Spider-Man: Brand New Day had a difficult act to follow. No Way Home brought three generations of Spider-Man together before leaving Tom Holland’s Peter Parker completely alone, forgotten by everyone he loved and forced to rebuild his life without Aunt May, MJ or Ned. Five years later, that decision remains at the heart of a film that delivers the action expected from the MCU but understands that Peter’s loneliness is where this story matters most. The result is an exciting and deeply affecting return that gives Holland his strongest material as Peter Parker so far. Brand New Day may occasionally become distracted by its responsibility to introduce new corners of the Marvel universe, but it never loses sight of the young man beneath the mask. We went into the film with huge expectations, and it did not disappoint.

CultureCues attended an invited screening of Spider-Man: Brand New Day at Omniplex Renfrew Street. This did not influence our editorial opinion.

Warning: The following review contains major spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Peter Parker Has Never Felt More Alone

The opening of Brand New Day immediately establishes how much Peter has lost. MJ and Ned have continued with their lives without any memory of him, leaving Peter to watch from a distance as the two people closest to him move forward together. He has thrown himself into being Spider-Man, reducing crime across New York and attempting to convince himself that protecting strangers is enough. Holland is incredible throughout these quieter scenes. Peter’s isolation, loneliness and pain are present even when he is hiding behind the mask, and there were a lot of moments when we genuinely could have cried for him. He is carrying the truth of everything they shared alone, knowing that reminding MJ and Ned could place them in danger again.

Sadie Sink Makes an Impressive MCU Debut

Sadie Sink gives an incredible performance as Jean Grey, initially introduced as the threat manipulating people across New York. Jean is cruel in the first half of the film, especially when she takes control of MJ and tricks Peter into believing the woman he loves remembers him. It is easy to hate her in that moment, and Sink plays Jean’s anger with frightening conviction. The truth about her motivation completely changes how we understand her. Jean has been used and exploited after her sister was taken from her, and the people claiming to contain the danger are revealed to have caused much of it. Her grief does not excuse everything she does, but it makes her actions understandable and exposes the real villains behind the conflict.

Jean and Peter also have more in common than either initially realises. Both are living with enormous abilities that become harder to control after losing someone they love, and both have been left to deal with that pain largely alone. Sink makes Jean dangerous without losing the vulnerability underneath, creating a character we would be very happy to see return.

MJ and Ned Remain the Heart of the Story

Zendaya and Jacob Batalon remain essential to this version of Spider-Man, even though their relationships with Peter have completely changed. His attempts to reconnect with MJ are particularly painful. Zendaya is brilliant as always, capturing the strange familiarity MJ feels around Peter without understanding where it comes from. The moment Peter believes she has finally regained her memories is devastating, especially when it becomes clear that Jean has taken control of her mind and used Peter’s hope against him.

It becomes even harder to watch when MJ tells Peter that she does not love him or Spider-Man because, from her perspective, she does not know either of them. Peter understands why she feels that way, but Holland makes every part of that rejection visible. It is difficult not to think about everything they survived together and how completely Peter has been removed from those memories.

Ned continues to provide the light-hearted humour the film needs, but his final scene with Peter is one of the most moving moments in the entire story. When Ned performs their special handshake and says Peter’s name, the film leaves it unclear whether he actually remembers him, is acting on muscle memory or has begun putting the pieces together after MJ mentions that Spider-Man is called Peter. Either way, it brought a lump to our throat. Peter and Ned’s friendship was such an important part of the previous films, making the loss of that bromance one of the cruellest consequences of Doctor Strange’s spell.

The strongest parts of Brand New Day come from these two relationships. The huge fights are brilliantly handled, but Peter’s hesitant conversations with MJ and Ned carry so much more meaning because the audience remembers everything they no longer can.Holland, Zendaya and Batalon have spent four films building this bond, and not even a memory-wiping spell can break their chemistry.

The Action Packs a Serious Punch

Destin Daniel Cretton brings some excellent action to Peter’s latest adventure. Spider-Man’s battles with The Hand are among the film’s strongest set pieces, combining his speed and physical comedy with the kind of tightly choreographed fighting Cretton previously brought to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

The confrontation between Spider-Man and Hulk is another major highlight, even though we were not completely convinced by what the film does with Bruce Banner. Jean forces Banner to lose control, leaving Hulk detained after the destruction that follows, and it is difficult not to feel sorry for him.

There is also an interesting moment when Hulk appears to stop after recognising Spider-Man. Hulk has previously suggested that Banner may forget things he remembers, raising the possibility that Doctor Strange’s spell did not affect both sides of Bruce in the same way. Could Hulk still remember that Spider-Man is Peter Parker and that Peter is his friend? The film does not confirm it, but it is an intriguing possibility and one that several viewers have already questioned.

Jon Bernthal is excellent as Frank Castle, bringing a surprising amount of humour to the film as Peter repeatedly reminds him that he saved his life on Staten Island. Their methods could not be more different, but Frank’s respect for Peter gradually becomes genuine care, particularly after the sniper shot and is clearly shaken by how close he came to losing him. Peter teasing him about crying and Frank helping him leave the hospital unseen are two of their best moments, and watching them reluctantly work together is one of the film’s unexpected highlights.

Yelena Brings Some Much-Needed Comedy

Florence Pugh’s appearance as Yelena Belova is one of the film’s funniest surprises. Her decision to run operations from a spa and swimming pool leads to a meeting where everyone is expected to strip down before entering, leaving Peter sitting in his Spider-Man mask and boxer shorts.

It is completely ridiculous in the best possible way, and Pugh once again proves how naturally she can move between action and comedy. Yelena’s scenes give the film some breathing room without undermining Peter’s grief, bringing exactly the kind of humour needed between its heavier moments.

Her involvement also helps reconnect Spider-Man with the wider MCU after several years spent largely alone. Brand New Day begins bringing different parts of the universe together again, but Yelena’s appearance feels entertaining in its own right rather than existing only to advertise another project.

Does Brand New Day Spend Too Much Time Setting Up the X-Men?

Our main reservation is that Brand New Day occasionally appears more interested in introducing the X-Men than giving Spider-Man one of his familiar enemies. Jean Grey plays a major role in the story, and much of the conflict explores the fear, control and exploitation surrounding mutants.

That material is compelling, and Sink is excellent, but the film sometimes begins to resemble an introduction to Marvel’s next major chapter rather than a self-contained Spider-Man story. Peter’s changing DNA, the technology designed to suppress enhanced abilities and the experiments being carried out on Jean all appear likely to become important elsewhere in the MCU. It does not damage the film enough to undo everything that works, but some of Peter’s more personal storylines could have been given additional room. The moments involving MJ, Ned and his struggle to control his changing abilities are among the film’s best, so it is frustrating when those threads are pushed aside to prepare the wider Marvel universe.

Even so, Brand New Day handles the crossover far more naturally than many recent MCU projects. Jean belongs in this world because her experience mirrors Peter’s own, and their connection gives the film a stronger foundation than a simple cameo ever could.

CultureCues Final Thoughts

For CultureCues, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is an excellent return for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. The action delivers, the humour works and Sadie Sink makes a memorable debut as Jean Grey, but the film’s greatest strength is its understanding of Peter’s loneliness. Holland has never been better in the role, making every moment with MJ and Ned painful because we know exactly what they have lost.

The film may spend slightly too much time preparing the arrival of the X-Men, but it still gives Peter a deeply personal story built around grief, sacrifice and the fear of allowing people back into his life. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon remain the heart of this version of Spider-Man, Florence Pugh steals every scene she enters and that final handshake will stay with us for some time.

We had been incredibly excited to see Brand New Day, and it did not disappoint. Peter Parker may have been forgotten by the people he loves, but this film remembers exactly why audiences care about him.

CultureCues Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now showing in UK cinemas.