QUICK ANSWER
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a strong, emotionally grounded fourth entry in the MCU Spider-Man series — visually consistent with Tom Holland’s earlier films but darker in tone, and built around Peter’s growth after No Way Home erased him from everyone’s memory. It runs 145 minutes and drags through its middle stretch, but earns a 4.4/5 here for its cast, its emotional weight, and how well it delivers on its own title.
QUICK FACTS
| Director | Destin Daniel Cretton |
| Runtime | 145 minutes (2h 25m) |
| Release Date | July 31, 2026 |
| Cast | Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Florence Pugh, Mark Ruffalo |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 91% Critics / 98% Audience |
| This Review | 4.4/5 |
“This is a broadcast from your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”
ORIENTATION
Do you like something edgy, with a dash of comedy, a slower pace blended with intense action…then thrown into the pot with a cup of romance and a pinch of violence, all cooked to a perfect 400°F, and stocked with one of the best comic book character lineups yet? Then Spider-Man: Brand New Day is your movie.
Technically the same as Tom Holland’s other Spider-Man movies, just a shade darker — landing somewhere between the moodier tone of The Amazing Spider-Man films and this trilogy’s own visual identity. You still get the light, comic-book, kid-friendly visuals: sun flares, bright city skyscrapers, all of it. But the night scenes and action sequences lean into that darker tone, giving the fights a more intense, dramatic weight. The pacing felt slower this time…it seemed focused on filling in what happened during the years since No Way Home. It’s the pacing of an action soap opera. They make you feel the intensity of the early scenes, where Spider-Man is out fighting crime, before easing you into a slower, things-are-changing, I-still-love-you kind of rhythm, tinged with regret over the past.
WHAT IT’S ATTEMPTING / WHERE IT LANDS
This film is attempting a slow, earned reset for Peter Parker — and for the most part, it lands. As we saw in Spider-Man: No Way Home, everyone — including Peter Parker’s girlfriend MJ and best friend Ned — forgets Peter ever existed. They move on, attending MIT without him, while Peter saves the day and becomes well known, virtually untouchable as Spider-Man, saving the city time and again from countless villains. However, over time, Peter becomes overwhelmed and alone — still quite in love with MJ, still missing Ned — as he watches them head into their final semester at MIT. A new villain emerges, putting Spider-Man through a whole new spectrum of pain and placing him under extreme stress that forces his body to mature and evolve to meet the threats he’s facing. He’s entering a realm of something new…evolving into a new state of things…a new person.
THE INSIGHT
The film does a great job translating its title into the story itself. We see the change that Peter, the city, and his friends are all adjusting to. Supporting characters have each undergone changes of their own — Hulk, now bigger than before when he transforms, and Yelena Belova, now Black Widow, leading a new team of Avengers. Then there’s Punisher, bringing some R-rated cursing and foul language into the mix — a change we don’t see too often in a Spider-Man movie. A big change to the film itself as a whole. Then there’s Jean Grey — the MCU version, played by Sadie Sink in her franchise debut — whose presence contrasts with Peter’s Spider-Man, forcing him to decide who he wants to become…and effectively, we see her go through a change of her own as well. Seeing Peter interact with MJ and Ned…everything in this movie gave us that sense of things changing, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. I think that’s what they achieved really well overall with this movie.
—
4.4/5 stars
The movie was fun, packed with characters we all love. My only complaint was the pacing — it ran slower, dragged at times, and some scenes didn’t feel necessary to push the story forward. I also think the scene where MJ finds out would have hit harder — funnier and sexier — if she’d gotten angry, grabbed a frying pan, and given him a proper beatdown as punishment. What Peter did in the last movie was pretty selfish, after all. And if she’d followed it with a cold line about having no feelings left for him, that sting would have landed even harder dramatically.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is Spider-Man: Brand New Day worth watching? Yes — it’s landed strong reviews across the board (91% critics, 98% audience on Rotten Tomatoes), and this review rates it 4.4/5. The pacing is the main trade-off; the emotional payoff is the reward.
How long is Spider-Man: Brand New Day? 145 minutes (2 hours 25 minutes) — the second-longest Spider-Man film in the MCU, just behind No Way Home.
Does Spider-Man: Brand New Day connect to No Way Home? Yes. It picks up with the entire world — including MJ and Ned — having forgotten Peter Parker ever existed, the direct fallout of No Way Home’s memory-wipe ending.
Is Jean Grey really in Spider-Man: Brand New Day? Yes — Sadie Sink plays the MCU version of Jean Grey, marking the character’s live-action MCU debut.