Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) has been given expectations almost as high as the titular webhead can swing. Following the immensely successful, though much-debated, trilogy of Spider-Man co-productions by Sony and Marvel Studios, directed by Jon Watts and starring Tom Holland, Brand New Day is arriving at a bit of an impasse for the comic-book film. For every recent success like Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and Superman (2025), there’s a box-office bomb like Thunderbolts* (2025) and Supergirl (2026). Yet, something feels different about this one. With director Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) providing some fresh blood and a promise to return to Spider-Man’s street-level comic roots, hope is in the air.
Are the fans right to be optimistic about this one? For the most part, yes, but it’s not the decisive victory you might think. Spider-Man: Brand New Day boasts incredible action, tactile visuals, and gets closer to what makes the Marvel hero so timeless in the comics. However, Spidey’s latest adventure begins to lose its footing in a narrative that willfully overstuffs itself, putting its shining strengths on the back burner for franchise tie-ins and an overarching plotline that serves another character more than its protagonist, complete with imbalanced pacing. Because of its big heart and style to match, Brand New Day nevertheless manages to be the strongest out of the MCU Spider-Man movies since Homecoming (2027), albeit flawed.
A Mysterious Foe Provides Spidey with Some New Growing Pains
Since even the broader strokes of Spider-Man: Brand New Day are being kept under secrecy, the plot overview here is going to be vague. After the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), where a spell was cast to make everyone forget about him, Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) leads a solitary existence. He’s dedicated his entire life to crimefighting. As his powers begin to take on a visceral evolution, Peter gets swept up into a whirlwind of a journey involving the Department of Damage Control, The Hand ninja clan, Frank Castle/The Punisher (Jon Bernthal), Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and a mysterious figure at the center of it all, played by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink.
Courtesy of Sony
As far as the title character, Tom Holland nails it, working in concert with the script by returning writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers to instill the angsty loneliness that the fanbase has been pleading for. The most memorable moments of the film can be something as simple as an affecting look Holland gives as he watches his best friends Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya) from a distance, knowing that he can’t be a part of their lives in the way he truly wants (and needs) to. You feel the full weight of his responsibility, an aspect that had been de-emphasized before. Holland also does an excellent job of leaning into the physical anguish Peter experiences with his transformation.
Director Destin Daniel Cretton Proves to Be a Perfect Match for Spider-Man
Don’t mistake Spider-Man: Brand New Day for some morose mopefest. Tom Holland, fresh off Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey (2026), hits the quips like the best of ’em, maintaining the balance between his interior struggle and the athletic, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man persona. And boy oh boy does Destin Daniel Cretton provide the action to match. The swinging sequences here are like a shot of adrenaline, featuring Spidey sliding across skyscrapers, shaking birds off him, free-falling, and going in and out of first-person POV. You can impressively tell that a big portion of these effects are achieved practically.
The fight scenes show that Shang-Chi was merely a warm-up for director Destin Daniel Cretton. Spider-Man weaves between foes with agility, speed, and precision; the bone-crunching fight choreography makes sequences like Spider-Man taking down The Hand or trying to control a rampaging Hulk some of the most eye-popping blockbuster moments of the year. Add in a stylish color grade, remarkable visual effects work, and a reliance on location or at least highly convincing sets, and you have one truly exceptional-looking tentpole, something rare in comic-book movies and blockbusters writ large. Cretton and his longtime cinematographer Brett Pawlak were beyond inspired choices here.
Jon Bernthal and Tom Holland Have Hilarious Chemistry
In the story department, the tangled web of a script holding Spider-Man: Brand New Day together begins to degrade. There are simply far too many characters to service here. Of course, it’s fun to see The Punisher and The Hulk show up. In fact, Jon Bernthal’s stubborn and smartass Punisher proves to be a great foil to Spider-Man. Yet, he and Banner are symptomatic of what seems like an initiative to throw as much at the wall as possible. For a movie that’s supposed to be “street level,” it’s frustrating to continually be reminded of the context in which this version of Spider-Man exists (i.e., the deal between Sony and Marvel Studios) rather than simply letting him exist.
Courtesy of Sony
Moreover, the focus of Brand New Day is all over the place. Is this a story about Spider-Man fighting a gaggle of new villains spreading around New York? For a few minutes, until anticipated characters like Tombstone (Marvin Jones III) and Scorpion (Michael Mando) are whisked out of the movie with little fanfare. Tombstone particularly gets maybe 10 seconds of screen time. Peter’s strange new evolution? Unfortunately, that plotline — while still getting lip service — takes a backseat and isn’t explored as deeply as it could have been.
Sadie Sink’s Role Proves to Be a Welcome Addition, At a Price
The scattered screenplay makes it difficult to establish a solid pace. Audiences are thrown into a situation where loud, colorful things are constantly happening, but our de facto co-lead, Sadie Sink, isn’t even established until roughly 40 minutes into the picture. For the record, Sink’s mystery character, who should not have remained a mystery since her involvement forms the core of the film, is portrayed compellingly. Sink gives her all into the role just as much as Holland does.
However, her storyline completely takes over the movie. When the title character begins to take a major backseat to a character who wasn’t in the film’s marketing, whose motivations (once they are unveiled) aren’t quite as interesting, and who quite literally feels like she was plucked from another MCU entry entirely, viewers are instantly distracted and taken out of the immersion. What’s left is a bit of an identity crisis.
Regardless of its shortcomings, Spider-Man: Brand New Day continues to wear its heart on its sleeve. Where it can get lost in its myriad of plotlines, it never loses sight of what makes Peter Parker and his webbed alter ego so endearing. It may not be perfect, but with exceptional visual design, stellar blockbuster action, true pathos, and a knockout leading turn from Tom Holland, Brand New Day genuinely honors the beloved wall-crawler, suggesting amazing things to come under Destin Daniel Cretton’s stewardship.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ hits theaters on July 31!
Release Date: July 31, 2026.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.
Written by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers.
Based on Spider-Man created by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko.
Produced by Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal, Avi Arad, & Rachel O’Connor.
Executive Producers: Louis D’Esposito & David Cain.
Main Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, Mark Ruffalo, Marvin Jones III, Eman Esfandi, Liza Colón-Zayas, & Zabryna Guevara.
Cinematographer: Brett Pawlak.
Editors: Nat Sanders, Gina Sansom, & Harry Yoon.
Composer: Michael Giacchino.
Production Companies: Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios, & Pascal Pictures.
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Runtime: 145 minutes.
Rated PG-13.
