Early reactions to Spider-Man: Brand New Day have singled out Sadie Sink as the film’s surprise stand-out, with critics describing the Stranger Things star as “devastating in her role”.Tom Holland’s latest outing as Spider-Man has also been called his “best performance” in the role.The fourth standalone Spider-Man film, which premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Monday ahead of its cinema release, sees Holland return as Peter Parker alongside Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, and Sadie Sink in a mystery role.Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, Brand New Day is set four years after Spider-Man: No Way Home and follows Peter Parker as he continues fighting crime alone after Doctor Strange’s memory spell erased him from the lives of MJ, Ned, and the rest of the world, while his spider powers begin evolving beyond his control and a mysterious new villain emerges.The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey gave the film four stars in her review, and wrote that it is “not only the best of the MCU takes on the character, but it’s also flat out the best Spider-Man film since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2”. She added that Sink was “excellent”, admitting that she couldn’t say more about her role “without giving the game away”.The fourth standalone Spider-Man film sees Holland return as Peter Parker alongside Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Mark Ruffalo, and Sadie Sink in a mystery role (Sony)Fandango correspondent Erik Davis described the film as “deeper, more thoughtful and more mature than the previous trilogy”, adding that Cretton had crafted “some of my favorite Spider-Man fight sequences of the Holland era”.On Sink, he wrote: “And yes, the Sadie Sink mystery absolutely pays off. She’s perfect.” Brian Davids of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that “Peter Parker is changing, and so is the ‘Spider-Man’ franchise.” He described Brand New Day as “the most emotional, most mature and most atmospheric instalment in the franchise”, adding that it “will meet your expectations in some places and defy them in others”.Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 dayNew subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.Try for freeADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.Peter Howell, film critic at the Toronto Star, said the sequel leaves behind “the multiverse tedium” that dominated recent Marvel stories in favour of “a grounded Spider-Man tale that’s back to the grungy city roots of the comic book hero we knew and loved”.He added that Holland “finally nails the sarcasm, angst and love hassles of Spidey/Peter Parker as Stan Lee first envisioned the character”.Collider senior host and producer Perri Nemiroff called it “far and away a favourite of the recent MCU instalments”, saying writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers built the story around “the importance of work-life balance and community”.“Can’t believe how emotional the film made me,” she wrote.Variety senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay described Brand New Day as “action-packed from start to finish”, adding that this “might be Tom Holland’s best outing as Spiderman to date.”Critics have described Tom Holland’s latest outing as Spider-Man as his ‘best performance’ in the role (Sony)Germain Lussier, senior reporter covering entertainment for Gizmodo and io9, admitted the film had moved him to tears. “It’s a massive movie that balances like 5 different through lines in equal measure, each better than the last. It can feel a little overwhelming but it all comes together so beautifully it works,” he wrote.New Rockstars’ Erik Voss described Brand New Day as “an emotionally meaty dwelling on loneliness and suppressing what we truly are”. He singled out Sink’s performance, writing that she is “devastating in her role and I can’t wait to see more of her in the MCU.”MovieWeb host Joseph Deckelmeier was equally enthusiastic, describing it as “easily the best Spider-Man movie yet”. He praised its “incredible action, real emotional stakes, huge surprises”, adding: “Tom Holland and Sadie Sink are incredible in this film.” Pamela Gores, managing editor of The Direct, also drew attention to Sink’s character, saying it has an “ambitious” and “potentially divisive start”, even as she described Brand New Day as “an emotional triumph” and “a juggernaut of a film that truly feels like a comic book come to life”.Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens in cinemas on 31 July.