Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Review – Tom Holland’s Best Peter Parker Yet?

Spider-Man: Brand New Day gives Tom Holland’s Peter Parker some of his best material so far to work with.

Just a little review of this one, because everyone will be writing in much more and better detail than I, but wanted to put a few thoughts down on this one.

Good Points

• Tom Holland gives one of his strongest performances as Peter Parker.

• Jon Bernthal’s Punisher is a great fit and adds a fun new dynamic.

• The action is creative, energetic, and feels true to the character.

• Zendaya continues to be a highlight with a strong performance as MJ.

• The movie captures the fun comic book feeling that recent films have sometimes missed.

Bad Points

• Some emotional scenes do not hit as hard as they should.

• A few supporting characters feel underused.

• Some story ideas feel bigger than what the movie actually delivers.

My Thoughts on Spiderman: Brand New Day

A more personal Spider-Man story

I think everyone would agree that Tom Holland has always been good as Spider-Man, but this is probably the most interesting version of Peter we have seen from him yet though, which is saying something, featuring the same awkward humour and likeable personality, but we also get to see a lot more maturity here too, with a balance between the superhero and the person underneath, which is what makes Spider-Man such a great character.

It’s always easy for these films to get distracted by the superhero side of things and forget that Peter Parker is usually at his most interesting when his personal life is just as important as the fights, and Holland handles that really well here, as he is no longer playing a kid trying to figure out how to become Spider-Man, which also gives Holland more emotional material to work with.

The previous movies were still a lot of fun of course, but Peter was also often surrounded by other major characters and bigger events, but this time, the focus feels much more like it belongs to him, bringing the warmth to Peter, but also selling the harder moments.

The Punisher is a great addition

Jon Bernthal’s Punisher fits into this movie very well indeed, asnd while on paper it sounds like a strange combination - Spider-Man is usually the more light-hearted hero, while The Punisher is known for being much darker and more violent - Bernthal brings a different energy to the film, while never feeling like he is taking anything over.

The chemistry between Holland and Bernthal is really good too, and their conversations and interactions give the movie some of its best moments, mainly because neither character completely understands the other, as Spider-Man sees things differently from The Punisher, and that contrast creates some entertaining scenes - it is a pairing that sounds strange until you actually see it, then it starts making sense.

The supporting characters are a mixed bag

The supporting cast is mostly good here, but some characters deserved more time to make a bigger impact - Zendaya’s MJ remains one of the highlights, bringing the same strong chemistry, while Jacob Batalon’s Ned is still enjoyable and brings some lighter moments, but his role feels less important compared to the previous Spider-Man films.

Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Hulk is also a lot of fun and adds some great moments to the film, but again, the character feels a bit underused considering how much potential there was.

The movie also introduces several other characters, but some feel like they are there more to excite fans than to fully develop them, as while they are entertaining enough when they appear, I do think a few could have benefited from more screen time and a stronger purpose in the story?

The action feels like Spider-Man again

The action in Brand New Day is exactly what I always want to see from a Spider-Man movie - it is fast, creative, and makes good use of everything that makes the character special - as Spider-Man should not fight like every other superhero, he should be flying through the city, moving in ways that seem impossible, and using his surroundings to his advantage.

The action has this great sense of movement, and there is a real feeling of energy during the bigger sequences, where it is also a lot of fun in seeing the character pushed into situations where his abilities are tested, as the movie remembers that watching Spider-Man overcome ridiculous problems is part of the appeal.

Final Verdict

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a very enjoyable Spider-Man movie, and after everything this character has gone through, this also feels like a bit of a fresh start - a fun, emotional, and welcome return for one of Marvel’s best characters.

Trailer

Film Credits

Directed by - Destin Daniel Cretton

Written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers

Based on Spider-Man by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Produced by Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal. Avi Arad and Rachel O’Connor

Starring - Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Florence Pugh, Tramell Tillman, Marisa Tomei, Mark Ruffalo

Cinematography by Brett Pawlak

Edited by Nat Sanders, Gina Sansom and Harry Yoon

Music by Michael Giacchino

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