Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of July 27, 2026
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Rated PG-13 for some language, and sequences of action/violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
In Theaters
Since Marvel took over Spider-Man a decade ago, we’ve had some fun adventures and some more than decent films to add to the franchise. But as Marvel has traded story for complexity, I have to be honest – I couldn’t even remember where we left off five years ago with No Way Home. It wasn’t a bad movie, but it threw out a huge mess of ideas that I confused with the Spider-Verse films, which left me guessing where they dropped us off last. So I did a quick recap, and I am happy to tell you that the only thing you need to remember going in here is that Peter Parker (still played by Tom Holland) asked Dr. Strange to have everyone he knew lose their memory of knowing him, because after his Aunt Mae was killed, he didn’t want to risk losing the lives of others he loved, such as Ned (Jacob Batalon) and MJ (Zendaya). So now Peter is a lonely guy, afraid to make even casual relationships, but still wanting to fight crime and make his city safe, because after all, as his Aunt Mae told him as she was dying, “with great power, there must come great responsibility.” So with that mantra, Peter cleans up the streets, making New York the safest it’s been in years. But just when he thinks things are nice and tidy, and he can start focusing on maybe reintroducing himself to Ned and MJ, a new villain shows up who can possess anyone they’d like, with a hidden agenda that no one seems to understand. For a while, Marvel was pushing everyone towards super-villain Kang the Conqueror, but with the legal problems facing the actor portraying him, they switched directions entirely. This has caused a great deal of confusion and mayhem within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the shift has been a bit ugly. While Spider-man is inside this overall story-arch, and the new villain from this film is technically a major player that could have wide-ranging implications, here they do a really good job of containment. Sure they throw in The Hulk and The Punisher (Jon Bernthal is really perfect in this supporting role), but the overall story seems encapsulated and complete. While many like the tie-ins and crossovers, many more are tired and simply want a good movie. That’s what Brand New Day is. A complete movie, filled with everything you want in a Spider-man flick. The film has a terrific script that is well-acted by its talented cast, and it might just be the best Spider-Man film (live-action that is) since 2004’s Spider-Man 2. With many new Marvel projects in the works, I know we will get back into the chaos and confusion soon, but it’s great to just have an enjoyable adventure like this as a summer tentpole worthy of the web-slinger. A-