Spider-Man: Brand New Day Movie Review

Released: 31st July 2026 (UK & US)

Length: 145 Minutes

Certificate: 12A

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Tramell Tillman, Florence Pugh and Jon Bernthal

Since the early 2000s, Spider-Man has been box-office gold for both Sony and Marvel. Every new mainline release is guaranteed to get audiences in seats and for the first time we’ve reached a fourth entry with Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It may not rank at the top of the series, but it’s another solid effort.

Four years have passed since the world forgot about Spider-Man’s (Tom Holland) true identity and the young hero has started over from scratch. He continues his crime-fighting responsibilities while feeling greatly isolated from those he was once close to. When an unseen threat starts possessing friend and foe alike, Peter must track down the perpetrator while grappling with sudden internal changes to his DNA. What follows is typical MCU fare, but Brand New Day does a fine job balancing multiple components at once. We have the core thread of Spidey unravelling the mutant threat, dealing with a damaging onset of spider hormones, his continued distance from Mary-Jane (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) several cameos from Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), The Punisher (Played again by Jon Bernthal in his second collaboration with Tom this year) and even the return of a large green giant (Mark Ruffalo) that will really get the fans excited. While the film is often swapping between these pieces, the central theme of Peter Parker rebuilding himself remains strong throughout. There is one downside with the DNA changes; the film hints at a darker, more violent Spider-Man but he easily overcomes the blackened eyes by the conclusion. We’ll have to see if the next sequel takes bolder steps.

Tom Holland remains on top form; with the protagonist stuck in an emotional rut, both sides of the webhead are conveyed brilliantly. None of the returning actors are at fault with Zendaya and Jacob creating different perspectives; it’s very much a middle-ground as they gradually relearn the key details. At first, you think the film is putting Peter and MJ back together, but instead it goes in a more nuanced direction which avoids repetition. The moments where the possession mixes with Peter’s friends are very well handled and the reveal of a new character played by Sadie Sink is also done smoothly. Her backstory is sprinkled in before the start of the third act, setting the stage for her compatriots to arrive in future films. In keeping with the 12A rating, we get a softer side of Frank Castle with some goofy humour sprinkled in and other side characters make the most of their smaller screen-time. There is a reversal in the final act, bringing about a villain who doesn’t have much presence or build-up but everyone else pulls through with committed performances.

Moving away from the cross-dimensional antics of its predecessor, the action of Brand New Day often mixes and matches several characters at once. The colour palette is more desaturated and speaks to the lead character leaving his youth behind. This time around there’s a heavier use of organic webs and the way our hero learns and masters new techniques adds extra flair to the fight scenes. The set-pieces scale up and down effortlessly with a range of POV and long-range shots. The score by Michael Giachinno is standard fare; it gets the job done without really establishing its own identity.

It has a plot thread and character or two that doesn’t go anywhere, but Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues the superhero's unstoppable box office run. The performances remain strong and the action energised and swift. Long-time followers of the wallcrawler won’t be disappointed by his latest entry.

Rating: 4/5 Stars (Great)