Review by Tim Robins
END CREDIT SPOILER ALERT AHEAD
I tried to see the new Spider-Man movie on its opening night but the local cinemas were fully booked so I had to wait for a Brand New Day.
Sony has spent their reported $309 million promotional budget well. Although the film is said to appeal from Eight to Eighty Year-olds, the audience for the 7.00pm showing at my local Odeon, Brighton, skewed towards young adults/late teens who having a whale of a time, judging from the excited gasps and screams – and that was before the film even began.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is the fourth Tom Holland outing as the titular super-hero from SPUMM – Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Movies (© Mr Sunday Movies). or, apparently, the first of a new trilogy. I am guessing the next films will be titled Spider-Man: Hello Spaceboy and Spider-Man: Secret World of Spider-verse Wars.
(Yes, those are three paragraphs in a row that could have ended with their own drum roll…)
While early trailers focussed on the idea that Peter Parker was mutating into a super arachnid, the last managed to capture the heart of this movie without spoiling the plot or the identity of Spider-Man’s latest adversary, so I’m not going to, either. If you know, you know, if you don’t know, and knowing isn’t of any great consequence, at least for this picture. My friends and I spent some time trying to piece together clues as if piecing together a Lego Star Wars set, but all we came up with was the equivalent of a Death Landwalker.
The episodic plot sees Spider-Man trying to stop the Scorpion from escaping the clutches of Damage Control, while Peter Parker is trying to break back into his relationship with Ned Leeds and, especially, Mary Jane, who have forgotten him thanks to a spell cast by Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Will MJ like him all over again, let alone love him?
This really is a film about the friends Spidey and Pete make along the way. These include Frank Castle, aka the Punisher and Bruce Banner aka The Hulk. With friends like those, who needs MJ? Peter does. The scenes between Peter and his former girlfriend provide the emotional core to the story. When MJ happens upon a heartfelt letter from Peter, there were audible gasps from some quarters of the audience. Unless you can get into the relationship drama, the movie will be a long haul.
Holland is still excellent as the titular superhero. There are some tearful, heartwrenching moments, during which he even resembles Toby Maquire. It’s worth remembering Maguire was only a few years shy of 30 when he began playing the role in 2002.
This new film also seems closer to the Sam Raimi directed movies than the more recent ‘Home’ trilogy. It helps that Spider-Man is finally out of his iron-spider costume. His new attire is a sewn-together-at-home-by-computer-guided-sewing -machine-affair, that looks like cloth in close-up but manages to go all shiny in longer shots.
The Brand New Day feels like a Brand New Re-launch, particularly because we see Parker trying to come to terms with shooting webbing naturally from his wrist. This film makes it seem gross in a way it hasn’t on previous occasions. The idea that Parker could whistle up his own web shooters wasn’t particularly plausible, although it went unquestioned for many decades in the comics.
Zendaya reprises her role as MJ, but with the twist that she doesn’t know Parker from adamantium. It’s excruciating, particularly as we know they belong together. The movie’s MJ is an intelligent, sociable, trusting character, who cautiously sifts her way through the situation while searching for nuggets of truth in a bewildering situation. And we are with her all the way.
Frankly, it’s a relief to see intelligent characters – MIT graduates – who aren’t just geeks. Speaking of which, Jacob Batalon returns as Ned Leeds. There are times he seems so goofy I was reminded of Ernie, the muppet. But there are touching moments, particularly when he’s bonding with Spider-Man over Star Wars.
In a charming move, Leeds has also become a fan of Spider-Man, and even built his own Spider-Man tracking device. Imagine his surprise when the tracker indicates the super-hero is about to enter his own apartment. Now imagine the audience’s surprise when, after the end credits, the tracker indicates Spider-Man is now in space!
The script effortlessly incorporates MCU continuity into the adventure. Jon Berntall returns from his TV appearances as The Punisher, still a badass but also comic relief, although not of the laugh-out-loud-tomfoolery-kind. Florence Pugh makes a cameo appearance as the (a?) Black Widow. We meet her in her office – a sexually steamy sauna. This could have been really cheesy, but the camera mostly focuses on Holland’s body.
My God, Holland is swole, so much so I wondered if we were watching a body double. Anyway, he no longer has Pete Parker’s slimmer physique, which tends to make Spider-Man look like a burly brawler rather than a spindly spider. That said, a lot of the fight scenes really capture artist Steve Ditko’s designs for the character, while an early shot pays homage to his cover to Amazing Fantasy #15, inked by Jack Kirby, the comic that introduced him to the Marvel Universe.
The other in-world references are a bit throw-away. The Hand are supervillain light, just a bunch of young adults in need of a better direction in life. There’s no way their floaty ninja fighting will satisfy action fans of The Raid (2011) and The Furious (2025), but it’s been good enough to provide photo opportunities for the posters. In contrast, the pugilistic Spidey-Hulk-Punisher threesome is what MCU fight fans are here for.
What works particularly well are the scenes of Spider-Man fans on screen. This continues a motif from the Raimi films, where citizens of New York try to lend Spidey a hand in a moment of post-9/11 recognition that ordinary people can be heroes too, or at least buy lots of Marvel merch in support of Marvel’s super-heroes. Look! In a world where growing-up no longer means putting away childish things, that’s us on the big screen!
I should point out that where The Odyssey was made for Imax, Spider-Man: Brand New Day was made for Screen X. There is a screen X at Cineview down Brighton Marina way. But, looking at an example of how the system works, it seems to run the risk of turning watching a film into being at a tennis match.
I feared pulling my neck as I tried to track Spider-Man bouncing across the screens. Besides, there are only 22 such screens in the UK, so it’s not a format available to most people. Still, since watching the film, I’ve tried to think of a way Screen X could have tied-in with the X-Men.
Enjoy Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It’s long, with a lot of angst punctuated by fisticuffs, but its relationship drama really struck a chord. The audience proved really up for this. The hard-to-please teens in attendance held out right to the end credit sequence and it was greeted with more gasps and excited gossip. I’m not sure Avengers: Doomsday will achieve the same reaction.
Tim Robins
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is in cinemas now
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• Comics Archeology: Amazing Fantasy #15
This review of Spider-man’s origins sidetrack wonderfully off into tracking the story of the spider that bit Peter Parker, too
• Marvel Comics Library: Spider-Man. 1962–1964 (Jumbo)
First available as an XXL-sized collector’s dream, close in size to the original artworks, this compact edition features the first 21 stories of the world’s favorite web slinger from 1962–1964. Rather than recolor the original artwork (as has been done in previous decades’ reprints of classic comics), TASCHEN has attempted to create an ideal representation of these books as they were produced at the time of publication. The most pristine pedigreed comics have been cracked open and photographed for reproduction in close collaboration with Marvel and the Certified Guaranty Company. Each page has been photographed as printed more than half a century ago, then digitally remastered using modern retouching techniques to correct problems with the era’s inexpensive, imperfect printing, as if hot off a world-class 1960s printing press.
With an in-depth historical essay by Marvel editor Ralph Macchio, an introduction by uber-collector David Mandel, and original art, rare photographs, and other gems, this robust collection of wall-crawling wonder will make anyone’s spider-sense tingle with anticipation
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day – The Art Of The Movie by Jess Harrold
Marvel Studios is proud to present the latest volume in its acclaimed Art of the Movie series as Spider-Man swings back onto the silver screen!
Four years have gone by since we last caught up with our friendly neighborhood hero. Peter Parker is no more, but Spider-Man is at the top of his game keeping New York City safe. Things are going well for our anonymous hero until an unusual trail of crimes pulls him into a web of mystery larger than he’s ever faced before. In order to take on what’s ahead, Spider-Man not only needs to be at the top of his physical and mental game, but he must also be prepared to face the repercussions of his past! As Spider-Man: Brand New Day wows moviegoers the world over, discover the behind-the-scenes magic of the film’s visual development—from early concept sketches to final character designs. Explore environments, costumes, and exclusive insights from the next chapter for Marvel’s neighborhood hero!
• Amazing Spider-Man: Brand New Day Vol. 1
After the devastatingly heartwarming events of One More Day, Peter Parker puts the past behind him and sets forth on a Brand New Day! Spidey’s new status quo gets a swift punch in the gut as new villains, new friends, and some familiar faces that promise to make Peter’s life messier than ever before.
• Amazing Spider-Man: Brand New Day Vol. 2
Spider-Man’s Brand New Day continues, with more all-new adventures. Peter confronts major changes at the Daily Bugle while New York is under siege by a blizzard, and a new villain, Freak, rampages through town. If he hopes to stand a chance against this new threat, Spider-Man is going to have to enlist the help of his New Avengers teammates as well as the mysterious new adventurer Jackpot! Collecting: Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #552-558
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day by Zeb Wells, Mark Waid, Dan Slott, Marc Guggenheim, Chris Bachalo
Released in June, a brand-new compact edition spotlighting one of the most celebrated modern chapters in Spider-Man’s history.
“Brand New Day” wasn’t just a story — it was an era. Spanning almost three years and over one hundred issues, it was a time when a rotating cast of the industry’s most talented writers and artists redefined Spider-Man for the 21st century. The stories they created continue to influence the Spider-Man comics of today — as well as television series, video games and films featuring everyone’s favorite wall-crawler!
The handpicked stories featured in this Brand New edition highlight the scope and spirit of the era — from heart-wrenching to pulse-pounding to deeply human.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day 2026 Mini-Series
Launched back in May, Marvel revived the Spider-Man: Brand New Day comics era ahead of the new film release, a mini-series continuing through the summer, written by Dan Slott, with art by Marcus To (main series artist), Marcos Martin (special back-up stories), and Phil Jimenez (cover artist). It’s set during the time period of the 2008 – 2011 overarching ‘Brand New Day’ arc. It’s available from your Local Comic Shop, or as digital editions, #1 here on AmazonUK (Affiliate Link).
Revisit one of the most transformative periods of Spider-Man history with some of the creators who made it happen! Spider-Man discovers one of the most valuable items the Kingpin, aka Wilson Fisk possesses – THE LEXICON. This directory of the Kingpin’s criminal enterprise could destroy the criminal landscape of New York City, and that’s Spider-Man’s goal when he takes it. But Fisk isn’t the only person who wants the Lexicon… Mr. Negative would love his competitor’s secret information, but so would Frank Castle, A.K.A. THE PUNISHER. Taking the Lexicon sure seemed like a good idea to make the city safer, but it’s painted the biggest target ever on Spider-Man’s back!
- About the Author
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A freelance journalist and Doctor Who fanzine editor since 1978, Tim Robins has written on comics, films, books and TV programmes for a wide range of publications including Starburst, Interzone, Primetime and TV Guide.
His brief flirtation with comics includes ghost inking a 2000AD strip and co-writing a Doctor Who strip with Mike Collins. Since 1990 he worked at the University of Glamorgan where he was a Senior Lecturer in Cultural and Media Studies and the social sciences. Academically, he has published on the animation industry in Wales and approaches to social memory. He claims to be a card carrying member of the Politically Correct, a secret cadre bent on ruling the entire world and all human thought.
Categories: Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Features, Film, Other Worlds, Reviews, US Comics
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