We’re mere days away from Spider-Man: Brand New Day hitting the 2026 movie schedule, where we’ll see the web-slinger taking on a new destructive force in NYC, even as Peter Parker adjusts to a world that has forgotten he ever existed. Reviews have dropped, and several CinemaBlend staffers were amongst the critics to partake in early screenings. How did we enjoy the newest Marvel flick?Collectively, we at CinemaBlend had a blast at Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which offered emotional stakes that assistant managing editor Nick Venable says sometimes deservedly outweighed the superhero narrative. It’s a true evolution for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, he says, giving Spider-Man: Brand New Day 4 out of 5 3D-printed stars in his spoiler-free review. Venable says:Destin Daniel Cretton excels at making Spidey's swooping, diving and web-launching feel as kinetic as playing the character's A-tier video games (even if that energy dissipates entirely as soon as someone else is hanging on for the ride). As well, the fight scenes and choreography are among the best of this franchise, including both Hulk and The Punisher but it's The Hand's synchronised attacks that captivated me the most. To that end, Brand New Day's villainous threat is every bit as different and unexpected as advertised, and it's fun to watch it all play out. (Spoilers be webbed.) A lot of the movie — particularly the aspects involving Zendaya’s MJ and Jacob Batalon’s Ned — revolves around the spell that Doctor Strange cast at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home, and with a full movie to explore the rules and repercussions of that, Nick Venable admits to getting caught in the webs a bit, saying:My only real issues with the movie rest with the wonky logistics behind the magical spell keeping Peter Parker out of everyone's memories. While it's mostly handled well enough — Holland and Zendaya's new star-crossed reality stings appropriately throughout — it's a goopy layer of comic book plottiness that can't deliver on fan expectations without a head-scratching leap or two. Head-scratches often come with the Marvel Cinematic Universe territory, but in this case they were "small potatoes" to an otherwise satisfying venture.Meanwhile, it’s only positive vibes from CinemaBlend’s movies editor Corey Chichizola as well. He praises the direction, the performances and the emotional plotline, rating Spider-Man: Brand New Day 4.5 stars out of 5. He says:Spider-Man: Brand New Day is incredible. The world feels rich with lots of familiar Marvel faces, but still tells an emotionally driven story about depression and loneliness. Both Zendaya and Tom Holland hit it out of the park with their performances. This movie truly feels like it's ripped straight out of the comics, and Destin Daniel Cretton's direction hits every mark including the thrilling action. Sadie Sink is a revelation.There’s been a lot of conjecture about the secret role Sadie Sink plays in the Marvel movie (Sink has even been trolling us over it leading up to the premiere). We won't spoil anything for you here, but I agree with Corey Chichizola that she deserves all the flowers for her role. I also agree with my colleagues that Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a fun addition to the MCU that doesn’t require you to see every Marvel movie in order to be able to understand what’s going on. I give the movie 4 out of 5 stars. Here are my thoughts:Spider-Man: Brand New Day leans into how Peter Parker has been affected by the world forgetting he exists, with Tom Holland effectively depicting his superhero’s grief and isolation. His yearning to reconnect with MJ and Ned is balanced well with the action sequences that pair him up with The Punisher (Jon Bernthal is a consistent scene-stealer). The fight scene choreography — especially the scenes involving the mysterious villain — is stunning. Brand New Day doesn’t have all the Multiverse chaos of the previous film, which to me was a good thing. I absolutely loved what Liza Colón-Zayas and Tramell Tillman brought to the universe.The overall reaction has been positive as well, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day collecting an early 91% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics. You might want to get your tickets early to this one, as the good reviews are likely to help it at the box office this weekend. Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits big screens this Friday, July 31.