Early reactions to Spider-Man: Brand New Day have singled out Sadie Sink as the film’s surprise stand-out, with critics describing the Stranger Things star as “devastating in her role”.
Tom Holland’s latest outing as Spider-Man has also been called his “best performance” in the role.
The fourth standalone Spider-Man film, which premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Monday ahead of its cinema release, sees Holland return as Peter Parker alongside Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, and Sadie Sink in a mystery role.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Brand New Day is set four years after Spider-Man: No Way Home and follows Peter Parker as he continues fighting crime alone after Doctor Strange’s memory spell erased him from the lives of MJ, Ned, and the rest of the world, while his spider powers begin evolving beyond his control and a mysterious new villain emerges.
The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey gave the film four stars in her review, and wrote that it is “not only the best of the MCU takes on the character, but it’s also flat out the best Spider-Man film since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2”.
She added that Sink was “excellent”, admitting that she couldn’t say more about her role “without giving the game away”.
Fandango correspondent Erik Davis described the film as “deeper, more thoughtful and more mature than the previous trilogy”, adding that Cretton had crafted “some of my favorite Spider-Man fight sequences of the Holland era”.
On Sink, he wrote: “And yes, the Sadie Sink mystery absolutely pays off. She’s perfect.”
Brian Davids of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that “Peter Parker is changing, and so is the ‘Spider-Man’ franchise.”
He described Brand New Day as “the most emotional, most mature and most atmospheric instalment in the franchise”, adding that it “will meet your expectations in some places and defy them in others”.
#SpiderManBrandNewDay reminded me why the story of Spider-Man resonates w/ me so much. He's hope. But he's also painfully human so bring tissues 😭
Also the Tom/Zendaya chemistry was rom-com levels. And we need more Punisher in everything. And Sadie Sink... just wow! Liza too! pic.twitter.com/68jgm3htfs
#SpiderManBrandNewDay is easily my favorite Holland-led Spider-Man movie. It isn’t CGI goop or a bunch of fan-service nonsense. It’s exciting, emotional, and the best-looking MCU movie in a long time.
— Kevin Wozniak (@kevflix) July 28, 2026
Really good stuff. Had a blast! pic.twitter.com/p4NAkd7yMO
Peter Howell, film critic at the Toronto Star, said the sequel leaves behind “the multiverse tedium” that dominated recent Marvel stories in favour of “a grounded Spider-Man tale that’s back to the grungy city roots of the comic book hero we knew and loved”.
He added that Holland “finally nails the sarcasm, angst and love hassles of Spidey/Peter Parker as Stan Lee first envisioned the character”.
Collider senior host and producer Perri Nemiroff called it “far and away a favourite of the recent MCU instalments”, saying writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers built the story around “the importance of work-life balance and community”.
“Can’t believe how emotional the film made me,” she wrote.
Variety senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay described Brand New Day as “action-packed from start to finish”, adding that this “might be Tom Holland’s best outing as Spiderman to date.”
My flabber has been ghasted. I loved #SpiderManBrandNewDay! Destin Daniel Cretton and Tom Holland put their hearts and souls into this thing, and it pays off HUGE! This movie is going to be massive and we’re going to be talking about it for a while. I was floored by how well… pic.twitter.com/lO0I9thr3m
— Adam Hlaváč (@adamhlavac) July 28, 2026
It really is a brand new day for Peter Parker as Destin Daniel Cretton takes over for Jon Watts in the director’s chair for SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY. Cretton brings a more grounded, back-to-basics approach to the beloved web-slinger, making this fourth standalone film feel like… pic.twitter.com/d3DNxiyBHA
— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) July 28, 2026
Germain Lussier, senior reporter covering entertainment for Gizmodo and io9, admitted the film had moved him to tears. “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,” he wrote.
New Rockstars’ Erik Voss described Brand New Day as “an emotionally meaty dwelling on loneliness and suppressing what we truly are”. He singled out Sink’s performance, writing that she is “devastating in her role and I can’t wait to see more of her in the MCU.”
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a solid new entry for Marvel. The story and themes of loneliness, change, and friendship all hit incredibly hard. It’s a bit overstuffed with too much going on at points. Sadie Sink’s story is the most weighty and shocking. #SpiderManBrandNewDay pic.twitter.com/QO6EKTkgXC
— Hunter Bolding (@HunterBVideo) 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
MovieWeb host Joseph Deckelmeier was equally enthusiastic, describing it as “easily the best Spider-Man movie yet”. He praised its “incredible action, real emotional stakes, huge surprises”, adding: “Tom Holland and Sadie Sink are incredible in this film.”
Pamela Gores, managing editor of The Direct, also drew attention to Sink’s character, saying it has an “ambitious” and “potentially divisive start”, even as she described Brand New Day as “an emotional triumph” and “a juggernaut of a film that truly feels like a comic book come to life”.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens in cinemas on 31 July.
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