Spider-Man: Brand New Day might be my favorite of the four Tom Holland Spider-Man films—and the best live-action Spider-Man movie since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. In this review, I break down the three biggest reasons the film worked so well for me: Tom Holland and Zendaya’s most mature and emotionally convincing Peter and MJ storyline Destin Daniel Cretton’s character-driven direction and fresh approach to the franchise Sadie Sink’s incredible performance and the shared trauma connecting Jean Grey and Peter Parker.