Film Review - Spider-Man: Brand New Day

I've been sitting on this review for a minute, trying to sort my thoughts out on it. As a massive (and lifelong) Marvel/MCU fan, I needed a little bit of time to figure out my own biases and such.

Why is the photo a Korean Spider-Man: Brand New Day image? That is a good question. It's because I was fortunate enough to travel to Japan and Korea this past summer (2026) with my son. While in Korea, Brand New Day came out so we wisely decided to watch it there. I definitely enjoyed being able to watch an MCU movie in a different country and somewhat earlier than what I would have normally.

Let's get on with it, shall we. As always, spoilers ahead!

Title: Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Release Date: July 31, 2026

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

Written By: Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers

Based on the Marvel Comic Book By: Stan Lee & Steve Ditko

Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Liza Colón-Zayas, Tramell Tillman, Florence Pugh

Run Time: 2 hrs 25 minutes

Genres: Superhero. Urban Adventure. Action. Sci-fi.

Overview: Peter Parker devotes his life to protecting New York City as a full-time Spider-Man. But as the demands on him intensify, the pressure sparks a surprising physical evolution that threatens his existence, even as a strange new pattern of crimes gives rise to one of the most powerful threats he's ever faced.

This movie is good. I wouldn't say it was great but it was enjoyable. I also went and saw it last week (at the time I am writing this) and left with a marginally better opinion. This is mostly due to the fact that I'd already seen it and knew what to expect. I wasn't really disappointed or let down the second time around because that had already happened - to a degree anyway - after my initial viewing in Korea. When I say disappointed, I just mean it didn't hit me like an MCU movie of a bygone era would've done. Iron Man sparked an entirely new way to envision a superhero universe. Infinity War and Endgame gave us a conclusion to that universe still talked about today.

They hit. Hard. This...did not.

It's not a really a bad or a good thing. It's just something I've come to expect with an MCU movie of late. They just don't have that...magic...I loved from the phase 1 to 3 movies. It's disappointing but, like I said, expected.

Why did it disappoint? Also a good question. Basically it boils down to trying to do too much, too soon, without any framework to back it up. We get MASSIVE SPOILER (be warned) - Jean Grey! An X-Man. Probably one of the hugest, most important superhero groups Marvel has up its sleeve and it gets dropped in this movie like it's nothing. When are we going to see the pay off for this? I have no idea (although I know we have a cast and such now). It feels like huge drops in the past that lead absolutely nowhere. For instance, the end credit scene from Shang-Chi. What was that all about? No clue. Or Kang. Yes, I know why Kang was dropped, but still. There was the whole thing in Wakanda Forever with Namor. Haven't really seen him much either. Or what about the other X-Men drop we got in The Marvels? I'm getting tired of drops like this and then waiting five plus years for the pay off. By the time that rolls around, I've forgotten about it entirely or just don't really care anymore. I don't mean drop MCU project after MCU project like it's post-Endgame 2019. That didn't do good at all. But, I don't know, focus on projects that do weave themselves together more naturally the way phases 1 through 3 did. It, ironically, gives me a sense of rushing in these big characters or plots and then nothing happens with them.

It just felt like swinging for the fences when the fences are about 100 miles away. Why?

The cameos have also been somewhat of a problem too and Brand New Day didn't really do anything to fix that. They feel forced into the story because they are expected instead of more natural like before. I love seeing them (especially getting to see Savage Hulk again), but they aren't exactly needed. Take them out and you have essentially the same story, minus a few things. Punisher, although I love this character too, didn't really fit well with this version of Spider-Man so a lot of the interactions between the two were just off. Punisher is too gritty, and way too dark, for Tom Holland's Spider-Man. I mean, we've already gotten an interaction between Matt Murdock and Peter. Why not bring Daredevil back in? He probably would have been a better fit. Still gritty and dark, true, but mild enough to interact with Peter/Spider-Man.

There were a lot of positives to the movie though. The story, for the most part, was intriguing. I liked the idea of Peter's mutation evolving and getting more powerful. I liked seeing the struggle he's been going through since he had to wipe himself from everyone's collective memories and, on top of that, dealing with his grief after losing May. It felt real. Genuine. I also really enjoyed seeing him develop his own technology and the clear inspiration he'd gotten from Tony. I did like seeing Jean and I liked seeing her powers displayed in such an unusual way. It reminded me of Fallen, that old Denzel Washington movie I coincidentally had the chance to re-watch a few months ago. It was an interesting, new take on a telepath's abilities. I also really liked the end where her own powers evolved and got incredibly stupid strong, freezing everyone within 1 km of the island.

Those were all very cool. In the end, I just didn't think the story itself warranted throwing out a powerhouse like Jean Grey and the X-Men. I know the rest of them weren't in the movie but when you got one, you know the rest won't be too far behind.

In my mind, and this is just me, no one has to agree with it, the story would've been much better if Jean got removed and it focused heavily on the inhibitor technology he created. Leaning into something more localized to himself without bringing in something huge like an X-Man would've felt more like a Tom Holland Spider-Man movie. It could've been Damage Control set up as the villain (which they were anyway) and Director Metzger using that inhibitor technology to basically illegally imprison those with enhanced abilities. We could've even gotten an end credit scene where he does apply one of the last surviving inhibitors (because naturally Peter destroys his creation to prevent Metzger from exploiting it further) onto a captive Jean Grey. Bam. Next movie is already pretty much written, and then, the story has a more natural way of including Jean that doesn't shoehorn her into a substandard plot (in my opinion).

That's just me though.

Also, and this a tangent thought, I don't know how they are going to include all mutants into the MCU but I'm pretty sure it won't be done that well. It will be unsatisfactory and probably lead to a lot of "If they've been here the whole time, where were they when Thanos came? Or Ultron?" kind of questions. So far, bringing in Jean out of nowhere, confirms that for me.

With all that being said, my recommendation would be yes, watch it. If you're an MCU fan like myself, it'll be mildly disappointing (probably), but still entertaining.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5