Destin Daniel Cretton helms the fourth Spider-Man movie from the folks at Marvel and Sony Studios, taking over from director Jon Watts. Watts, who guided the franchise through its first three offerings, decided to step down to pursue other creative projects outside of blockbuster superhero fare.

We pick up four years or so after the events of "No Way Home," where a spell from Doctor Strange erases everyone’s memory of Spider-Man’s secret identity, Peter Parker, a necessary sacrifice that has haunted him ever since. Fan favorite Tom Holland is back in the spandex as Spidey/Parker, who has been trying to get on with his life by throwing himself into his work as a crime-fighter.

Putting aside the villains, and the adventure, the hook of Spider-Man has always been Peter Parker, and his struggle with responsibility. It’s his sense of responsibility that made him decide to remove memories of himself from people’s memories, and what makes him keep his distance from his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), and the love of his life, MJ (Zendaya).

And, to a large extent, though I doubt many people think about it this way, the movie also shines a light on the importance of a role model.

While Peter still retains his boyish charm and easy-going disposition, he is growing up. He has had many a positive guiding light in his life, from Aunt May (and we can assume the MCU’s Uncle Ben, when he was alive) to Tony Stark, and to a lesser extent Frank Castle, the Punisher.

Aunt May was his center, keeping him grounded, while Tony Stark was an aspirational figure, someone to emulate. Frank, on the other hand, is the pragmatic hardliner who knows the darker side of the world, and who thinks Peter should be ready for it as much as he hopes he’ll never have to. And what’s even more exciting, is that Kevin Feige has confirmed that plans for introducing Miles Morales are being drawn up, and this would give Peter a chance to be a role model to someone else.

Story-wise, the movie takes some very big swings, and if you are a Marvel fan and a good listener, it very subtly lays hints about the MCU moving forward. The action and events in the movie feel heavily inspired by the Playstation game, which gaming fans will surely appreciate, and there is a healthy dose of homage to the comic in terms of recreated covers and featured villains.

I’ll say this however, I was disappointed that there was no mention of the events of the Disney Plus show "Daredevil: Born Again," as the second season deals heavily with vigilante justice and a battle for New York’s hearts and minds. It would not have been such a stretch, as Charlie Cox showed up as Matt Murdock in "Spider-Man: No Way Home" and John Bernthal’s Punisher has considerable screen time in this movie. A little connective webbing would have been nice.

Aside from that, the film does a good job of connecting Spidey to the rest of the MCU, with appearances by Bruce Banner / Hulk, playfully played by Mark Ruffalo, and another MCU character which shall remain something for audiences to discover.

All in all, Daniel Cretton successfully lived up to, and added to Jon Watt’s work on Spider-Man, bringing him new directions and opportunities for the future.

"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" was filmed in Screen X, the immersive, extensively wide-screen format from Korea. This is the best way to see this film, as the extended, wrap-around screens are more than just a gimmick, but really puts you into the events in the film, with the help of the multiple screens covering your direct line of sight and most of your peripheral vision. This is the perfect way to watch Spidey swing through the New York skyline.