“Brand New Day” A Promising, Emotional, Spectacular Chapter For The Web-Slinging Hero
- Matt Palmer
- Aug 5
- 4 min read
It seems like it’s been forever since we got a live-action “Spider-Man” movie on the big screen. While the MCU has had numerous ups and downs lately, this could be a huge year for Marvel with the releases of not only this movie but also for “Avengers: Doomsday” (which will be released later this year and the trailer looks awesome). Now, after a four year wait, Peter Parker is back and fans will not be disappointed!
It’s a brand new day for Peter Parker. Fighting crime full time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him - and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him - sparks a change in Peter he may not have the power to control.
But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves - a powerful villain no one can even see. The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn’t forgotten them.
Ever since the ending of 2021’s “No Way Home,” I’ve been eagerly waiting to see what the hero’s next adventure will consist of and how high the stakes will be this time around. After checking it out in a very packed theater, I’ll gladly say this could be one of the best “Spider-Man” movies out there as it serves as a refreshing, mature, and deeply emotional chapter of the titular character.
After the cosmic and multiversal stakes of the previous movie, it is great to see Peter Parker acting like a true “friendly neighborhood” hero again - fighting local crime, dealing with real life struggles, etc. Following the tragic memory spell at the end of “No Way Home,” it is great to see how this chapter embraces Peter’s isolation rather than glossing over it (which really strengthens his story).
Throughout the movie, we get to see the raw depiction of Peter Parker’s loneliness. For years after erasing himself from his loved ones’ memories, he watches Ned and MJ live out their best lives on social media and the interactions he has with them in this movie are both fantastic and emotional at the same time. “Brand New Day” also serves as a somber drama about healing past scars in a way as we see Peter hiding his depression behind his mask, using it as a coping mechanism.
One thing that really stands out are the scenes featuring Peter Parker and The Punisher. This is actually the first time I have seen Jon Bernthal’s iteration of The Punisher and
after seeing it, I really want to check out his previous “Punisher” projects with Marvel.
I also really enjoyed watching the dynamic friction between Peter’s no-kill, empathetic moral code and Frank Castle’s relentless, street-level brutality. Beyond their ideological clash, their surprisingly witty banter adds a lot of unexpected humor and heart.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” delivers many stand out moments that feature a lot of fantastic, well-shot action and emotion (there’s a pivotal moment between Peter and Ned at the end that could be a sign of things to come). One of the wildest action sequences in the movie shows Peter being forced to battle Bruce Banner/Hulk who is possessed by the movie’s villain. The chaotic scene shows Banner going between human and Hulk mid-fight and it’s really great to see the Savage Hulk again on the big screen who has been missing since “Infinity War.”
We also get to see a fun montage of smaller, low-level villains that Parker has battled and a great action scene featuring the eagerly awaited return of Scorpion. Sadie Sink’s character is a great start for her character arc and will play a pivotal part in the next saga of MCU movies.
The overall critic and audience response to “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” has been overwhelmingly positive, with just about everyone hailing it as an emotional, ground-breaking event. Critics and fans alike are also praising its mature street-level direction and the movie’s astounding balance between heart-wrenching emotional depth and spectacular action.
Cast: Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man); Zendaya (MJ); Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk); Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle/Punisher); Jacob Batalon (Ned); Florence Pugh (Yelena Belova/Black Widow); Liza Colon-Zayas (Detective Jean De Wolff); Tramell Tillman (William ‘Bill’ Metzger); Michael Mando (Mac Gargan/Scorpion); Sadie Sink (Jean Grey).
Writer/director: Chris McKenna (writer) (Apple’s Ghosted; No Way Home; Far From Home; Ant-Man and the Wasp); Erik Sommers (writer); Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi).
MPA: Rated PG-13 for sequences of action/violence and some language (runtime 145 minutes)
This film is dedicated to the memory of the comic book writer Gerry Conway, the co-creator of The Punisher, who first appeared on The Amazing Spider-Man #129 (February 1974).
This film features the first appearance of Frank Castle/The Punisher in a live-action theatrical film since Punisher: War Zone (2008). This also marks Jon Bernthal's Punisher's first appearance in an MCU feature film after appearing in multiple television series on Netflix and Disney+.
A scene from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) is briefly seen on one of Ned's computer screens. The scene - where the snow walker trips and falls on Hoth - is the exact scene Spider-Man references during the airport battle in Captain America: Civil War (2016).
The subtitle "Brand New Day" was taken from the comic book storyline of the same name published between The Amazing Spider-Man #546 (February 2008) and The Amazing Spider-Man #564 (September 2008).
Some Spider-Man comic covers are recreated in this movie such as Amazing Fantasy #15 (Spider-Man's first appearance), The Amazing Spider-Man #134 (Tarantula's first appearance), The Amazing Spider-Man #221 (Spider-Man's battle with Ramrod), The Amazing Spider-Man #345 (Spider-Man's battle with Boomerang), The Spectacular Spider-Man #142 (Spider-Man's defeat to Tombstone), and Spider-Man Adventures #2 (Spider-Man's battle with Scorpion).
The first trailer received 719 million online views within the first 24 hours, nearly doubling the record previously held by Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), with 365 million views.
Second film directed by Destin Daniel Cretton for Marvel Studios, following Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), and the third project in general, following directing the first two episodes of Wonder Man (2026).
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