Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton — Screenplay by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers.

It has been five years since the last time we saw Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The interconnected universe of Marvel movies has since changed, and the core cast of the Tom Holland-led Spider-Man films has grown up. To pull off a soft reboot that reflected this — albeit with the same characters and actors — the decision-makers turned to Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton, after it became clear that Jon Watts, who had directed the first three Holland-led films, opted not to return. As has become the norm with the Spider-Man films in the world of the MCU, Cretton’s film has to juggle both universe-furthering elements and a relatively standalone Spider-Man-focused narrative that is honest to the journey the character had been on. This juggling act came under even more pressure when it became clear that the superhero films that have come out since the last Spider-Man film haven’t been performing as well as they once did, both at the box office, with audiences, and with critics. Time will tell if Destin Daniel Cretton’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day becomes the film to turn the tide positively for the interconnected universe, but what I can say now is that Cretton’s film is a terrific one that seems to fully understand the titular character, how he works best, and how best to update the style of these films.

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