies under the mask, but the masked hero is reaching his mental breaking point. New evils arise, and Peter must face the hard truths of his humanity.
Historic Success
“Brand New Day” has enjoyed massive success at the box office, crossing the $2 billion global mark in merely 17 days. This is a historical milestone, as only “Avengers: Endgame” (2019) reaches this achievement in fewer (11) days. In fact, “Brand New Day” has already grossed more than all superhero movies released in 2025 altogether.
Tom Holland has also catapulted himself into conversations with some of the greatest and highest-grossing actors of all time. A participant in “Avengers: Endgame” as well, Holland and Zendaya are starring in Christopher Nolan’s new film epic, “The Odyssey”. Clearly, films with this power couple are turning movie theaters into frenzy zones on weekends.
Returns and changes to the crew
Destin Daniel Cretton takes over as director from Jon Watts for the fourth installment in Holland’s Spider-Man series. However, writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers remained on set to help produce their fourth Spidey film, showing some true continuity across the past decade of the Peter Parker story.
Regarding the cast, “Stranger Things” star Sadie Sink joins the MCU in an undisclosed role (I won’t spoil it for you!). Jon Bernthal reprises his role as Frank Castle (from “The Punisher”), as does Florence Pugh in her oftentimes comedic role of Yelena Belova.
“As someone who always loved Spider-Man as a kid and has read the comics, I can tell you that Brand New Day is indisputably the greatest representation of Spider-Man I’ve ever seen. The comic-accurate suit, the quips, comedy, and relatable personal struggles was perfectly executed and is exactly what Spider-Man was made to represent. I can’t wait to see what the future brings for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man," said Anthony Ortega '28.
My Thoughts
I’ve already seen “Brand New Day” twice in theaters, and once during an IMAX screening. I’m giving it a solid 3.5/5 rating. I truly enjoyed the film. It was fun, engaging, relatable, and had a truly fantastic soundtrack (Tame Impala, Bad Bunny, and more).
I believed, however, that the vulnerability and human grief that Peter Parker goes through as a young guy in his 20s is the most remarkable takeaway. Of course, “Brand New Day” had its fights, explosions, and combat. The movie felt more grounded than the others, though. It explored more serious topics, fostering deeper emotional connection to Peter Parker himself, the guy behind the mask that nobody knows.
As a sentimental superhero fan, I confess that “No Way Home” was my favorite of the Holland movies, with its Tobey/Andrew collaboration and the high stakes involved. “Brand New Day” is still a fantastic film, and gives 2026 cinemas its Barbenheimer moment in collaboration with “The Odyssey”.
Whether this will be your first Marvel film or you’ve been a fanatic since the days of “Iron Man,” I guarantee that you will leave a “Brand New Day” screening at your local theater and realize that the 2½-hour experience was worth every penny!
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