It’s not just movie critics and general audiences who love it: Comic book legends have united in their praise over Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
J. Michael Straczynski, whose six-year run on The Amazing Spider-Man is regarded as one of the 21st Century’s best takes on the wallcrawler, wrote on Twitter, “To be clear, I’ve enjoyed all the Spider-Man movies. But for my money, this latest iteration feels most authentically Peter, and Spider-Man.”
Straczynski felt that the strengths of the fourth Spider-Man MCU movie lay in its heart and ability to provoke emotion, as well as not falling into the MacGuffin-filled trap of other superhero entries.
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“So many comic movies have fallen into MacGuffin plots, looking for the code, the stone, the box, the sword… this one is all about what William Faulkner called ‘the human heart in conflict with itself,'” Straczynski said. “It’s a very human story, emotional without being slow or dull or self-indulgent. It feels like stepping into a really good Spidey comic. Well done to all concerned (and even those unconcerned).”
Frank Miller, perhaps best known for his work on seminal comic The Dark Knight Returns, was also a fan. He wrote, “The most [Steve] Ditko movie yet and with my Hand in it for all to celebrate. This fan’s dream come true. Tom Holland is my forever Spider-Man as romantic as he is heroic. Congratulations to [director Destin Daniel Cretton] and the whole team.”
Brian Michael Bendis, over on Bluesky, said, “It’s a blast” and later felt honored to be “part of the Spidey legacy.”
It could have ended very differently, however. Star Tom Holland revealed there was one cut he “hated” – despite test screenings raving over it.
“It totally didn’t work,” Holland told Quotable. “And it’s what the people were asking for, but it wasn’t quite what we wanted as the creatives. But they learned lessons from that experience. So, a movie can change in a thousand different ways in the edit room.”
A lesson, then: going all-in on your creative path can sometimes be a good thing. It’s little wonder that Brand New Day is on course to be one of Marvel’s biggest box office successes on opening weekend.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now in cinemas. For more, check out our Spider-Man: Brand New Day review and our breakdown of the Spider-Man: Brand New Day ending.