At the heart of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is a deceptively simple question: “Are you Peter Parker or are you Spider-Man?”

For as long as we’ve known the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Peter (played once again by the charmingly dorky Tom Holland), he’s tried to be both: the world-saving hero and the normal teenager. It could never last, and in 2021’s stellar “No Way Home,” that tightrope act finally tipped, reminding our hero that ever since that radioactive spider bit him, he has never been normal again.

As we get into “Brand New Day,” which follows directly after “No Way Home” — in which the world has forgotten about Peter but not his superhero alter ego — Peter has swung masked head first into his “work,” saving citizens and stopping crimes … and not much else. Honestly, he’s a bit of a sad sack, which, not surprising, considering the whole no one-remembers-him situation, including best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) and girlfriend MJ (Zendaya).

Spider-Man may have typically fought alone, but he was never actually alone, not like he is in “Brand New Day.” It’s a heartbreaking kind of loneliness, suffocating in its silence, and one that starts affecting his body in strange ways. His arachnid-infused DNA is mutating, but Peter doesn’t know why — and worse, he doesn’t know what it’ll do to him.

But of course Peter can’t just worry about his physical changes, not with crimes to stop and people to save and a powerful new opponent appearing. I can’t say any more without spoiling — there are so many things to spoil here! — but once the movie finally gets moving, it’s a gloriously thrilling time.

“Brand New Day” does take its time setting up, though. The first act is slow and overlong, a little too keen to show off its impressive, if unnecessary, visual effects. (A sequence involving a tank felt more like a visual tech demo than anything actually important to the movie.)

But the last two acts make up for that, full of charming chemistry, chuckle-inducing humor, crunchy action sequences and twists galore. A spectacularly choreographed sequence involving Spider-Man and a group of what I can only describe as acrobatic henchmen is mesmerizing; watching Peter, MJ and Ned interact, even with only the former knowing their true past, is soul-warming. And Peter’s interactions with Frank Castle and Yelena Belova (Jon Bernthal and Florence Pugh, respectively; both hilarious) left me wanting a series starring the three of them. (But don’t actually do that, Marvel; I don’t have time for another show right now.)

Speaking of returning characters, you’re probably wondering how many MCU movies and shows you’ll need to watch before seeing this one. You can honestly come in having just watched “Avengers: Infinity War,” its sequel “Endgame” and the three previous MCU “Spider-Man” movies. But, if time allows, I’d also recommend “Thunderbolts*” and “The Punisher: One Last Kill.”

With the X-Men making their way slowly into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s apropos that a quote from the first “X-Men” movie would perfectly encapsulate my thoughts about “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”: “Mutation: It is the key to our evolution.” Because at its heart, that’s what “Brand New Day” is about: change. Change for the man, change for the hero and change for the world both live in. I’ll be curious to see how the events here play out in “Avengers: Doomsday,” coming out in December, but once again, Spider-Man proves to be the best reason to keep invested in the MCU.

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'SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY'

3.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: PG-13 (for sequences of action/violence and some language)

Running time: 2:25

How to watch: In theaters July 31

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