Spider-Man: Brand New Day First Reactions Praise Tom Holland, the Punisher and a Scene Stealing Sadie Sink

The first reactions to Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrived after the film's world premiere, and most of them were really good, especially from the people I know are comic book fans and comic book movie fans. When I put this together the day after that premiere, it looked like we might have a giant win on our hands for this Spider-Man film.

There are no spoilers here. These are initial reactions people shared online after watching it, not full reviews.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day opened at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes before settling at 89%

When the score first came up on Rotten Tomatoes on the night of the premiere, Spider-Man: Brand New Day sat at 93% from critics after 43 reviews, which is pretty good. By the time I was writing the next day, it had moved to 89% after 97 reviews. That is still pretty high up there.

It is worth remembering that this was only the critics' score, not the audience score, and there is usually some disparity between the two. Some critics really do not like superhero films, so I wanted to wait and see what the general public had to say. I was due to see the film the following night, at which point I would be able to give my full thoughts.

Variety's roundup calls Brand New Day a grounded Spider-Man tale

Variety ran its own first reactions piece under the title "Spider-Man Brand New Day First Reactions Tom Holland has never been better in a sequel that ditches multiverse tedium and delivers a grounded Spider-Man tale." Just the way Variety titled that, with the phrase multiverse tedium, gives you a little bit of insight into how they lean.

Variety reported that the film had been unveiled to members of the film press, who were calling Tom Holland's fourth standalone movie "a grounded Spider-Man tale that is thrilling, heartfelt, and confidently character-driven." I love to hear that, because we know this one is going to be really about Peter Parker and his relationships with people.

Eric Davis and Wendy praise the maturity, action and emotion of Brand New Day

Fandango's Eric Davis shared a really great reaction. He said the film "feels deeper, more thoughtful, and more mature than the previous trilogy," which is exactly what we thought it was going to be and what a lot of people were hoping it would be. According to Davis, that maturity extends beyond the story to the action, with director Destin Daniel Cretton crafting some of his favourite Spider-Man fight sequences of the Holland era.

Davis described the film as part detective story, part psychological thriller and part buddy comedy, and said the Spider-Man and Punisher banter is so much fun. In his view, it stretches in exciting new directions before becoming a genuine love letter to the fans, adding that when you see it, you will get it. I know Eric Davis really does enjoy comic book movies, so that is a great one.

One of my personal friends, Wendy, called Spider-Man: Brand New Day "fantastic" with "No notes" and "Top-tier action." She loved how deep the story goes into the consequences of Peter's choice from Spider-Man: No Way Home and how it affects his life as Peter and as Spider-Man. She said there are definitely some tearjerker moments in there, and that it felt like a mini Avengers film.

I like that comparison. If you think about it, there are a ton of people in this movie: a ton of villains and also a lot of heroes, depending on where you view the Hulk. Hero, villain or antihero, whatever it may be, we are getting the Savage Hulk back again, though I had not seen too much about the Hulk at that point.

Griffin Schiller says Peter and the Punisher have never been better

Griffin Schiller called the film a triumph from Destin Daniel Cretton, bursting with heart, sincerity and hope. He described it as a story about the need to be vulnerable and human, to not let the world turn you into a monster, and to recognise your pain in an effort to help others feel less alone in theirs. It is, in his words, about the power and responsibility of being a friendly neighbour. He finished with: "Peter has never been better. The Punisher has never been better. My heart is full."

That is a pretty good reaction. The Punisher line is interesting, because we have seen a lot of really great Punisher. The Peter line is interesting too, because he specifically says Peter. I do think this will be the best Peter Parker we have ever gotten, and I truly believe that. The question is whether it is going to be the best Spider-Man.

Caitlin Booth finds the structure messy while Jeremy Mathai calls it the best MCU Spidey film by a mile

Caitlin Booth was more critical. She said the film suffers from the same problem as many post Endgame movies, feeling like a stepping stone rather than a cohesive standalone film, though she added it is not the most egregious example of this. She called Peter and Frank a great duo and said the story and structure are messy, but at the end of all that she still concluded "it's pretty good." That is nitpicking a little bit, which I totally get. That is what some critics do.

Jeremy Mathai opened with "Folks, Marvel has made a real movie for the third time since 2018." That tells me he is not on the Marvel bandwagon for the Multiverse Saga, it seems. Even so, he described the film as basically the PS5 game brought to life, said it is extremely Matrix Reloaded coded as a compliment, and called it the best of the MCU Spidey films by a mile and Tom Holland's best effort as Peter Parker.

That is really interesting to hear. I had not heard anyone comparing it to the older Spider-Man films like Spider-Man 2, but this is apparently the best MCU Spider-Man film by a mile.

Nico calls Brand New Day a spiritual successor to the Raimi films

Nico wrote that the film gives Destin Daniel Cretton "one of best comic book movie directorial outings in recent memory" and is "A film that feels fresh with a distinct style that also acts as a spiritual successor to the Raimi films." Nico also called it arguably the most emotional Spider-Man film to date. Notice that Nico did not just say the most emotional MCU Spider-Man film, but Spider-Man film in general.

According to Nico, it acts as both a payoff to the MCU Spidey journey and a launch point for plenty of new storytelling with this cast. Nico ended with "I am absolutely blown away," and you have got to love it when people say that.

Genre tropes and a crowded third act come up for laughingplace.com and Sean Chandler

laughingplace.com said the film "levels up the franchise with lots of surprises and beautiful cinematography. While it falls into some genre tropes, it makes up for it with dimension and fun." I had heard that a little bit on the night of the premiere too, the idea of genre tropes. Depending on how you feel about superhero movies and comic book movies, you might think it falls into that or you might not. We will each have to make up our own minds.

Sean Chandler called it the NYC centric, more mature Spider-Man movie he wanted. He said Spider-Man and Punisher are great together and that there are lots of fun twists. He also found it a little overstuffed and thinks we have a new comic book movie third act trope, which is another mention of tropes. Still, he said "I walked out very satisfied. Fans will be happy."

Zack Pope thinks Sadie Sink might steal the entire movie

Zack Pope said Spider-Man: Brand New Day "is everything I hoped it would be. A tragic, yet poetic odyssey about what it truly means to feel alone, only to realize you may not have to be alone." He called it thematically beautiful while still delivering an endlessly entertaining Spider-Man adventure that never feels overstuffed, with nearly every character serving Peter Parker's journey.

Pope said Tom Holland gives the best performance as Peter, "but somehow Sadie Sink might just steal the entire movie," and he called it the best action and web swinging we have ever had. Zack is not the only person I have seen online praising Sadie Sink. I have heard a lot about her character being insanely great, and a lot of people have said she is kind of the best thing about the movie.

That is really interesting, because it is Spider-Man's movie. But then again, she is debuting as a really big character. I think everybody knows who she is playing, and the red hair gives it away, but we will have to wait and see.

The early buzz left me expecting to be blown away

We pretty much get the gist of it now. Nearly everybody loves it, and those who do not love it still think it is pretty good, which is a really great sign. I think it will depend on how you feel about Spider-Man and about superhero movies. I have heard a lot about how great it looks visually and how great the action is, and I expect it to look amazing.

All of this made me even more excited ahead of my own screening. Some of these people view these movies the way I do, and they were blown away, so I was hoping that meant I would be blown away as well.

Did these first reactions make you more excited for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, or more nervous about the genre tropes laughingplace.com mentioned and the third act trope Sean Chandler flagged?