Spider-Man: Brand New Day Review (Warning: SPOILERS)

After the emotional highs of Spider-Man: No Way Home, I expected Spider-Man: Brand New Day to continue building on Tom Holland’s version of Peter Parker. Instead, it felt like a completely different franchise.

The biggest issue for me was the pacing. The film moves at such a frantic speed that it rarely gives its characters or emotional moments time to breathe. The opening, in particular, feels more like a rushed comic-book montage than a proper introduction to a new chapter. It reminded me more of Suicide Squad or some of the older superhero films than the previous Marvel Spider-Man movies, which balanced humor, heart, and action much more effectively.

The movie also suffers from an overcrowded cast of villains and side characters. Rather than developing a few compelling antagonists, it throws so many elements at the audience that none of them receive the attention they deserve. Combined with what I felt was some lazy writing, the story ends up feeling bloated instead of exciting. There are several interesting ideas scattered throughout the film, but because it constantly jumps from one plot point to the next, very few of them are given enough time to make a lasting impact.

Jean Grey’s casting was decent, but I personally would have preferred someone who wasn’t already so strongly associated with another major franchise. At times, it was difficult to separate the performance from Stranger Things, and instead of seeing Jean Grey, I occasionally felt like I was watching that character in a different universe. While the actress certainly has talent, her previous role is so iconic that it occasionally distracted me from becoming fully immersed in the story.

Tonally, the film never seems to decide what it wants to be. Much of it plays surprisingly serious, yet every so often it interrupts itself with comic relief that doesn’t quite land. Rather than balancing drama and comedy naturally, the shifts often feel abrupt. The previous Spider-Man films found a much smoother rhythm between heartfelt moments and humor, whereas Brand New Day often feels like it's pulling in two different directions at once.

That said, one of the film's greatest strengths comes from the scenes shared between Peter, MJ, and Ned. Whenever the three of them were together, the movie suddenly felt familiar again. Their chemistry remains just as charming as it was in the previous trilogy, and those interactions brought back much of the warmth, humor, and emotional sincerity that made Tom Holland's Spider-Man films so enjoyable in the first place. For brief moments, it genuinely felt like I was watching the continuation I had been hoping for. Unfortunately, those scenes are relatively limited, and once the story shifts back toward the larger plot, that magic quickly fades.

One aspect that did work was Tom Holland’s performance. He convincingly portrays Peter Parker’s pain and isolation, and I genuinely felt his suffering throughout the film. However, I struggled with the reasoning behind his transformation into his more arachnid form. The catalyst appears to be seeing MJ with another boyfriend—a character who is introduced briefly and then essentially disappears from the story. Considering Peter had already endured the devastating loss of Aunt May in No Way Home, it feels inconsistent that this moment, rather than that tragedy, becomes the emotional breaking point.

The Punisher’s introduction also felt rushed. The movie seems to assume that audiences already know his relationship with Peter, skipping over what could have been one of the film’s most interesting dynamics. Instead of showing them meet or establishing their history, he’s simply there, making the introduction feel abrupt and emotionally hollow.

One of my favorite moments in the film involved the Hulk. Ironically, one of the strongest scenes in the entire movie featured a character who was barely in it. The sequence was exciting, memorable, and reminded me of the larger Marvel universe at its best. Unfortunately, it was so brief that it felt more like a cameo than a meaningful role. Given Hulk’s presence in the marketing and his importance within Marvel, I couldn’t help wishing the film had done more with him.

Overall, Brand New Day isn’t without redeeming qualities. Tom Holland continues to prove why he’s such a strong Peter Parker, and the scenes between Peter, MJ, and Ned capture the heart that made the previous films so beloved. However, compared to No Way Home, this installment feels unfocused, overstuffed, and tonally inconsistent. Rather than feeling like the next chapter in Marvel’s Spider-Man story, it often feels like it’s borrowing the pacing and style of a completely different superhero franchise. There are flashes of the Spider-Man movie I wanted to see, but they’re buried beneath a crowded plot and uneven execution.

Rating: 5.5/10