Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Is The Greatest Tom Holland Film | Film Review

I can confidently say this is my favourite of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man movies, the films first 45 minutes were an absolute delight. I was beaming from ear to ear at the soundtrack, the swinging sequences and seeing Holland back in a role I believe he was born to play. Spider-Man Brand New Day hits the ground running, the film catapults you into crime fighting sequences, slow motion web-slinging and Peter Parker embracing his new found anonymity. 

This film is a direct follow on from Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) where we see Peter Parker forgotten by everyone in the world to stop a dangerous multiversal tear that was breaking reality. So, Peter is nos functioning as a full time Spider-Man but as the demands on him intensity, the pressure eventually causes him to undergo inherent stress resulting in physical changes when the spider side of his DNA takes control. 

This Spider-Man films feels tangible, it feels authentic and it takes a step away from the madness of the multiverse. This film grounds Peter and Spider-Man into a true comic book plot that felt tethered to reality and genuinely entertained me from beginning to end. Visually, Brand New Day (2026) is my favourite Holland Spider-Man film, I was blown away by the execution of shots and the colour palette of this film; it is gorgeous. The first 30 minutes of the film felt like a comic book come to life, especially the recreation of classic Spider-Man covers in slow motion being practically captured. It truly felt like he’d swung out of a comic book. 

Tom Holland delivers his strongest role as Spider-Man, he gives performance range and ultimately embodies the character more than ever before. He brought a deeply emotional portrayal of Peter whilst incorporating a new side to the character we’ve never seen, an angry and sometimes unpredictable side to Spider-Man. Jon Bernthal is a worthy supporting character and naturally brings a chaotic, comedic energy to the film. Bernthal and Holland have perfect chemistry, we know this!  

Sadie Sink is introduced as xxx xxx in this film and I genuinely think her casting was faultless, I see her as this character and I am excited to see where her journey will take us. In saying that, to no fault of her own but Sink’s scenes felt the least impactful, despite her character being a central catalyst for the films plot, I still found her backstory set up and journey to be a little underwhelming. As though they are introducing her for another film… or simple setting her up small in this film for a much bigger pay off down the road which felt glaringly obvious. 

Overall, Brand New Day exceeded my expectations. Spider-Man is an easy character to love but Holland was able to add layers to his character, add more charm, more emotion and more vulnerability than ever before. The first 45 minutes were exceptional, what I would describe as a true superhero movie. Amazing action sequences, memorable tableaus and character development but I did feel a shift once we met Sadie Sink’s character xxx xxx, after her reveal the pace changes, the motive changed and the film lost its momentum. In saying that, Brand New Day (2026) is a fun superhero movie, it may be too long for my liking but nonetheless it delivers in every element you want it to but for me, visually, this film is one of the most stylised and impactful superhero films I’ve seen in a very long time. Brand New Day injects life back into the MCU and I am so pleased to see cinemas sold out. 

Probe Points

★★★★

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