Ars Technica's review of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" praises the film as one of the rare recent superhero movies that genuinely succeeds, crediting director Destin Daniel Cretton with grounding the spectacle in well-developed characters and emotional depth. The reviewer places it alongside "Deadpool & Wolverine" and "Thunderbolts*" as standout exceptions in an otherwise mixed run of recent comic-book films, arguing it works because of its human core rather than despite it.

The film picks up after "Spider-Man: No Way Home," in which Peter Parker (Tom Holland) had the world forget him to protect those he loves, including MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon). Now isolated and living rough in New York while secretly tracking his old friends online, Peter undergoes a troubling physical mutation—heightened senses, increased aggression and organic web-spinners—while facing a new invisible, mind-hijacking villain targeting the Department of Damage Control, whose chief (Tramell Tillman) enlists Peter's help since he alone seems immune.