Review by Jon Donnis
After the disaster that was Supergirl, we needed a good superhero film, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day is just that. It is far from perfect, and low expectations have probably helped elevate it, but this is a surprisingly mature and heartfelt Spider-Man film that puts Peter Parker's emotional journey ahead of the wider MCU.
Tom Holland gives a soulful, emotionally strong performance as a Peter who has spent four years alone, protecting New York while the people he once loved have forgotten he exists. The film gives him meaningful development as he gradually realises that being Spider-Man does not mean shutting everyone else out. His loneliness could have been explored more deeply, but the relationship with MJ provides some of the film's strongest emotional material. Peter remembers everything they shared while she remembers nothing, creating a genuinely painful dynamic without resorting to an easy resolution.
Sadie Sink is a standout as Jean Grey. Rather than functioning as a generic Marvel antagonist, Jean is given understandable motivations rooted in grief and loss. Her connection with Peter eventually becomes one of the film's most affecting elements, while the story allows her to remain sympathetic without excusing her actions.
The film also benefits from a strong supporting cast. Jon Bernthal's Punisher is a likeable addition, while Florence Pugh's Yelena and Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner provide entertaining contributions. Unfortunately, there are simply too many characters and plotlines competing for attention. Peter can sometimes feel sidelined in his own film, while several supporting characters never receive enough development.
The action is consistently impressive, with strong set pieces supported by excellent practical effects, visual effects, cinematography and score. Importantly, the film avoids relying on endless CGI spectacle. The action has physical weight, although it lacks the invention of the Spider-Verse films and never approaches the heights of Spider-Man 2.
The biggest problem is the structure. The story feels clunkily episodic, and at 145 minutes it is unnecessarily long. Too much time is devoted to setting up future MCU material, weakening a film that works considerably better when it focuses on Peter and Jean. The final act also veers into a Stranger Things-style supernatural storyline that feels less distinctive than what came before.
In my opinion the film should have been more radical. The premise offered an opportunity for a genuine reboot, but Brand New Day still carries considerable MCU baggage. The post-credits scene does little to justify that baggage, serving primarily as another piece of franchise setup.
Despite those shortcomings, the film gets the important things right. It balances action, humour and emotion effectively, and its emotional stakes generally take priority over franchise building. The result is a Spider-Man film with genuine feeling rather than simply another superhero spectacle.
Superhero fatigue is undoubtedly a problem, but Spider-Man: Brand New Day proves there is still life in the genre when the characters are given something meaningful to lose. It is messy and overstuffed, but Holland and Sink provide the emotional foundation for a film that ultimately earns its place among the better recent Marvel releases.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day scores 8.5 out of 10.
Out in cinemas now!
