Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

• How wonderful is it that we have a new Spider-Man film, and that Spider-Man is back on the screen? This is only my second Spider-Man theater experience, the first being No Way Home (which I saw four times). I’ll just say that the five(ish) year wait was absolutely worth it, with this being instantly memorable and one of the better MCU films in the last several years. When it comes to MCU Spider-Man, No Way Home is still my favorite by a strong margin. But you know what you get with this one? Street level Spider-Man who’s depressed and going through it. Exactly what we wanted! Now I’ll get my biggest complaint out of the way: I overhyped this film in my mind. I really try not to set expectations when it comes to films, because I don’t want to set a high bar and be disappointed. That being said, I was IN NO WAY disappointed by this, but in my opinion, all the reviews saying this is the best Spider-Man film ever made and that Tom Holland is the best Spider-man in history…..I will respectfully disagree. It’s such a great film, but story-wise (excluding all the Peter stuff), it seemed a tiny bit generic. It’s beautifully written and the messaging is very strong, but it also feels close to other “people with powers are special, not broken” storylines. The execution is still amazing. It really humanizes the characters, exploring their depths in a new context, while still building off of the past. I also love how this one feels more comic book-y than the previous three MCU Spider-Man films. All of them are all phenomenal in my eyes, but this one sticks above all because of the way it was shot. The visuals are superb, with super fun (and well choreographed) action scenes that reminded me a lot of PlayStation Spider-Man. I’ll also say that Tom Holland does cement himself as an amazing Spider-Man (see what I did there?), and he really is the right guy for the role. Better than Tobey or Andrew? Nope. But he carries the title with the utmost respect and effort. The VFX were pretty great all around, and definitely better than some previous MCU projects. The swinging is awesome and I needed way more POV shots to make it feel like I was the one in the suit. Those moments were SWEET. The Spidey suit is possibly the best one ever put on screen, only behind the Raimi version. Obviously, Peter made it to reflect the Tobey and Andrew suits, while still having his MCU version, and it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Finally, the man himself Michael Giacchino delivers another astounding score that really helps carry so much of the intense and fun scenes. He can do no wrong, and at this point, he should have like twenty Oscars. Overall, this is a wonderful tribute to Spider-Man, the fandom, and Marvel Comics in general. It’s about to bring in two billion dollars, and it deserves every cent. I would recommend it to all superhero/Marvel fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go see it now!