Spider Man: Brand New Day (2026) Review

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Peter Parker has corrected his mistake and saved the multiverse, but he had to sacrifice the people closest to him to do it. Aunt May is dead, and his girlfriend and best friend have forgotten him forever. Spider-Man can once again do what he does best: fight criminals and save the citizens of New York from disaster. But for Peter Parker, it all comes at a price.

The lone hero sinks into isolation, burnout, and a whirlpool of unspoken feelings for the girl he still loves, even though he's a stranger to her now. Things only get worse when he comes face to face with an adversary unlike anyone he's ever encountered: an unnamed psychic terrorist who jumps from body to body, taking people over on the fly. And he's clearly targeting the Federal Damage Control Agency…

 

 

A new film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And another installment of the young lad's unnecessary but action-packed adventures in self-discovery, first love, and cosmic-scale misfortune. It's still another episode of an endless TV series that should have ended with Infinity War instead of continuing to torture our nerves. But the whole thing is still so big and complex that you end up forgiving it everything. The pointless series about genies and Egyptian gods that went nowhere. The cringeworthy special effects in the movies about the god of thunder and his screaming goats. Three-eyed Cumberbatch with quantum tardigrades, set to an Elton John song. All this creative exploration within the confines of an assembly line desperately trying not to be an assembly line is still interesting enough to make you buy a ticket to yet another movie about a little guy in skin-tight latex who can withstand being hit by a truck and dodge bullets. That's his spider-sense, after all: RNA sequencing, hormone inhibitors, and so on. Professor Hulk can explain it to you.

The film is actually pretty good, especially if you know nothing about it before going to the cinema. It moves the overarching story forward (we've got the new Avengers movies coming up, and apparently everyone's going to be there), while also developing its central character. Peter Parker's emotional crisis is interspersed with a ton of action sequences, where inventiveness doesn't always get along with the laws of physics or common sense. Two-thirds of the runtime are devoted to a threat whose motivation you can guess pretty quickly. But all of that is redeemed by the atmosphere of a New York that has grown accustomed to madness, confident direction, and excellent production design. And, of course, the acting: without the talent of Tom Holland, Sadie Sink, and (whatever you say about her permanently scowling face) Zendaya, the story simply wouldn't work.

 

 

A completely useless but amusing fact: one of the film's key plot twists echoes the ending of the first Star Trek feature film, where the characters encounter an unknown alien intelligence named V'Ger, only to discover at the end that it's actually an old Earth spacecraft, Voyager, that has grown to titanic proportions over the centuries, with part of its nameplate worn away. The mystery here is a little smaller, but there's a bit of wordplay involved, too.

The emotional core of the film feels cohesive and human. The best scenes aren't the ones where Spidey performs incredible feats of acrobatics and reflexes, but the ones where nothing happens except moments of silence and heartfelt conversation. I'd especially like to highlight a scene in the second half of the film where Spidey goes off to play hero, and MJ finds a letter he never sent her over the course of four years. The confession turns into an awkward and painful breakup… again. As if the poor kid, who's lost his mentor, his aunt, his friend, his healthy sleep schedule, and his work-life balance, didn't already have enough on his plate!

 

 

Otherwise… it's a grounded, localized story. No more of that damned saving-the-world business (for now). Spidey swings around the city, fights ninjas, stops tanks, and finds himself in strange places and strange situations, but the citizens aren't particularly bothered. It's New York, after all. People here are used to pretty much everything (there's no point even bringing up the 2012 Chitauri battle). There's a funny parallel here that connects Brand New Day with the embarrassing Madame Web: in both films, the city itself is one of the characters (possibly the most sensible one).

Speaking of characters, Peter Parker doesn't act alone in this film. He's joined by a new friend who hasn't appeared in a major Marvel movie yet. That's the Punisher, Frank Castle — a tough former soldier with PTSD whose family was taken from him in a gangland shootout. He's been both an antagonist and an ally to the blind lawyer known as Daredevil in the TV series of the same name (well, two series, actually), so he's a logical choice for a story about the city and yet another brawl taking place in it.

The villain is interesting and dangerous, and his abilities are portrayed brilliantly. I won't say anything more — even if it's no longer a secret, it deserves to be a surprise. Although, I admit I knew who it was before going to the cinema, and that took a little of the magic away. So perhaps you'll be luckier. The very choice of this character, along with the gradual introduction of heroes we all know and love in completely different incarnations, is a good move and yet another demonstration that Kevin Feige knows what he's doing. However shaky the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be right now, I think we're going to enjoy the way it all ends.

 

What else is there to say? Composer Michael Giacchino is brilliant and poetic, almost like Alexandre Desplat. His music doesn't steal the spotlight here, but it fits perfectly, as does the choice of songs. It's especially nice to see Monetochka included: yes, her song has been removed from the regional cut — thanks to Ukrainians on Twitter and the clever people at the Russian Ministry of Justice. Strangely enough, they ended up on the same side of the barricades…

The special effects are good, and the production designers (apparently) weren't rushed. For once, Spider-Man's suit in this film doesn't look like a texture stretched over a CG character, but like actual fabric being ruffled by the wind as he moves. A small detail, but it makes a difference in realism. Hulk looks great (although he does resemble a green Epstein: don't sit in the front row of an IMAX theater!), and the fights are decent. The red Japanese ninjas are a little ridiculous, especially when the wuxia-style sword dancing begins. And despite Tom Holland and his stunt team's impressive training, Spidey's fights with the bad guys don't look quite as convincing as you'd hope. But come on, this is a story about a schoolboy who was bitten by a radioactive spider and gained the ability to crawl up walls.

 

 

 

(It would be interesting to see a dark R-rated film that pushed the whole “with great power comes great responsibility” theme even further, while making the laws of physics work not only when they make things look cool. But that's just me thinking out loud. I remember Garfield — he was excellent. But everyone still misses Tobey Maguire.)

It's a shame that Sony's magnificent cinematic universe collapsed in on itself, and we'll never get to see the crossover of the millennium, where the simple-minded Spidey and his nerdy friends face such titans of intellect as Morbius, Madame Web, and Kraven the Hunter. (Three movies, all embarrassing.)

It's Morbin' time!

 

 

Rating: 7.8/10. A new chapter in the adventures of the city's (now) beloved neighborhood hero and the youngest Avenger. Eternal remembrance to Tony Howardovich Stark. There's nothing particularly special or unpredictable about the plot: it's essentially a quick sketch of the life of a lonely guy swinging between buildings, mixed with fights and introspection. But as an excuse to go to the movies, it's perfectly decent. Peter, Ned, and MJ are good kids you can't help but root for. Just like you and me, they live in turbulent times: sometimes Mysterio mysteriously messes things up, and sometimes an old lady spontaneously steals a tank…

 

Автор: Updated at Sep 28th 2026