It’s a BIG new movie day in North America with the highly anticipated Spider-Man: Brand New Day release! Sure to be one of the biggest hits of the year. Both Paul & I got to see screenings in our respective Toronto & Victoria cinemas, and if you want to know how these two old men thought about the latest Marvel Picture, read on!
About: It’s been four years since Peter Parker (Tom Holland) made the ultimate sacrifice to save the multiverse, and the world has forgotten who he is. His friends Ned Lees (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya) have moved on with life, and Peter has fallen into being a full-time Spider-Man. Being New York’s full-time super-hero protector has Peter rubbing shoulders with Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) and battling Scorpion (Michael Mando), but with the arrival of a new threat, and Peter’s powers evolving, things will never be the same again.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, and Michael Mando. The film is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton and written by Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, and Stan Lee.
Paul’s Reaction: Let’s be honest: superheroes suck. At least most of them do. And most of the movies featuring them suck too. In both comic books and on screen, they fall into a brain-numbingly predictable template: a bit of backstory, some unique superpower (fire, invisibility, rubber limbs, super strength) and an evil villain hell bent on taking over the world and subjugating everyone in it. Then the CGI effects kick in and take over for what is supposed to be an eye-popping climax, each film trying to outdo the previous one with scenes of combat, carnage and mass destruction. Ho hum. It is amazing that Disney and the Marvel universe have managed to crank out 37, yes 37!, features using this formula, and none of them even feature the only three superheroes that were ever the tiniest bit interesting. And those three were Batman, Superman and Spider-Man, all licensed to other studios before Disney even got into the superhero game. To this day, that holy comic book trinity continues to rise above the superhero fatigue that has finally crept into the marketplace for any superhero movies that do not feature them. The reason is very simple. These three characters have always been given more complex and recognizably human traits that make them far more interesting. In the hands of Christopher Nolan, Batman became an dark figure dealing with existential angst, not a man with any superpowers, but a super rich crime fighter with a dark past.
From the very first Superman movies with Christopher Reeve, the Clark Kent character was torn between his haunted past, and the humanity he assumed as his own on his adoptive planet. His love for Lois Lane and the deep respect he had for the couple that raised him made him more relatable and more human than most of the villains he faced. And so we come to Spidey, a teenager transformed into a web-spinner after a lethal arachnid bite. In the three Sam Raimi films starring Tobey McGuire, and the two Andrew Garfield films, his teenage awkwardness and romantic yearnings were a key to making the character relatable. The Tom Holland movies however were in danger of drifting into the CGI void with the introduction of multi-universes which brought back the two previous Spidermen actors in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), not to mention a whole slew of villains from previous outings. Because his secret identity was revealed to the world, he had to get Dr Strange to help wipe out the memories of everyone who had ever known him. And that’s what sets up this return to a more human and relatable Spider-Man story, certainly the best entry since the Sam Raimi trilogy. That’s because MJ (real life partner Zendaya), the great love of Peter Parker’s young life, no longer remembers him. He has to watch her from afar as she smooches with another boyfriend. What could be more genuinely heart-breaking than pure unrequited love? Especially one that has been self-imposed for the greater good? And the villain in this piece is also far more interesting than most, a vengeful teenager who can inhabit the brains of anyone within thirty feet and have them do her bidding. Her motivations are not the usual world domination stuff, and when she takes over MJ’s psyche, it allows her to play with Peter Parker’s emotions in truly psychologically cruel ways. This is a superhero film that takes the time to have quiet moments of character development, and the visual effects, while very effective, do not overwhelm the human storyline. This is the last big popcorn movie for the summer of 2026. It reminds us that it is the human side of story-telling that can still sell more popcorn than empty special visual effects. Take that, AI!
Rating: 8 out of 10
Jason’s Reaction: If you have seen any of my recent reviews of Marvel movies or in my film circle, you might know that I am beyond sick & tired of the Marvel game. Every movie feels the same, there’s no imagination anymore and I always feel like I’m just here to get a teaser of the next one. Hardly any of the movies feel like I’m getting a complete experience and instead a partial one.
I take major exception with the Tom Holland/Zendaya Spider-Man series and the animated Spider-Man movies, however. These series are still taking chances, building a fun and exciting world but one other thing that I noticed is that you can even just go enjoy these movies without even having seen all of the other 35+ movies over the last twenty years (or maybe it isn’t that long, I can’t tell). A casual viewer can also just get a ticket for some fun Spidey action, sure, but it might help to establish yourself with some of the others in the series.
Brand New Day also has a great concept; how do you continue living in a world when you have changed it for yourself, yet you still want to remain in touch with the people you once knew? The movie opens with Peter (Tom Holland) trying to live in his world after he “erased” his connection with his friends MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) as his real identity was revealed, and he’s now pursuing his active duty of being a better Spidey.
The movie opens with a thrilling chase and action through New York that is almost worth the price of admission alone, and the movie has a lot of fun with Spidey/Peter’s “web” issues. This leads to an introduction of a huge character from the Marvel world that I dare not spoil, but it is played by a particular up-and-coming actress that has been getting a lot of attention lately. I will just leave it at that, because it’s more fun this way for you to go see it in cinemas and find out.
I’m just happy to be enjoying the overall world again, too. What I really liked about Brand New Day is the different tone and feel than the last few Spidey films; the movie has a distinct look and feel that has a bit more city edge and has a great balance between action and dialogue; this is a lot having to do with filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton who also made Shang-Chi a few years ago, and that Marvel movie was set apart by the incredible fusion of its casting and storytelling (yet I didn’t like that one as much as this series overall, if that makes any sense). If you get a chance, check out his film Short Term 12 from many years ago; Cretton’s debut also explored a lot of mental health issues that came through powerfully, and he still carries this over into Brand New Day; the movie deals with loss, separation and many of these issues with a lot of intelligence and I was also surprised how well he balanced the action and dialogue. And the movie IS funny throughout as well, and why this is still one of the Marvel series that I can still support.
It’s far from perfect and a touch overlong, and some of the uses of other Marvel characters are a bit the top (there’s a scene with Florence Pugh’s Yelena character that goes on WAY too long for example), but overall it’s entertaining and fun enough for the Spider-Man fans and especially for this Tom Holland series, which still has a lot of life left in it (unlike all of the OTHER ones). It’s the rare one that I’ll also want to go see again just for that opening chase sequence, which was breathtaking.
Oh, and any movie that has Sadie Sink in it improves things. She needs to be in everything.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Boring Tech Notes: The Odyssey is still playing on all of the IMAX screens, so there is no IMAX version of Spider-Man. The movie is coming out in both flat and scope versions, so try to see the movie in your favourite theatre that knows what they are doing. Stick to 2D. In my city I have a really nice theatre that has a gigantic “scope” screen and this movie played beautifully.
And yes, there’s a post credit scene. Don’t forget to take your trash out of the theatre too. What are you, pigs or something?