Sink’s Jean Grey makes a formidable nemesis, one who can defeat foes on a psychological level.
Florence Pugh returns to the role of Yelena, one she played in Thunderbolts* (Jake Schreier, 2025), bringing a sexual frisson to Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Over the course of the movie, Spider-Man realises the vitality of shared work.
All in all, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a fine study in restraint, a fable about the strength humans can gain from one another.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is in cinemas on Friday, July 31st.
As a masked vigilante, Spider-Man (Tom Holland, who also plays alter ego Peter Parker), uses his newly acquired powers to corner criminals and thugs. One day he finds himself in a peculiar situation, as a police officer seems to read his thoughts. It turns out this person is under the spell of Jean Grey (Sadie Sink), a teenager keen to use telekinesis for her own amusement. Recognising a hidden desire in the superhero, Grey threatens to overpower MJ (Zendaya), a college student whom he fancies. Determined to be valiant, Spider-Man takes to the New York skyline.
Holland reprises the role for the fourth time, and he’s at his best here. The audience gets to see a refreshing vulnerability from Parker, aching for a normal life. Zendaya is also sparky in the part. Sink’s Jean Grey makes a formidable nemesis, one who can defeat foes on a psychological level. Florence Pugh returns to the role of Yelena, one she played in Thunderbolts* (Jake Schreier, 2025), bringing a sexual frisson to Spider-Man: Brand New Day. On the whole most characters are well cast,
Destin Daniel Cretton is invested in the performances and character arcs. A highlight of the motion picture concerns a group of ninjas, utilising their swords to hack Spider-Man into tiny pieces. He is impressed by their chutzpah: “That is cool!”. The scene incorporates CGI, but the melding of fist and weapon comes from weeks of behind-the-scenes training. Spider-Man carries MJ across New York, spinning webs off buildings like a Tarzan figure. This is when the viewer is brought headfirst into the air. Cretton wisely elects to downscale for the finale, a combat of brain, not brawn, between hero and villain.
At times, the story is very funny. An over-enthusiastic fan of Spider-Man’s demands to know about his toilet breaks. Jon Bernthal’s Frank, a mercenary sidekick with machine guns, casually mentions setting up a bomb while cooking a curry. Mark Ruffalo’s facial expressions as Hulk are played for laughs, much as MJ’s caustic tone humbles the titular hero. This isn’t a comedy, but there is a surprisingly high amount of gags and quips.
Tonally, the movie boasts heart, without being overtly sugary. Jean Grey has a vision of Peter Parker talking to his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), a woman killed prior to the events of this story. Glimpsing a private conversation between nephew and mentor, Here she sees the apotheosis of the human being. Sensing something missing from her life, Jean Grey ruminates on the conversations she enjoyed with sister Sarah. One of the key themes is the significance of family. Over the course of the movie, Spider-Man realises the vitality of shared work.
The movie is not perfect. A battle scene between the hero and nefarious crime lord Scorpion (Michael Mando) goes on for too long, and it adds nothing to the plot. Ruffalo’s Hulk is a little undernourished in the giant cast, and a similar argument could be made for Liza Colón-Zayas’s police officer. All in all, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a fine study in restraint, a fable about the strength humans can gain from one another.
In essence, this is a film for the many, not the few.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is in cinemas on Friday, July 31st.
