First-Person Web-Swinging in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Looks Insane

Tom Holland has spent nearly a decade swinging through New York as Spider-Man, but ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ is already being talked about as something entirely different from what came before. With the film’s release just days away, new footage circulating online has fans convinced this is the most visceral version of the wall crawler ever put on screen.

Much of that excitement centers on how director Destin Daniel Cretton chose to shoot the character’s signature move. Web swinging has always been a staple of Spider-Man films, but previous directors in the franchise have openly admitted it presents a tricky challenge, since simply watching someone swing on a rope rarely translates into something visually thrilling.

That challenge appears to be exactly what Cretton set out to solve, and footage now spreading across social media shows why. Recent clips reveal genuine first-person web swinging shots, placing viewers directly inside Spider-Man’s perspective as he launches off buildings and hurtles between skyscrapers high above the city.

According to Cretton, achieving that sense of vertigo and speed was a priority from the very earliest stages of planning the film. He explained to Rolling Stone that the goal was making audiences feel like they were right there with Spider-Man, from the moment his toes hang off the edge of a skyscraper to the instant he reaches terminal velocity during a dive.

To pull that off, Cretton revealed his team turned to an unexpected source of inspiration. He explained that advances in how small cameras have become allowed the crew to study YouTube footage of wingsuit flyers and parkour athletes, analyzing exactly which camera angles create that stomach dropping sensation of genuinely being alongside someone in motion, in an interview with Rolling Stone.

That research clearly shaped some of the film’s most talked about shots, including a specific wrist mounted perspective angle positioned near Spider-Man’s hand as he grips his web line mid swing. The intention behind that particular shot was capturing not just what swinging looks like, but what it actually feels and sounds like from Spider-Man’s own point of view.

This approach marks a notable shift for the franchise. Previous Spider-Man director Jon Watts has said in the past that swinging sequences rarely look impressive on their own, reportedly advising future directors not to spend too much energy trying to make them work.

Cretton clearly took a different philosophy into ‘Brand New Day.’ Speaking with Collider, he emphasized that these new immersive shots were also designed to remind audiences that there is a person inside that suit, reinforcing Peter Parker’s presence even during the film’s most chaotic action beats.

The footage first surfaced publicly during the film’s Comic Con presentation, where an extended clip showed Spider-Man swinging through the city and directly into the middle of a tank chase sequence, underscored by a returning score from composer Michael Giacchino. That panel also offered fans their clearest look yet at some of these highly touted POV camera techniques in motion.

With Holland reprising his role for a fourth solo outing and Cretton stepping in as the franchise’s newest director, expectations for ‘Brand New Day’ have been building for months. If early reactions to this swinging footage are any indication, this immersive approach to Spider-Man’s most iconic ability may end up being one of the film’s most memorable achievements.

‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ swings into theaters on July 31.

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