‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ First Reactions Praise New Installment as ‘Best’ in the Tom Holland Series
Initial reactions to “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” are in after the new installment from Columbia Pictures, Marvel Studios and Pascal Pictures had its Los Angeles premiere Monday evening, and some are even praising the superhero movie as the “best” in the Tom Holland series.
The highly anticipated sequel comes nearly five years after “Spider-Man: No Way Home” hit theaters, which saw all of Peter Parker (Holland)’s friends – including Zendaya’s MJ Jones-Watson and Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds – forget his existence in order to stop a disastrous breach in the multi-verse. “Brand New Day” picks up after these events and welcomes “Spider-Man” newcomers Jon Bernthal and Sadie Sink.
“#SpiderMan #BrandNewDay is really one of the best of these. Strong emotional center, blistering action, deeply sincere. Just excellent,” Eric Francisco, the associate entertainment editor at Esquire, wrote on X Monday night.
Entertainment reporter Jonathan Sim chimed in with, “From a visual perspective, #SpiderManBrandNewDay is the BEST MCU #SpiderMan movie by a LONG SHOT. The cinematography is phenomenal, the action sequences are so dynamic and well-choreographed, and the movie has the same colorist as DRIVE, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, and EUPHORIA.”
Gizmodo’s Germain Lussier expressed a similar sentiment, writing, “Don’t mind me. I’m just sitting here crying after watching #SpidermanBrandNewDay. It’s a massive movie that balances like 5 different through lines in equal measure, each better than the last. It can feel a little overwhelming but it all comes together so beautifully it works.”
Read on for a full roundup of reactions to “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
Destin Daniel Cretton’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day injects a ferocious energy into Spidey’s latest adventure, delivering all the thrills you’d expect from a Tom Holland Spider-Man movie while feeling deeper, more thoughtful and more mature than the previous trilogy. That… pic.twitter.com/ejzaeoVape
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) July 28, 2026
I don’t say this lightly: #SpiderManBrandNewDay is the best Spider-Man movie yet. It’s the most lived-in Marvel movie, with its MCU connections, but the story is simple. It’s character-driven with real stakes. It’s what Marvel movies—what ALL superhero movies—should aspire to be.
— Molly Freeman (@mollyrockit) July 28, 2026
#spidermanbrandnewday is Tom Holland’s Spidey at his absolute best… Peter’s struggles here, in the vein of Tobey’s in SM2, are as emotionally resonant as they have ever been. This is far and away his most personal journey. It also features the BEST action we have ever seen from… pic.twitter.com/TLjVaZEY0W
— Austin Burke (@theBurk3nator) July 28, 2026
#SpiderManBrandNewDay is the Spider-Man movie WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. Destin Daniel Cretton delivers a purely Spidey focused story that swings the franchise in a fresh, mature new direction. It’s the superhero film of THIS GENERATION and Tom Holland’s best outing yet. pic.twitter.com/2vdXTHmdug
— Daniel Baptista • The Movie Podcast (@dbapz) July 28, 2026
Surely the best comic book movie since The Dark Knight. Should our review come tomorrow or on Wednesday? So many spoilable things…#SpiderManBrandNewDay https://t.co/H6Afc8NkzO
— Global Box Office (@GlobalBoxOffice) July 28, 2026
You know the deal. Social reactions are always buzzword salad, with one or many of you “still processing” feelings. (Y’all computers?) But #SpiderMan #BrandNewDay is really one of the best of these. Strong emotional center, blistering action, deeply sincere. Just excellent. https://t.co/9Kv11nUdZQ
— Eric Francisco (@EricFrancisco24) July 28, 2026
SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY is a much more cerebral followup than the crowd pleasing No Way Home. It’s Tom Holland’s best performance as Peter Parker and the best Spider-Man movie since Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN 2. Also the costume finally looks incredible #spidermanbrandnewday
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) July 28, 2026
Don’t mind me. I’m just sitting here crying after watching #SpidermanBrandNewDay It’s a massive movie that balances like 5 different through lines in equal measure, each better than the last. It can feel a little overwhelming but it all comes together so beautifully it works. pic.twitter.com/5dHvcF58Sk
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) July 28, 2026
From a visual perspective, #SpiderManBrandNewDay is the BEST MCU #SpiderMan movie by a LONG SHOT. The cinematography is phenomenal, the action sequences are so dynamic and well-choreographed, and the movie has the same colorist as DRIVE, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, and EUPHORIA. pic.twitter.com/sLPcmf9Ad9
— Jonathan Sim (@TheJonathanSim) July 28, 2026
SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY is amazing. Major beats weave together in a shockingly cohesive way for a comic movie of this scale. It’s about charting a future for Spidey – less focus on nostalgia (e.g. No Way Home). Finally a great NYC Spidey MCU movie! #Spidermanbrandnewday pic.twitter.com/Cg9mYXQJVh
— Drew Munhausen (@drewmunhausen) July 28, 2026
#SpidermanBrandNewDay: Folks, Marvel has made a Real Movie
for the third time since 2018. Basically the PS5 games brought to life, and EXTREMELY Matrix: Reloaded-coded (complimentary). The best of the MCU Spidey films by a mile, and Tom Holland’s best effort as Peter Parker pic.twitter.com/bEeJxhWpdr
— Jeremy Mathai (@Somthin_Tookish) July 28, 2026
for the third time since 2018. Basically the PS5 games brought to life, and EXTREMELY Matrix: Reloaded-coded (complimentary). The best of the MCU Spidey films by a mile, and Tom Holland’s best effort as Peter Parker #SpidermanBrandNewDay may be the most Marvel Marvel movie I’ve ever marveled. Destin Daniel Cretton honors beloved #Spiderman media – especially Raimi- to create something soulful + thrilling. Hulk, Punisher deliver. Big reveal lives up. The best of the Tom Holland spidey series pic.twitter.com/3fstVjrszd
— Brandon Pope TV (@BpopeTV) July 28, 2026
In #SpiderManBrandNewDay, Peter Parker finds himself in need of a helping hand as he fights to keep his forgotten identity from succumbing to a grab-bag script of MCU growing pains. Certainly not amazing nor spectacular, but maybe the funniest Takis commercial ever produced. pic.twitter.com/1xWuZxljLJ
— Eric Marchen (@EM6211) July 28, 2026
#SpiderManBrandNewDay swings high as one of the MCU’s strongest films yet. Awesome camerawork, stunning visuals, heartfelt performances, and surprises that genuinely land. It captures everything that makes Spider-Man special while pushing the character forward. pic.twitter.com/4KEcaUixO8
— alex
(@alexkokz) July 28, 2026#SpiderManBrandNewDay is one of Tom Holland’s best Spidey films yet. Packed with heart, humor, Punisher chaos, and some of the MCU’s best action in years, this is a thrilling, emotional, crowd pleasing Spider-Man adventure. #SpiderMan #MarvelStudios pic.twitter.com/WMYHwXKPZD
— Big Gold Belt Media (@BigGoldBelt) July 28, 2026
#SpidermanBrandNewDay is the best Spider-Man Movie of all time. It’s got filmmaking sauce that’s been missing from these movies. It’s got heart, soul and best of all It manages to rub one out of you and doesn’t stop. amazing cinematic experience that I can’t wait to see again! pic.twitter.com/kdA8VdsDZa
— deo (@frickyuu) July 28, 2026
I’m under embargo for #SpiderMan Going to post my review at 9am est Do I… maybe have a favorite new movie for the year?!?! It’s a tight race…
— Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph) July 28, 2026
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” swings into theaters July 31.