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Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has battled Thanos, gotten blipped out of existence, lost his mentor and sacrificed relationships to save the world. It’s his newest adventure, though, that shows how much he’s really grown up.Holland pulls off his most emotionally gripping work ever as Peter Parker, who battles isolation and evolution as well as a powerful new foe in “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (★★★ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters July 31). If the previous Spider-outing “No Way Home” paid homage to a deep history of the web-swinger’s movies, this new film pays off story threads from the Holland era, weaves in a lot of comic-book references plus sets up a new status quo for New York City’s friendly neighborhood do-gooder.“Brand New Day” picks up the story thread that ended “No Way Home,” where Peter made the hard choice and asked Doctor Strange to cast a magic spell that made everyone forget his existence, including girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon), to prevent a multiverse catastrophe. Some years have passed and Spidey’s on a roll, beating down pesky baddies like Scorpion (Michael Mando) and reducing the Big Apple’s crime rate by a lot.Peter, however, is lonely and struggling. Via social media, he’s watched his former pals attend M.I.T. and go on living their lives, and he hopes that getting close to them again will bring back their memories. Yet that’s not the only thing weighing down our hero. He’s recruited by Bill Metzger (Tramell Tillman), director of Damage Control, to help the government agency tasked to clean up superhero dealings figure out the mystery villain who's been attacking them. And Peter’s body is also doing some weird stuff, with his superpowers veering out of control as the arachnid DNA begins to take over.“Brand New Day” is a heavier Spider-Man movie than the previous rousing entries. But the meatier story, with its dark themes balanced by a great sense of humor, befits a hero who’s been saving the day since he was a teenager and is now dealing with more adult problems.And they are plentiful: Director Destin Daniel Cretton, a Marvel regular who’s headed up “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” as well as the TV series “Wonder Man,” juggles a slew of subplots that do wind up coming together in a satisfying way. He also weaves in some intriguing body horror plus elements of possession films, as Spider-Man’s latest menace hops between people and takes them over to confound Peter while also serving their own nefarious agenda.In previous films, Holland brought a youthful, lively spirit to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as its resident Spidey. In "Brand New Day," the character’s experienced a lot, not all of it great, and the British actor’s able to take a decade of playing Peter to a more meaningful place. Yeah, he’s still throwing down with ninjas, shady law enforcement types, colorful hooligans and, yes, the Hulk. But the most relatable stuff comes with Peter facing his own mental health issues and physical problems. (“I’m not in high school anymore,” Peter quips as he does some stretching before a fight.)Holland and Zendaya’s strong on-screen chemistry has obviously carried over into real life, and there’s something always joyful about watching what those two and Batalon have built as a group of friends. The new dynamic that gives “Brand New Day” a spark this time is Spidey and the Punisher (Jon Bernthal) together. “The Odyssey” let audiences enjoy a taste of their bond, but this fully immerses them in buddy-comedy vibes, contrasting the cursing, R-rated vigilante Punisher with his young masked friend who tries to keep him from killing everybody. “Stranger Things” standout Sadie Sink is also in “Brand New Day,” playing a character that it’s best not to know until watching the movie. (Hardcore Marvel comic fans will know and love her.) But she matches Holland’s strong sense of gravitas with a role that's a great source of conflict and connection for Spidey. Like almost every main character in the movie, this mystery young woman has secluded herself from others, and needs to figure out that she’s not alone.While “Brand New Day” might not be the most rambunctious or exciting of Holland’s Spider-flicks, it aims to be a little deeper than the average MCU installment while trapping you in its gratifying web.
