Jayden Pinto is The Eight30’s lead entertainment columnist. Find him on Letterboxd for more immediate reactions on new releases: @JaydenP0205
After nearly five years, Spider-Man returns to the big screen in Brand New Day, with Tom Holland once again reprising his role as the web-head. Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, they worked together to deliver an extremely enjoyable experience that isn’t afraid to be a superhero film.
Now admittedly, Tom Holland has been my favorite Spider-Man for a while now; maybe it’s because I grew up the most alongside this character and have been the same age for his most recent appearances, but Tom’s performance undoubtedly places him as the best version of Peter Parker we’ve seen in live action.
Supported by a star-studded cast, everyone here works to deliver amazing performances:
- Zendaya (MJ)
- Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner)
- Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle)
- Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds)
- Sadie Sink (Mystery Character)
- Tramell Tillman (William Metzger)
- Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova), in a brief cameo appearance
From the limited screen time for Mark Ruffalo and Florence Pugh to the genuinely plot-disrupting appearances by Sadie Sink and Tramell Tillman, there was never a moment in the film when I felt like anyone didn’t deliver. I was truly immersed in this film with these performances.
Now that there are so many great moments, it’s hard to focus on one individual here, but I do want to bring up Sadie Sink. The newcomer to the MCU guaranteed that she has a place in future MCU projects. Without spoiling her character, the seeds planted here for her future story were well done and made a hundred times better by Sink’s performance.
As for the story, it was firing on all cylinders. For a film over two hours and twenty minutes, there were rarely any dull moments. Ironically enough, for as much as I enjoyed the superhero aspects of the film, I thought the best parts were when Peter Parker was actually Peter Parker, not Spider-Man. His personal journey throughout this was done so well, and might be, for me personally, the most relatable story we’ve seen from any live-action Spider-Man film.
Then there are the relationships he has throughout it, the standout for me being his relationship with Frank Castle/The Punisher. These are two characters that contrast so well that their constant banter just works out perfectly, leaving me wishing that we got the chance to see Daredevil in the middle of all of this. A great concern coming in was the relationships Peter has with MJ and Ned, leaving many fans wondering how it would work without making the ending of No Way Home feel pointless. I fully believe the way it was tackled here was the best they could’ve done, without that concern coming up. They planted seeds that show how the relationship can grow throughout further movies, while still allowing it to all feel natural and not rushed.
Issac Lyne’s Review
Now I want to hand over the next portion of this review to my friend and fellow writer Issac Lyne, who is a much bigger fan of the MCU than me.
We have been eating well this summer movie season, with fantastic stories and unbelievable performances from many great actors. One actor that stands out the most is none other than Tom Holland. Not only did Holland star in Christoper Nolan’s The Odyssey, but he also came back as our favorite NYC crime fighter, Spider-Man, in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
After Avengers: Endgame in 2019, Marvel has produced hit-or-miss projects. But as of May 2025, Marvel has been on a hot streak with their movies, bringing back character-driven stories that help build up to a bigger narrative, and Brand New Day proves it. Without giving anything away, the film takes place four years after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, where the whole world has forgotten Peter Parker, and he has been fighting crime in New York on his own. He then comes across a mysterious figure played by Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink, who will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
Overall, from start to finish, this movie knocked it out of the park in all departments. The story had a strong emotional weight to it compared to the previous Spider-Man movies. There is not a single boring moment in this film; it is full of action, psychological twists and turns, and gives us a true Spider-Man comic book movie with many Easter eggs that comic book fans would recognize. Even though Holland has given many great performances in the MCU, he really outdid himself in portraying Peter Parker that matches perfectly with the comics we love from Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. That being said, this movie deserves a solid 9.5/10.
The film is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who has worked with Marvel before on numerous occasions, including Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) and the recently cancelled show Wonder Man. Marvel Studios and Sony are hoping that Cretton returns to make more Spider-Man films in the future.
What’s next for the crime-fighting spider? No one knows for sure just yet, but there are heavy rumors that Holland will reprise his role in both the upcoming Avengers films. Although Holland did mention in a recent interview that he and Marvel have had discussions on passing on the mantle of Spider-Man. Could Miles Morales finally be making his MCU debut? We shall see. In the meantime, make sure to see this incredible and emotional journey of Peter Parker in theaters now.
Final Thoughts
I’d also love to point out the action/web-swinging sequences, which we knew would always be a standout judging by the fact that Destin Daniel Cretton is a phenomenal action director. The soundtrack was also great, featuring Steve Lacy, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny, and a score by Michael Giacchino. They all felt perfectly in place here, and with the moments they showed up at.
However, I don’t think the film was flawless. I did feel that some moments (albeit very few) throughout it stretched on for a little too long. A few other things stood out too:
- There was also the villain montage at the beginning of the film that I felt was a little rushed. For example, we saw Tombstone there; however, that was all we got to see of him in the entire film. I’m hoping he still has the chance to show up in future films.
- The usage of the Hulk also felt like it could’ve been handled better. After the scene where Spider-Man fights him, he just disappears from the film, and we never get to see the actual outcome of that; however, that could also just be addressed in the future.
- The final thing I wasn’t a fan of was the mutation that Peter was going through; for what felt like such a major issue coming into the movie, I felt like it was fairly easily dealt with, and brought down some of that potential conflict with that storyline.
This film did a great job of setting up the future of the MCU, beyond Spider-Man. It left me feeling like Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are merely buffers for the next saga and the future stories that will be told. With the recent announcements of Ghost Rider and Black Panther 3, Marvel has given the fans a lot to look forward to. Now all we’re waiting on is the announcement of the cast for the upcoming X-Men film.
In the end, as you can tell, I was a big fan of the film. Especially Peter’s personal story here, which felt extremely relatable to me, part of what makes the character of Spider-Man so great. Aldo loved the addition of Peter’s Mets fandom, which has always been part of his character, and something I’ll forever appreciate as a huge Mets fan.
To me, this was probably the best live-action Spider-Man film we’ve gotten. While I’ll forever appreciate Spider-Man 2, this really felt like the quintessential Spider-Man story for the modern day, and once again helped by the fact that Tom Holland is the best version of Spider-Man we’ve gotten. With everything I’ve written, I’d comfortably give Spider-Man: Brand New Day a 9.5/10.
