Warning: This review contains spoilers.
For as long as I can remember, Spider-Man has been more than my favourite superhero. He is the character I have related to most and the one I dreamed of becoming as a child. Whenever something Spider-Man-related is released, whether it is a film or a game, I am there on opening night or playing it at midnight on release day.
Having watched every film, most animated shows, and played nearly every version of Spider-Man released across multiple consoles, there was never any doubt that I would be seeing Spider-Man: Brand New Day. I went into the film with a lot of excitement and extremely high expectations.
Despite those sky-high expectations, the film still managed to surprise me. It captured everything I love about Spider-Man while giving me something fresh, emotional, and genuinely exciting. By the time it ended, I could honestly say it might be my favourite live-action Spider-Man film.
That personal connection is what makes every new Spider-Man film feel important to me, but it also means I judge each version against what the character has meant at different points in my life. Before discussing Brand New Day in detail, it is worth looking at how the live-action Spider-Men have shaped those expectations.
For me, Brand New Day stands out because it combines the emotional weight of the Raimi films with the personal consequences created by No Way Home. It feels like the first Tom Holland Spider-Man film where Peter is fully defined by his own choices, losses and resilience rather than by the wider MCU around him.
Over the past 24 years, we have seen three different versions of Spider-Man across nine live-action films: three actors, three generations and three different interpretations.
First came Sam Raimi’s trilogy, led by Tobey Maguire, followed by Marc Webb’s two films with Andrew Garfield. Now, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man sits within the MCU. Each actor has brought something different to the role, with qualities I have liked, aspects I have been less convinced by, and certain traits I have preferred in one version over another.
That is why Spider-Man: No Way Home felt like a dream when all three universes finally came together. Seeing Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland share the screen made the film feel like more than just another Marvel crossover; it felt like a celebration of every version of Spider-Man I had grown up with. Seeing them fight together, support one another and give each Peter Parker a sense of closure made me happy and excited, and it truly felt as though a childhood dream of mine had been fulfilled.
In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Tom Holland gives what I believe is his best performance as Spider-Man. Earlier films often placed his version of Peter Parker alongside mentors, teammates or larger MCU events, but this story leaves him to stand on his own in a world where nobody remembers him.
That isolation gives Holland more emotional weight to work with, and he shows Peter’s loneliness without making the character feel defeated. His performance feels more mature, but he still keeps the humour, warmth, and likeability that have always made his Spider-Man enjoyable to watch.
The story also feels more grounded than many of the recent Marvel films, which is why it feels closer to the Spider-Man comics I enjoy most. Although it features several established Marvel characters and some large action scenes, its main focus remains Peter and the effect that his isolation is having on him. The film understands that Spider-Man does not need the entire universe to be in danger for his story to feel important. Watching Peter protect ordinary people in New York while dealing with the consequences of being Spider-Man captures the street-level, personal storytelling that has always made the comics work so well.
I especially connected with the darker elements of the film. Spider-Man has always represented hope, but that hope means more when Peter has to find it during the darkest moments of his life. The tone feels like a natural continuation of the ending of No Way Home, where Peter sacrificed the life he had built to protect the world and the people he loved.
Peter does not always know how things will improve, but he still refuses to give up. He is losing himself, physically, mentally and emotionally – yet still manages to push through and keep going. That has always been one of the most inspiring things about Spider-Man to me. His real strength does not come from being able to climb walls or lift heavy objects; it comes from experiencing loss and still choosing to help others. I could relate to the feeling of trying to continue when everything around you feels dark, which made Peter’s journey more personal to me than it had been in any of the previous films.
The film does a good job of including several established characters without allowing them to take the focus away from Spider-Man. Characters such as the Punisher, Hulk, Ned, Scorpion and, most importantly, Jean Grey all appear. It would have been easy for the film to become overcrowded or feel like another Avengers film, but every character has a purpose in Peter’s story, and Spider-Man always remains at the centre of it.
This is something I felt Captain America: Civil War struggled with. Although I thoroughly enjoyed that film, the number of heroes and the scale of the conflict often made it feel more like an Avengers film than a Captain America film. Brand New Day avoids that problem. The supporting characters add to Peter’s journey, rather than taking control of it. It remains a Spider-Man story because Peter’s emotions, choices and development continue to drive the story.
Jean Grey is the most important supporting character because her story directly reflects Peter’s. Like him, she is isolated and struggling to control abilities that could make her dangerous to others. Sadie Sink makes Jean feel vulnerable and sympathetic while still presenting her as a genuine threat. Her ability to enter people’s minds forces Peter to confront his loneliness, memories and everything he sacrificed in No Way Home. The film also uses Jean to set up the arrival of the X-Men in the MCU without directly mentioning them. It trusts that the audience knows what is coming, allowing Jean to remain part of Peter’s story instead of making her feel like an advertisement for a future project.
Jon Bernthal’s Punisher works surprisingly well alongside Spider-Man. His version of Frank Castle is dark, gritty and closer to an R-rated character, so seeing him contrasted with a more family-friendly hero works well. The film keeps the Punisher’s edge without weakening him or softening what makes him different from Spider-Man.
Frank represents what Peter could become if he allowed his pain and anger to control him; except worse – with abilities. Both characters have experienced loss, but they have responded to it in completely different ways. Frank uses his pain to justify killing criminals, while Peter uses his pain as a reason to stop other people from suffering. Their relationship allows the film to explore Spider-Man’s morality without changing who he is.
Bruce Banner also has an important role because he understands what it is like to struggle with a part of yourself that you cannot always control. His connection with Peter adds another emotional side to the story rather than making the Hulk feel as though he was included only for a large action scene. Bruce understands the fear of losing yourself and becoming something dangerous, which connects with Peter’s own internal struggle.
There is also a real sadness to what happens to Bruce. He has spent years learning how to control the Hulk and finding a balance between the two sides of himself, only for all that hard work to be taken away when someone else gains control of his mind. In that moment, everything Bruce has worked towards feels as though it has been reduced to nothing. He loses control through no fault of his own and once again becomes a danger to the people around him, leaving him to live with the consequences of the Hulk’s actions.
With that being said, this film gives us the best version of the Hulk that we have seen in years. He once again is like the uncontrollable monster he was originally meant to be rather than simply a larger and stronger version of Bruce. The angrier he got, the bigger and stronger he got. His anger feels genuinely dangerous, and there is a real sense that Spider-Man and the Punisher might not be able to stop him. The Hulk feels frightening, unpredictable and powerful in a way that he has not for a long time.
For as long as I can remember, the original Raimi film and Spider-Man 2 were my favourite Spider-Man films. I loved how they captured Peter’s personal struggles and showed the sacrifices that came with being Spider-Man. Spider-Man 2, in particular, understood how exhausting it could be for Peter to carry that responsibility and how much of his own happiness he was willing to give up for other people.
Later, Spider-Man: No Way Home became my favourite, mainly because of the nostalgia, and I can admit that. Seeing the different versions of Spider-Man together was something I never thought would happen. It celebrated the films I had grown up watching and reminded me why the character meant so much to me. However, much of my love for that film came from the memories and emotions connected to the previous Spider-Man films.
The ending was what truly elevated it for me because it created the Spider-Man in Brand New Day; a Peter Parker who is completely on his own and has to discover who he is without mentors, advanced technology or the people who once supported him.
Brand New Day has now become my favourite for a different reason. It does not rely on nostalgia to make me care about its story. It shows the different struggles that can come with life: depression, loneliness, uncertainty and the need to force yourself to continue when everything feels overwhelming. It captures the experience of being surrounded by people yet feeling completely alone, as well as the difficulty of losing your sense of identity and not understanding what’s happening within you.
The film explores these ideas while remaining true to everything I love about Spider-Man. Peter is not inspiring because he always wins or has all the answers. He is inspiring because, even when he is physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted, he still gets back up and continues to push forward.
Overall, this is one of the most meaningful superhero films I have seen in a long time. It gives Tom Holland his strongest material as Peter Parker and introduces major Marvel characters without overshadowing him or losing sight of whose story it is. Most of all, it understands the humanity, pain and hope that Spider-Man gives to people, including me.
Rating: 9.5/10