'Tom Holland's Best Performance': Spider-Man Brand New Day Gets First Reactions

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/tom-holland/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Tom Holland is having a very busy summer.

Between https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/the-odyssey/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Odyssey and the new https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/news/spider-man/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Spider-Man installation, Spider-Man: Brand New Day – https://www.sonypictures.co.uk/movies/spider-man-brand-new-day" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">set to come out on 29 July – it might come as a surprise to learn that he’s apparently enjoying his endless press cycles. 

“To be honest, I’m absolutely loving it,” https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/tom-holland-admits-movies-shit_uk_6a670a82e4b047853043d09d">he told the hosts of Waitrose’s Dish podcast recently.

“When you’re doing press for movies you’re really proud of, it’s really easy.

Because when they ask you questions about, ‘Why should people go and watch this movie?’, you’re not lying to anyone.

You really feel like people should go see it.”

The star added that he’s “super proud of both films”.

We know that https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/the-odyssey-review-critics-christopher-nolan_uk_6a587d28e4b03c820ebcda81">broadly speaking, critics agree with him about The Odyssey.

So what about the new Marvel flick, which premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood last night? 

Here’s what early viewers have said so far:

1) “My flabber has been ghasted” 

On X, Adam Hlaváč, a producer, said: “My flabber has been ghasted... [director] 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 everything is balanced – emotion, humor, action, practical vs visual effects, score, and the cinematography.

This felt so handmade, even with some of the massive set pieces and is filled to the top with heart.” 

2) “More mature than the previous trilogy”

Fandango correspondent and movie commentator Erik Davis, meanwhile, https://x.com/ErikDavis/status/2081967890492780838?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">said the sequel “feels deeper, more thoughtful and more mature than the previous trilogy.

“That maturity extends beyond the story to the action, with [director] Cretton crafting some of my favourite #SpiderMan fight sequences of the Holland era.

Part detective story, part psychological thriller, part buddy comedy (the Spider-Man/Punisher banter is so much fun), it stretches in exciting new directions before becoming a genuine love letter to the fans.

When you see it, you’ll get it.”

Sadie Sink’s casting was “perfect”, he ended.

Sadie’s role in the movie has https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/spider-man-brand-new-day-first-reactions-1236657719/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">been an ongoing mystery for fans.

3) “No notes” 

For her part, film critic Wendy Lee Szany https://x.com/WendyLeeSzany/status/2081969996520210848?s=20" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">wrote on X: “#SpidermanBrandNewDay is fantastic, no notes.

Top tier action!

Love how deep the story goes into the consequences of Peter’s choice (from NWH) and how it affects his life as Peter and as Spider-Man.

Definitely some tearjerker moment in there.

Felt like a mini Avengers film.”

Like Davis, she described Sadie Sink’s mysterious role as “great”.

4) “The most Marvel Marvel movie I’ve ever marvelled”

Brendan Pope, a TV and movie journalist, posted that this “may be the most Marvel Marvel movie I’ve ever marvelled.

“[Director] Destin Daniel Cretton honours beloved #Spiderman media – especially former Spider-Man director Sam] Raimi – to create something soulful [and] thrilling.

Hulk, Punisher deliver.

Big reveal lives up.

The best of the Tom Holland spidey series.”

5) “The refresher Marvel needed”

Kevin Varma, a TV and film writer, described the latest spidey installment as “exactly the refresher Marvel needed.

Tom Holland has never been better and the Spidey-Punisher pairing is pure gold.

Destin Daniel Cretton outdoes himself, but the script is the real superhero- thrilling, heartfelt and confidently character driven.”

6) “Beautiful”

Entertainment reporter at Gizmodo, Germain Lussier,https://x.com/GermainLussier/status/2081971485691068572?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> said: “Don’t mind me.

I’m just sitting here crying after watching “ the new movie. 

“It’s a massive movie that balances like five 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.” 

7) ’Tom Holland’s best performance”

Mike Ryan, an entertainment writer, https://x.com/mikeryan/status/2081967913448218829?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">also weighed in, saying Brand New Day is “a much more cerebral follow-up 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.”

8) “It really is a brand-new day”

Editor-in-chief of Next Best Picture, Matt Neglia, shared: “It really is a brand new day...

Cretton brings a more grounded, back-to-basics approach to the beloved web-slinger, making this fourth standalone film feel like both a fresh reset and a necessary evolution for the character...

“The inclusion of the Punisher and Hulk is fun and provides the typical MCU style of action and comedy, but the movie doesn’t fully pick up until Sadie Sink’s character announces herself to the world and changes the course of the franchise’s future.”

Though he called the pacing and visual effects “inconsistent,” adding the new film is “nowhere near as funny as previous instalments,” he conceded “the heart of this film, and its best scenes, are with Holland, Zendaya, and Jacob Batalon and they nail everything that’s asked of them by Cretton.

“The years of investment in these characters along with their new dynamic, which Peter is trying his best to navigate, brings a welcome layer of emotional weight to this story about isolation and loneliness, connection and rebirth.”

9) There was a near miss – but it resolves itself

Critic https://x.com/blewis1103/status/2081968139588472859" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Brandon Lewis added, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also a prime example of how to make the MCU feel lived in, with great side appearances that make sense and don’t feel like distractions or fanservice.

“There’s one appearance that almost feels like too big of a swing, but it works out in the end.”

10) “Far and away a favourite”

Collider producer Perri Nemiroff https://x.com/PNemiroff/status/2081996739209498991?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">shared that Brand New Day is “absolutely fantastic.

Far and away a favourite of the recent MCU installments.

“It’s largely about the importance of work-life balance and community, and, OH MY, do writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers ensure those ideas hit hard.

Can’t believe how emotional the film made me.

One beat in particular around the midpoint of the movie really caught me off guard in that respect.

Shocked I was able to rein it back in after.”

11) “The cinematography is phenomenal”

Jonathan Sim, an entertainment reporter, said: “From a visual perspective, #SpiderManBrandNewDay is the BEST MCU #SpiderMan movie by a LONG SHOT. The cinematography is phenomenal, the action sequences are so dynamic and well-choreographed, and the movie has the same colourist as Drive, 12 Years A Slave, and Euphoria.”

More formal reviews will come as the screenings extend.

Until then, though, fans have every reason to be excited for the film.