Variety's chief film critic Owen Gleiberman reviews "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, which finds Tom Holland's Peter Parker as an isolated, workaholic crime-fighter after the memory-wiping ending of "No Way Home." The critic praises the film's attempt at a more thoughtful, "mature" tone compared with its predecessor but argues it strains too visibly for depth, ultimately undercutting the goal it is reaching for.

In the story, Doctor Strange's spell has erased MJ (Zendaya) and Ned's (Jacob Batalon) memories of Peter, so when the trio reunite they see him as a stranger, while Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) has died, leaving Peter emotionally adrift. The review notes plenty of strong action, including an extended sequence featuring Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, and contrasts the film with 2021's "No Way Home," which grossed around $800 million domestically and close to $2 billion worldwide, calling that earlier film cynically engineered nostalgia despite its success.