Review - Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

       Hey guys, Chuck here, and this is my review of the new Marvel Studios film Spider-Man: Brand New Day, directed by Destin Daniel Crettin, and starring Tom Holland, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal, Zendaya, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Mando, Tramell Tillman, Florence Pugh, and Marvin Jones III. 

        So, in the years since the events of No Way Home, Peter Parker has been living as both himself and as Spider-Man. But, as his powers begin to go through some kind of mutation, Peter must work with heroes like Frank Castle and Bruce Banner to protect New York from new and dangerous super powered threats such as Mac Gargan/Scorpion and Lonnie Lincoln/Tombstone. 

        So, as a long-time fan of Spider-Man, it is thoroughly refreshing to see Tom Holland's version of the character of Peter Parker truly become his own man, and no longer be in the shadow of Tony Stark. Seeing Tom's Peter really hold his own in fights against Scorpion, Tombstone, and the ninja clan known as The Hand with equipment and abilities that are of his own make and not coming courtesy of Tony Stark's tech was really nice and shows how much Peter has grown beyond his mentor. And, it was truly fascinating to see how much his actions in Spider-Man: No Way Home have altered him, and how his efforts to reconnect with Ned and MJ, played brilliantly by Jacob Batalon and Zendaya, are affecting his powers throughout this movie. 

       I also loved Peter's interactions with other Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes like Jon Bernthal's Frank Castle, Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner, and Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, who had quite a number of scenes in this movie. Seeing Spider-Man fighting the Hulk was a lot of fun. And, yes, this was Savage Hulk, not Smart Hulk. Thank God. And, the dynamic that Peter and Frank had, with their back-and-forth banter was easily a highlight of the movie for me. 

       The action in this movie is like something out of a Marvel comic book. It's clear that director Destin Daniel Crettin is a big fan of Marvel Comics, as he framed several shots and fights like they were recreations of images designed by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for the classic Spider-Man comics. And the fights that Spider-Man had with Scorpion, Tombstone, Hulk, and the Hand were fantastic and thoroughly entertaining. And, I did enjoy the overall designs for Marvin Jones III as Tombstone and Michael Mando as Scorpion, who returns from his appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming. 

       But, the biggest question is in regards to my thoughts on Sadie Sink's performance, isn't it? Well, I suppose the cat's out of the bag, so here are my thoughts. As a fan of the X-Men, I enjoyed seeing that Sadie Sink was, indeed, playing the MCU's version of Jean Grey in this movie. And, this marks the third portrayal of Jean after both Famke Jansen and Sophie Turner, both of which felt let down by poor writing and characterization. But, here we're seeing a version of Jean who isn't affected by the Dark Phoenix, but is damaged due to the actions of Damage Control. And, in THAT respect, I think Sadie's acting is really good, and creates a new take on Jean Grey that can be expanded upon when we eventually see her alongside the X-Men down the line. 

      Overall, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a really fun time, and a terrific new chapter for the MCU that I highly recommend seeing. 

        Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you in the next review.