Sometimes the best superhero movies are never really about superheroes.

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton from a screenplay by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, Spider-Man: Brand New Day picks up after the heartbreaking events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. The world has forgotten Peter Parker (Tom Holland). Ned (Jacob Batalon) no longer remembers his best friend. MJ (Zendaya) no longer recognizes the man she once loved. Peter continues to protect New York anonymously while carrying a loneliness that permeates every frame.

That premise gives the film something many superhero blockbusters lack: genuine vulnerability.

Peter spends much of the story mourning the life he lost while searching for a way to move forward. Beneath the iconic red-and-blue suit is a young man still haunted by grief, trauma and uncertainty.

As Peter undergoes a disturbing transformation in which his arachnid instincts threaten to overwhelm his humanity, the film subtly evokes Carl Jung’s concept of the “shadow” — the instinctive, often frightening side of ourselves that society teaches us to suppress. Jung believed maturity comes not from denying the shadow but from accepting it as part of ourselves.

Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) articulates this idea in one of the film’s most memorable exchanges. Rather than treating Peter’s darker impulses as something that must simply be destroyed, Banner suggests that this hidden side sometimes “needs to be expressed.” The conflict is no longer simply good versus evil. It becomes a struggle between repression and acceptance, instinct and restraint, Spider-Man and Peter Parker.

Cretton understands pacing. At roughly two and a half hours, every sequence advances either the plot or Peter’s emotional journey. The film trusts its story instead of relying solely on ever-larger spectacle.

The action delivers exactly what audiences expect. Spider-Man’s web-slinging remains exhilarating, creating the familiar rush of soaring through New York’s skyline. Yet the city never feels like a generic digital backdrop. The film captures the grit and intimacy of Queens, reminding us that Spider-Man has always been the neighborhood hero before becoming the world’s.

Several action sequences are particularly inventive, especially those involving the mysterious force capable of possessing its victims and The Hand. Their crimson, ninja-like assaults surround Spider-Man in bursts of kinetic movement. While some computer-generated imagery is more noticeable than others, the emotional stakes keep the spectacle grounded.

Among the supporting cast, Ruffalo’s Bruce is a welcome presence. Rather than serving merely as connective tissue to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe, Banner becomes Peter’s philosophical counterweight, deepening the story’s exploration of trauma, anger and self-control.

Holland once again proves why Peter Parker remains one of Marvel’s most emotionally accessible heroes. He conveys exhaustion, fear and quiet resilience with remarkable restraint. Even beneath the mask, we never lose sight of the young man wearing it.

Zendaya gives MJ an understated warmth tinged with confusion. One of the film’s most poignant moments comes during a silent ride home beneath the fading light of sunset. Peter remains close enough to protect her, yet impossibly far from the relationship they once shared.

The banter is effortless, and the humor never undercuts the emotional stakes. Cretton never lets the action overshadow the story, so every emotional moment earns its impact.

By exploring that struggle with intelligence, warmth and exhilarating craftsmanship, Spider-Man: Brand New Day becomes more than another summer blockbuster. It becomes a thoughtful coming-of-age drama wearing the mask of a superhero movie.