Spider-Man: Brand New Day sparks Sam Raimi comparisons — equal parts thrilling and troubling

So, early screenings for Spider-Man: Brand New Day—yes, the proper fourth Tom Holland flick—have triggered the usual avalanche of comparisons. Most people can’t resist measuring every new Spidey outing against Sam Raimi’s run, and if you think that’s unfair, well, it’s a bit inevitable at this point. But what’s actually interesting here is how all over the place these early reactions have been.

Spider-Man 3, Again?

If you’re hoping fans are crowning this the best Spider-Man ever, slow down. There’s already some pointed talk that Brand New Day borrows a bit much from Spider-Man 3—and not just the good bits. One reviewer on X (that’s Twitter, if you blinked) went straight to the jugular, saying the movie is jam-packed to the point of distraction, a bit like Raimi’s infamous third Spider-flick where plotlines outnumbered actual moments of sense.

One X user summed it up: 'Spider-Man Brand New Day is a mixed bag. It evokes the very best and the very worst of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. Unfortunately, the film mirrors Spider-Man 3 in being overstuffed with far too many elements and having stop-start pacing.'

The first 20 minutes, though? Apparently, that’s as classic Spidey as it gets—on par with what Matt Reeves’ Batman did in its opening—before things start piling up faster than Peter Parker’s rent.

The Raimi Spider-Man 2 Nostalgia

Not everyone’s crying over creative overload. Other early reactions have circled back to Spider-Man 2 instead, which to be fair is basically the gold standard for Spidey storylines. This time, reviewers are keen on what director Destin Daniel Cretton has managed: giving Tom Holland a bigger, meatier Peter Parker “journey” than ever before, rather than recycling wall-crawler punch-ups for the millionth time.

Another early review on X put it like this: 'SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY is a much more cerebral followup than the crowd pleasing No Way Home. It's Tom Holland's best performance as Peter Parker and the best Spider-Man movie since Raimi's SPIDER-MAN 2. Also the costume finally looks incredible.'

So, it’s less punch-drunk, more heady Spider-Man this time—plus a suit that finally looks like someone actually put some thought into it. Not bad for Peter’s first wholly solo run now that the MCU has all but forgotten he ever existed. From what’s leaking out, Holland’s version has to deal with being well and truly alone, while also managing a pile-up of new baddies. Sounds more like mature Spidey than anything we’ve had so far.

Eerie Echoes: What About Raimi?

While we’re at it, there’s a bit of a Raimi plot twist off-screen, too. Sam Raimi—the bloke everyone’s referencing, for better or worse—actually has his fingers in plenty of Marvel pies these days. He’s not slated to direct any upcoming MCU project officially, but don’t be fooled; he’s still popping up behind the scenes. He gave advice for No Way Home (yes, that included tinkering with both the classic villains and Spidey himself), and he took the reins for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.

Word is, he’s in the mix for Doc Strange 3 as well, though nothing’s locked in yet, Marvel-style. So whenever Spider-Man gets compared to Raimi, it’s partly because, in some form, he’s still knocking about close to the action—consulting, steering, but not yet wearing the director’s hat again.