#REVIEW: “SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY”

Review by Nicholas Porteous for Mr. Will Wong

The last time we saw Peter Parker at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, he had banished himself to a life of anonymity with a spell that saved New York and simultaneously forced everyone to forget who he was, including best friend Ned and love-of-his-life Mary Jane. It was very, very sad. But that ending was just scratching the surface. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a two-and-a-half hour riff on the idea of a forgotten Peter Parker, and it is the saddest Spider-Man movie by a mile. Don’t let the optimism baked into the title fool you: though it’s not without levity, this is a decidedly dour new day, full of isolation, shattered relationships, and ninjas. Now Peter has to contend with extraordinary loneliness AND extreme pupil dilation. One of those things is more relatable than the other.

I have long contended that the Marvel Cinematic Universe lost its way when every movie became an insular, superhero-only experience, untethered from humanity, relying on made-up magical rules and locations to establish conflicts and solutions. Super-powers haven’t been special for a long time. Grounded, human stakes have left the building. I think we’ve been collectively gasping for a superhero movie that hinges on human relationships, set in a world resembling our own. For stretches of Brand New Day, we’re treated to that feeling once again. That is–a recognizable setting where human connections once again matter. It’s really nice to feel the emotional gravity of a Marvel story without a wizard explaining what’s going on every few minutes. Zendaya and Holland pull off some striking notes of melodrama, partly fueled by the nature of their real-life marriage. It’s unfortunate that those notes don’t cohere into much more beyond what we already felt at the end of the previous Spider-Man movie, and Brand New Day feels obligated to keep whipping back into magical, disconnected powers-land. As mentioned, Peter has dilating pupils now. His AI assistant warns him his DNA is transforming. There are ninjas. Do any of these things evolve or change the MCU, or the nature of Spider-Man, after 150 minutes? I think you already know.

If you’re looking for cameos, Brand New Day is chock full of assists from various MCU folks. You know from the trailers Mark Ruffalo is back, and Jon Bernthal is giving full-bodied grunts and yells as The Punisher. His contentious dynamic with Holland is often charming. I wouldn’t dream of spoiling who else shows up, but there’s more. Though I’d argue one of these characters is more of a name attached to a new character than a genuine invocation of said character… duct-taping my mouth now.

Gone are the days of Tom Holland‘s more playful take on everyone’s favourite webslinger. We’re deep in melodrama territory this time around. Yes, there’s a lightness to some scenes, yes there are jokes, and spurts of exciting action choreography, but at its core Brand New Day is an unrelenting saga of sadness. Bring snacks and loved ones.

Sony Pictures Canada release SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY in theatres July 31, 2026.