Although the new Spider‑Man film does not offer entirely new content, as the title might suggest, it is still one of the better Marvel films — and one of the better Spider‑Man films in general. In addition to superhero action, the new comic‑book movie simultaneously explores themes of trauma, depression, loneliness, and self‑discovery.

There is a clear trend: instead of focusing solely on mindless action or on friendship and romance as a side theme (which are still very important here), Marvel films now try to look more deeply into their characters' inner worlds, give them depth, and do so in clever ways that support both the superhero genre and storytelling. A vivid example is the film "Thunderbolts," where the antagonist's trauma literally spilled into the real world. Superpowers become metaphors for characters' internal conflicts and burdens, giving filmmakers a chance to be more thoughtful than the average comic‑book movie. The same applies here.

Peter Parker, or Spider‑Man (Tom Holland), is no longer a skinny teenager but has grown into a broad‑shouldered adult. Yet he must grow internally as well and decide whether he wants to be more Peter Parker or more Spider‑Man. The story picks up four years after the end of "Spider-Man: No Way Home," when Doctor Strange's spell caused the entire multiverse to forget who Peter Parker is. Because of this, Spider‑Man has been lonely, unable to move on from losing his loved ones to forgetfulness and from the death of his aunt. Despite everything, he still protects New York from all sorts of villains and wrestles with the eternal superhero dilemma — being a hero is hard and lonely.

This time, Spider‑Man must solve a wave of mysterious attacks hitting the city, orchestrated by an unknown force that controls people. It is fairly standard action, eventually involving Hulk, Punisher, and one more unexpected but familiar character who appears in the MCU for the first time. The more interesting part of the film unfolds in the moments when Peter Parker is alone, wrestling with guilt, longing, and the changes happening within him. Spider‑Man has perhaps never been as sad as he is here, except maybe in Nicolas Cage's portrayal in the "Spider‑Noir" series on Prime Video.

It is genuinely a rather bleak film. The usual Marvel colorfulness is turned way down, leaving gray and muted tones and moods. And until Peter Parker resolves the burdens inside himself, allows himself to heal and grow, he cannot reach his full potential as Spider‑Man. It is a simple parallel, but well executed, and it makes the film much more meaningful. "Brand New Day" is surprisingly touching and sincere.

It is likely difficult to watch the film as a completely clean slate — viewers should at least be familiar with previous Spider‑Man films. The film still assumes some knowledge of the Marvel universe, though it tries to compensate with numerous flashbacks. Overall, the story and world‑building are fairly contained, and the fate of all universes and their characters is not at stake. At times, you may feel you are watching another round of Marvel quote‑recycling, repackaging existing content again and again while testing whether you watched, say, "Punisher" ten years ago. But the film is mostly restrained in this regard.

Jon Bernthal shines as Punisher, making a man with sharp edges into a surprisingly likable and even charming character, with whom Peter forms a warm bond. And Tom Holland deserves praise — he seems to have grown up just like Peter Parker and delivers a surprisingly mature performance for a Spider‑Man film, showing real depth.

Spider‑Man spends much of the film fighting himself, unwilling to grow and clinging to what he has lost. When he finally lets go and tries to move forward, it is a beautiful and meaningful moment. "Brand New Day" deals with universal themes, but does so well and convincingly within its genre. It is a clear benefit to mainstream superhero storytelling.

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