Positive Early Reviews for Marvel's Latest
Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has garnered mostly positive reviews ahead of its release, with critics singling out Tom Holland and Zendaya for praise.
The film, set four years after the events of 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home, follows a lonely Peter Parker as he continues crime-fighting in secret after a spell erased the world's memory of his identity. This includes his romance with Zendaya's MJ and friendship with Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon).
Critics Hail a Return to Form
The Independent awarded the film four out of five stars, calling it "the best Spider-Man film since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 (2004)" and noting it is "a more mature but no less funny and winsome take on the character."
The Telegraph also gave four stars, praising the "persuasive romantic pairing" of Holland and Zendaya. The review highlighted a key moment: "The now-classic shot of MJ falling to her doom, only for Spider-Man to swoop to the rescue, has a palpable emotional charge." It added that the film is a proper New York movie, "basking in the sun as it rises over the Manhattan skyline."
Mixed Reactions from Some Outlets
The Guardian gave three out of five stars, crediting Zendaya with saving the film from "silliness and the generic deja vu overfamiliarity that is always threatening to sink it." The review noted that her civilian status brings "Zendaya’s grown-up acting presence to the fore."
The Times also gave three stars, stating that Holland "single-handedly rescuing the ailing superhero genre" and providing the film's "undeniable emotional power." However, it called the rest of the movie "MCU by rote" and expressed "frustration about where this drama might have gone if freed from the limitations of overfamiliar box-ticking biff-bammery."
Rolling Stone was less impressed, describing the film as getting "tangled in a complicated web of its own making" and calling it "the same old MCU B.S., coasting by on the considerable charm of its two resident stars."
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is scheduled for release in cinemas on July 29.
