'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' Review: Tom Holland, Zendaya return for action-packed, emotional sequel

Your friendly neighbor Spider-Man… is going through some hard times. 

In "Spider-Man Brand New Day," Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is adapting to life in complete isolation in New York City. As you may or may not recall (based on the events of the film's 2021 predecessor "No Way Home"), Peter had everyone's memories erased after his identity had been exposed to the world, putting those he loved the most in danger. 

After having lost his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), Peter vowed he wouldn't let what happened to her happen to the love of his life, MJ (Zendaya), nor his best friend, Ned (Jacob Batalon). So their memories of him are gone and his only connection to them is him stalking Ned's Instagram videos showing him and MJ living their best lives as students at MIT, something they talked about doing in high school.  

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Meanwhile, a mysterious, telepathic villain is wreaking havoc in the Big Apple, jumping from body to body in the search for something dubbed "V-Max." This foe can take over anyone's mind, but meets its match with Spider-Man, of course.  

"Brand New Day" has a cast filled with familiar faces from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, like Bruce Banner aka The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Frank Castle aka The Punisher (Jon Bernthal) as well as new ones like Detective Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas of "The Bear" fame), who forms a partnership with Spider-Man — think a Batman/James Gordon dynamic — iconic Spider-Man foe Scorpion (Michael Mando) and Bill Metzger ("Severance" star Tramell Tillman), the chief of the U.S. Department of Damage Control created to repair the damage done from superhero fighting and contain whatever dangers that are left behind. 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention "Stranger Things" breakout Sadie Sink, whose involvement in "Brand New Day" has been kept under wraps — and for good reason, since her role is a bit of a game changer. Sink continues to be a rising star based on her string of compelling performances. 

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The tone of "Brand New Day" is a bold departure from its three predecessors because of how Peter Parker grapples with loneliness, which is taking a toll on him physically — even affecting his superpowers. Tom Holland, fresh off the blockbuster hit "The Odyssey," will be web-slinging into another box office smash — but giving his strongest performance yet as Spider-Man, balancing the agony that his own isolation has brought him with the geeky charm audiences have grown to love over the years.

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Zendaya — newly-married to Holland in real life, has plenty of on-screen chemistry with him for obvious reasons. And despite having her memory of Peter Parker erased in the last film, MJ has enough to work with (the same can't be said for Batalon's Ned, who's sadly sidelined here). Bernthal's The Punisher is a nice addition to the Spideyverse as the brute antihero has some comical exchanges with the lighthearted Spider-Man.

Destin Daniel Cretton, who previously directed Marvel's "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," takes over the director's chair from Jon Watts, who spearheaded the previous Holland "Spider-Man" films, though the screenwriting duo Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, return for the fourth installment. 

There's a lot to balance in "Brand New Day" and Cretton handles it with care, particularly when it comes to the emotional elements to it — relying on a skill set he previously showcased in his highly underrated 2013 indie drama "Short Term 12." 

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"Brand New Day" is more visually striking than its predecessors with well-choreographed action sequences. And Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino ("Up," "The Batman") delivers yet another fun score. 

With a nearly two-and-a-half hour running time, "Brand New Day" does drag a bit. And like many of the Marvel films, it doesn't present us with a truly great villain that superhero movies deserve (see Heath Ledger's Joker, Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin and Alfred Molina's Doc Ock in the Tobey Maguire "Spider-Man" trilogy, etc.) 

For the super Marvel fans out there, there is one post-credit scene at the end — offering a very mild teaser of what's to come for the beloved hero.

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As the Marvel Cinematic Universe has broadly struggled in recent years, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" gives it new life, thanks in large part to Holland at the helm. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, this heartfelt superhero sequel will certainly satisfy fans and entertain audiences young and old. 

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is rated PG-13 for sequences of action/violence and some language. Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes. In theaters now.