As a vocal enjoyer of director Jon Watts’ trilogy of Spider-Man films–“Homecoming,” “Far From Home” and “No Way Home”—I admittedly went into the fourth installment with skepticism, despite new helmer Destin Daniel Cretton proving his mettle with the more-fun-than-it-had-any-right-to-be “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and the absolutely phenomenal “Wonder Man” series on Disney+ (RIP Season 2). 

I’ve never been so happy to be proven wrong.

Cretton breathes new life into the franchise, giving us the best Tom Holland-led Spider-Man film to date–and what might be the best MCU movie in the mixed bag that has been the post-“Avengers: Endgame” era.

It’s a commonly known maxim among fans of the character that if things are going well for Spider-Man, then Peter Parker’s life must be in absolute shambles. This is where Cretton and screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers set their scene.

Following the events of “No Way Home,” which ended with the world remembering Spider-Man but forgetting Peter Parker, the superheroics portion of Peter’s life is going swimmingly: crime is down, and the city loves him. 

Behind the mask, though, he has become completely socially isolated, having lost his support system with the death of Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) and the magically-induced amnesia of girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and bestie Ned (Jacob Batalon).

Peter’s only human contact outside of his masked adventures are phone calls with NYPD detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas, of “The Bear” fame) and Insta-stalking Ned and MJ as they attend, and ultimately graduate from, MIT.

His workaholic lifestyle begins to take a toll when the social isolation causes his arachnid DNA to spike, heightening his abilities and giving him darker, more violent impulses (if the piece of Venom symbiote left behind by Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock in the post-credits scene of “No Way Home” is involved at all, they aren’t telling yet).

Spidey’s problems only compound when Bill Mezger, head of the shadowy Damage Control organization, asks for Spider-Man’s help to deal with a new threat: a metahuman who has it out for the organization for unknown reasons, and Peter seems to be the only one immune to her mind control powers (I will respect Marvel’s wishes and not tell you Sadie Sink’s character name, but, if you have a guess, you are right).

“Brand New Day” delivers what critics of the “Home” trilogy have been asking for all along: a grounded Spider-Man story where Peter Parker faces real, relatable hardships without cosmic or multiversal shenanigans, the help of Tony Stark’s technology or a babysitter from the Avengers.

While characters from the larger MCU do appear in the film— most prominently Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh)— they serve the story in meaningful ways, without feeling like gratuitous cameos or overshadowing the titular hero. 

Bernthal has the largest role of the three, and proves to be a welcome addition to the supporting cast. While Frank Castle, whose previous appearances on Marvel TV shows have made the most of their TV-MA rating, might seem a counterintuitive inclusion in a PG-13 film designed to appeal to kids and adults alike, the “Odd Couple” dynamic between frenemies Frank and Peter makes for some of the best comedic beats in the movie, as well as some of its most effective emotional moments.

While “Brand New Day” shares its title with a 2008 storyline from the “Spider-Man” comic books, the similarities start and end with “Peter Parker finds his way in a world where people’s memories have been magically changed, and, as a result, he and MJ are no longer together.” Inspiration also appears to have been taken from the 2005 crossover “The Other,” in which Peter’s powers change in unpredictable ways, and arguably a 1994 storyline where Spider-Man gives up being Peter Parker to be a full-time webslinger.

While the story of the film isn’t a direct adaptation of these or any other comics, the plot is quintessential Spider-Man: a story where internal conflicts are just as—if not more—important than the ones that can be solved with webs and fists.

That’s not to say the film is lacking in action scenes–the action in “Brand New Day” is the best we’ve ever seen from the franchise. Cretton’s use of practical effects, wire work and actual, physical locations come as a breath of fresh air after the last few years have seen superhero flicks increasingly rely on CGI, green screens and volume walls. Spider-Man wears an actual costume for the first time (his previous MCU appearances have all had costumes added in post) and the New York City of “Brand New Day” feels like a living, breathing place in a way that hasn’t been seen in a Marvel film since Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy.

Cretton deftly takes some visual cues from Raimi’s films, as well as Mark Webb’s “Amazing Spider-Man” duology and, perhaps most prominently, the recent “Spider-Man” video games from Insomniac. There’s also a montage featuring neat visual tributes to iconic comic book covers including “Amazing Fantasy” No. 15, Spider-Man’s first appearance.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” lives up to its title, kicking off a new era for the character, and teasing big changes coming soon to the MCU. Holland–who was already my personal pick for the best on-screen Spider-Man–has never been better in the role, and he’s backed up by strong performances from Zendaya, Bernthal and Sink. I can’t believe I get to say this in the year of our lord 2026, but there’s good reason to be excited about a Marvel property again.

About the writer:

Ben Hooper is disappointed to report that the mysterious Keith David character in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is only a brief voice cameo as the unnamed narrator of a documentary, and not, as he was predicting, either cloning mastermind Miles Warren or Professor Charles Xavier. Although, it’s not too late to bring him back…