Spider-Man: Brand New Day review: “The most authentic Peter Parker we’ve seen”
As just one of two Marvel movies in 2026, it sets a high bar for Avengers: Doomsday to follow later this year
The first half of Brand New Day feels like it’s been lifted straight from the pages of a comic book. Director Destin Daniel Cretton went to painstaking lengths to achieve shots that mimicked covers of previous issues, while characters – both heroes and villains – popped in and out of the story, showing a glimpse of the sort of life Peter Parker is now living post No Way Home.
I’ve seen criticisms that having such a large roster of characters left the film feeling overstuffed, but that’s not the case for me. Part of what makes Brand New Day have such an impact is proving Spider-Man’s loyalty to the people of New York, and we can’t necessarily see that with just a small handful of supporting cast members.
If you’ve followed the rumours and speculation as I have, you’ll be vindicated by some reveals and bemused by how wrong some of the ‘leaks’ were – credit to the publicity team for keeping fans guessing throughout the production process.
There are many direct references to popular memes, and even deep cuts to the dark depths of fanfiction and Tumblr art – all of them left me cackling in my seat. While the humour isn’t necessarily as overt as previous Holland films, the moments that do are timed with perfection.
Plus, too many jokes would clash with the main theme, in which Peter Parker suffers… a lot, emotionally and physically. Believe it or not, that’s something fans have weirdly been hyped for.
Now dragged into adulthood, this more mature Spider-Man cannot help but torment himself by following the lives of his former closest connections, Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) and Michelle Jones/MJ (Zendaya), despite them having no recollection of him.