Spider-Man fans hail Brand New Day as Holland's best yet
Guy LambertCulture reporter
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Fans have been queuing outside cinemas to catch the latest Spider-Man film, with many hailing it as a spectacular return for the web-slinging superhero.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day marks Tom Holland's fourth standalone adventure as the protagonist and hero Peter Parker.
Picking up after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, the film follows Parker as he devotes his time to protecting New York City while adjusting to a life in which everyone, including his closest friends, has forgotten who he is.
The fourth Spider-Man film is director Destin Daniel Cretton's second project in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), having previously been at the helm of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Appearing together in the same film for a second time this summer, Holland reprises the role alongside his wife Zendaya, who stars once again as MJ.
There is also a return for Jon Bernthal's Punisher, making his first appearance in an MCU feature film, and an introduction to the MCU for Sadie Sink, whose role in the plot has been kept firmly under wraps.
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Tom Holland and Zendaya confirmed their marriage earlier this year
'Still Marvel's ace in the pack'
The reviews from critics have been largely positive.
Many critics have welcomed the film-makers' decision to scale back from the multiverse seen in No Way Home, in favour of a more personal, character-centred story.
The Telegraph's Robbie Collin called it "the best Spider-Man film since the Tobey Maguire era", and praised the relationship between Holland and Zendaya, who create a "real yearning and perplexity" that we have not seen previously in the dynamic between their characters.
In his review for The Wrap, William Bibbiani described it as the strongest entry in Holland's Spider-Man series, applauding its emotional focus and character-driven storytelling, and praising its "wonderful, propulsive quality".
Meanwhile, Empire's John Nugent awarded the film four stars, declaring the web-slinging hero is "still Marvel's ace in the pack", and in its five-star review The Standard said the film had "verve, intelligence and above all, heart".
However, others have been more reserved.
The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw declared that Zendaya "saves this film" from "silliness and the generic déjà vu overfamiliarity that is always threatening to sink it".
This opinion was supported by David Rooney in the Hollywood Reporter, who wrote that the film "chugs along satisfyingly even with the occasional patch of sluggishness and the usual overly convoluted plot contortions".
He adds: "As much as the movie revels in the thrill of Spidey swinging between skyscrapers with erratic command of his shooters, the more intimate scenes with MJ and Ned are what supplies the emotional charge."
Danny Leigh of the Financial Times awarded the film three stars, praising the chemistry between Holland and Zendaya but criticising the film's insistence on falling back on CGI-heavy action sequences.
But that is just what the critics say. What do audiences think?
Kimberly (left) and Sam (right) have been fans of the franchise for years
Fresh from a screening of the film, Sam said "I have been a Spider-Man fan since I was six years old, but it's only in the last decade I have really got into it, all because of these films".
He called Brand New Day his favourite film of Holland's tenure, praising him for the "most mature performance" as the character to date.
Kimberly agreed, but said while Holland does a "fantastic job" she still has a soft spot for "the OG" Tobey Maguire.
Maguire played the role in three movies directed by Sam Raimi from 2002 to 2007.
Joe was full of praise for Tom Holland's performances as Peter Parker over his run
Spidey fan Joe praised Holland's handling of the famous character over the years, saying his version of Spider-Man has "shown his progression" over the years.
"Half his life he has been doing this character. He's handled it very well."
Asked how he felt about Holland one day leaving the franchise, he said: "I hope not! I think we still have a lot more to see from him."
Clutching her Spider-Man popcorn bucket, Danika was more open to the idea of a passing of the baton, saying Zendaya and Holland have "had a good run" so she would not be disappointed "as long as they end the characters in a good way."
She said Zendaya's acting in particular was "amazing," and labelled Brand New Day as "the most comic accurate Spider-Man movie".
Fans queued around London's Leicester Square as they waited to see the latest web-slinging adventure
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is poised to become one of Marvel's most successful movies at the box office, and Sony will be hoping to emulate the returns of Holland's previous outing, Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Released in 2021, the film benefited massively from the return of previous Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield and went on to gross $1.9 bn (£1.4bn) worldwide.
So, what next for the franchise's stars?
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The couple first worked together on Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017
Holland and Zendaya were just 20 and 19 years old, respectively, when they first met in 2016 on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming, during the movie's casting and initial production.
Ten years and multiple other blockbusters later, there is an ever-growing speculation that their futures now lie away from the MCU.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, Holland hinted that a new chapter was on the horizon, albeit not clarifying when.
"It's going to change, for sure", he said.
"There is a whole plan that we have been working on since, I would say, Spider-Man No Way Home.
"I have a really clear vision to the passing on of the baton, and I think it is really exciting."
Zendaya and Tom Holland's decade-long Spider-Man romance in pictures
As for Zendaya, she has hinted previously that she is planning on taking a career break at the end of 2026, after a busy schedule that included the promotion of her films The Drama, The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Dune: Part Three.
Earlier this year Zendaya told Elle that "I think that after this, I'm going to have to take a little bit of a break".
She backed this notion up when asked about her future plans by Entertainment Tonight at the NYC premiere of The Odyssey, replying, "Oh, girl, nothing. Just mind my business!".
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