Brand New Day is no throwaway title for the new Spider-Man movie. Since his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Peter Parker has always been surrounded by stars like Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and even other Spider-Men. Now, Destin Daniel Cretton takes the reins of the franchise and proves capable of giving the hero a fresh coat of paint without forgetting the formula that made the character’s most recent film shine: nostalgia tied to meaningful dramatic weight.

The director flips the logic of the recent past and turns fan service into both a visual device (as in the suit that blends elements from previous versions, or comic-book covers recreated in fights with villains) and comic relief within the protagonist’s growth (as in the scenes involving organic webbing that bring Tobey Maguire to mind) — nothing here is driven by nods to outside knowledge or connections to a larger universe. Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and the Punisher (Jon Bernthal) are there, but almost like special guest stars. The focus is entirely on Peter Parker and his problems.

• Spoiler Warning: Sadie Sink’s character in Spider-Man is revealed during the film’s official livestream

The script’s driving thread is the depression Spider-Man is dealing with as he takes down one criminal after another in New York: having chosen to be forgotten by everyone, including his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and the love of his life, MJ. With a new threat in the city, the hero’s personal dilemmas become intertwined with his missions, and his mental state takes alarming (and physical) turns, like blackened eyes, even sharper senses, and uncontrollable rage. Late adolescence and concern for mental health have, not ironically, also come for the internet generation’s Spider-Man.

This dramatic weight reaches a level of success that, aside from the aftermath of Aunt May’s death, no other Holland film has managed. It makes Peter’s journey believable and genuinely relatable. It doesn’t matter whether he’s fighting Hulk or the Punisher, whether he grows stronger or weaker — what matters are the issues that bring him closer to an ordinary citizen. Brand New Day finally turns Holland’s Peter into a suffering, anxious young man burdened with trauma. Ingredients that, over the last 60 years, have proven essential to Spider-Man’s staying power.

But that dramatic heft isn’t the only reason behind the success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Destin Daniel Cretton had already shown his skill with action sequences in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, but here he makes full use of every aspect of the hero to create fantastic scenes that will stick in fans’ memories for a long time. The fights are intense, well choreographed, and never repetitive. The web-swinging through New York can be either a feast for the eyes or a high-speed chase. With visual harmony born from a clear move away from overblown CGI-heavy settings, Brand New Day reveals itself as the most beautiful film starring Holland’s web-slinger.

It’s also worth noting that Destin and his writers (Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers) do a great job with the film’s biggest challenge: including so many characters without losing their way. The Spider-Man/Punisher duo shines thanks to the chemistry between Holland and Bernthal (longtime friends in real life), and it’s bound to spark calls for more adventures together. Among Peter’s foes — ranging here from the fearsome Hulk to the comic Boomerang, with classic villains like Tombstone and Scorpion in the mix — each gets a few seconds to shine, but always in service of the larger machinery of the story. And even if things start to feel a little too derivative in the final stretch, the buildup of characters and motivations never becomes a major problem.

Especially in its first 40 minutes, Brand New Day carries a genuine joy in being a film purely and simply about Spider-Man, and that rhythm is maintained on some level all the way to the end. More than that, the movie understands itself as a genre film that doesn’t need to justify itself beyond its own goals. It doesn’t try to be an existential drama, a crime thriller, or a horror-tinged suspense story. It is a straightforward, unapologetic superhero movie, moving through the classic phase of doubt, suffering, and painful trials that, let’s be honest, is inseparable from Spider-Man.

Far from billionaires, sorcerers, and spies, the MCU’s Spider-Man has finally gotten a movie to call his own. Dramatic, frenetic, somewhat messy, but never lacking what made Marvel heroes such a success in theaters: a story about extraordinary people with ordinary problems, one that never loses sight of the hero’s power (not the villain’s) as the catalyst for transformation. Now that the spotlight is finally his alone, this is a Spider-Man worth rooting for and following.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

2026

28 julho 2026

145 min

Ficção científica, Ação, Aventura

Country: US

Rating: 12 years

Duração: 145 min

Director(s): Destin Daniel Cretton

Screenplay: Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Erik Sommers, Chris McKenna

Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando, Mark Ruffalo, Liza Colón-Zayas

Release Date: 28 julho 2026

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