Set after “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Doctor Strange’s spell permanently erases the entire world’s memory of Peter Parker & Spider-Man are the same person. This includes his best friend, Ned Leeds and girlfriend, Michelle “MJ” Jones. Peter resumes his superhero career as Spider-Man protecting the citizens of New York City. Suddenly, he stumbles upon a mysterious antagonist and undergoes a mutation within his physiology. He’s gonna need all the help he can get from The Punisher/Frank Castle & Hulk/Bruce Banner.
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” the second film in the MCU’s Phase Six is now playing in theaters. It received praise and making a truckload of money. Marvel’s been killing it this year with good stuff listed. You can tell DC Universe is struggling.
- Nicolas Cage as Spider-Noir
- Wonder Man (too bad it got cancelled)
- X-Men ‘97: Season 2
- Daredevil Born Again: Season 2
- The Punisher’s Disney Plus Special
Speaking of Marvel, new stuff’s on the horizon. It’s gonna be epic. Anyway, I wanna share my opinion on the latest Spider-Man movie.
- Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls – August 6, 2026
- Wolverine on PS5 – September 15, 2026
- VisionQuest – October 14, 2026
- Avengers: Doomsday – December 18, 2026
- Daredevil: Born Again: Season 3 – March, 2027
- Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse – June 18, 2027
- X-Men ‘97: Season 3 – Sometime around 2027
- Avengers: Secret Wars – December 17, 2027
Today’s review contains no SPOILERS.
Strong & Weak Aspects
Strong: Cast Members from previous installments all did an amazing job for their respective performances.
Newcomers to the MCU such as Sadie Sink, Tramell Tillman & Lisa Colón-Zayas all did a decent for their respective performances.
Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi) did a good job directing.
Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers did a good job (mostly) co-writing the script.
Action Sequences display Spider-Man’s combat skills. Makes me wanna replay the Insomniac Games first two entries on PS5.
Jokes are pretty funny. Way funnier than Hannah Montana’s 20th anniversary.
Michael Giacchino (The Incredibles, Star Wars: Rogue One) The Batman) orchestrated the soundtrack.
Visual Effects are Class A.
Cinematography captures in-depth imagery of Spidey swinging.
Peters’s chemistry with his old friends and allies serve as the main highlight.
Pacing wasn’t a slow burn. My eyes were glued to the screen.
If you’re a Spidey fan, there’s a ton of Easter Eggs like one scene paying homage to the cover of Amazing Fantasy #15.
After being treated like a joke in She-Hulk’s mini-series, Hulk’s back to his grumpy ways. Thankfully, Mark Ruffalo didn’t give Spider-Man a lecture on J.D. Vance as one of the worst human beings. I used to like Mark, but his hate boner towards Donald Trump & J.D. is really getting outta hand.
The Plot is an amalgamation of storylines including “The Other,” and the two-part episode from the ‘90s cartoon. They both involve Peter’s mutation.
Stay tuned for a Post-Credits Scene. It could set up the next installment.
Fun Facts
- Naomi Watts provides the voice of Peter’s AI, E.V.
- Keith David (Spawn, Goliath from Gargoyles) has a voiceover cameo.
- This ain’t the first film Tom Holland, Zendaya & Jon Bernthal co-starred. They were in Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.”
- Tom & Zendaya are now married in real life.
Weak: One plot point involving Peter didn’t pay off. It’s hard to explain in a non-spoiler review.
Another thing I can’t talk about. The new character’s done dirty. If you’re a pure fan like me, it felt sick to my stomach. Leaves me no choice, but to Double Down this con. As if Rob Zombie wrote this crap. Same guy who did Laurie Strode dirty in his “Halloween” remake.
The Final Verdict: B-
I can’t believe I’m saying this, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is plain average. There hasn’t been a 10/10 Spidey film since No Way Home. I expected a plot point payed off and the new character given proper treatment within the MCU. As a fan of Marvel, I have to give Brand New Day tough love. I was gonna give it a C, (6/10) but after doing some backtracking and anticipation for the MCU’s future, I’m giving it a B-. The equivalent of a 7/10.
It may not be a masterpiece, but it’s not “Madame Web” bad. Brand New Day had good parts like the performances, fight scenes, special effects, Peter Parker’s characterization etc. I’m willing to give Sony & Marvel Studios another shot at Tom Holland’s next solo film. Check out Brand New Day. I also recommend Spider-Noir on Prime Video.
Which upcoming Marvel content are looking forward to the most? I’m thrilled to play Wolverine’s game on PS5 and see Avengers: Doomsday.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 