5 Movies To Watch After Spider-Man: Brand New Day

This week, Tom Holland has finally swung back into cinemas as Spider-Man and, with it, delivered a ridiculously fun adventure that, dare we say, might end up as one of the best Spider-Movies ever. Crammed with ninjas and rage monsters, it really is a great display of what Marvel can deliver and hopefully continue to maintain in the lead-up to their other big doomed movie that'll get to us at the end of the year.

But we're not here to talk about other Marvel movies just yet. Well, not new ones, at least. Instead, we've put together a great watchlist of films that will scratch that itch left by the most recent spider bite. We've picked a collection of movies that really feel like the new movie was inspired by, or taps into the same kind of territory that director Destin Daniel Cretton's latest comic book caper handles so brilliantly. Like the Sadie Sink and her scary body possessions? Of course you do. Want to see more of the MCU's coolest cast member? Same. Simply want a dude swinging around New York doing whatever a spider can? Well, we've picked the perfect follow-up there, as well. So what are you waiting for? Clearly your spider-sense is tingling already, so get stuck into our watchlist soon before we forget who you really are and leave a note in a coffee cup to remind ourselves.

We're not putting "Thunderbolts*" on the watchlist just because of the cameo appearance from Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh). Okay, well, maybe we are a bit, but that doesn't mean the recent movie about Marvel's latest team of misfits wouldn't make a great double-bill if you want more time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After stealing the few minutes she has in "Brand New Day," it'd be criminal not to go back and watch Pugh's first Marvel movie chapter where she is center stage. After her introduction in "Black Widow" and being a welcome side character in "Hawkeye," Yelena steps up as the bruised and beaten heart of the Thunderbolts, even when there's another one just like her that could engulf reality as we know it (no offense, Bob).

It's here that Marvel fans have understandably drawn comparisons between the two movies, given that they have pretty much the same final acts. Just like "Thunderbolts*," "Brand New Day" depends on a high-powered threat to face down their trauma and avoid a complete cataclysmic breakdown, all with the help of a new ally. Is it slightly lazy, and is it something that Marvel Studios perhaps should've reviewed to ensure they're not repeating themselves? Maybe. But ultimately, both movies do an exceptional job in proving that no matter what happens, nothing can beat the power of friendship, right kids?

Also, you know what? Fine. Florence Pugh really is that good that watching both seems perfectly reasonable. It'll also tide us over before she returns in "Avengers: Doomsday."

Believe the hype: "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" might be the best Spider-Man movie we've had in years, and the only way to confirm this is by watching the previous best live-action movie, "Spider-Man 2." Still proving without a shadow of a doubt just how good not only Spidey films, but comic book movies as a whole can be, Sam Raimi's sequel belongs in the discussion of being one of the best follow-up films ever made. It makes sense, then, that in Holland's latest venture there's so much of Maguire's movie present, too.

As it stands, the two are easily at the top of the table for simply incredible Spidey-centric set-pieces. Peter 1's battle with The Hand and especially Hulk comes with the same level of danger and suspense that Peter 2's (Tobey Maguire) scuffle with Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) had. In both instances, you'll really believe a man can web in a wonderfully creative fashion.

The other part that "Brand New Day" taps into from "Spider-Man 2," though, is its emotional weight felt between Peter and MJ. In both movies, Peter's internal struggle to put heroism before happiness is felt, and unfortunately, only in the Maguire movie does he actually get it. Who knows, though? After that memory-triggering handshake and MJ alone on the roof, there might still be hope for Peter in the end. We're just going to have to wait until he returns from space (apparently) for him to get some.

There's nothing better than a villain that has solid grounds for resorting to such despicable deeds, and one great example of this is another movie with a lot more X-Men in it than "Brand New Day." Released in 2009, "X-Men: First Class" took fans back to the swinging '60s and explored the growing bond between Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lensherr (Michael Fassbender), before they became the iconic frenemies of the Marvel universe. Sparking their initial fallout is a powerful energy-absorbing mutant, Sebastian Shaw (James McAvoy), whose demise leads to perhaps one of the best moments in "X-Men" movie history, and what is lightly replicated in Spidey's latest installment.

Erik, like Jean, is on a mission of vengeance against a powerful figure who killed his family, with a friend's voice the only one that can bring him back from the darkness. Unlike Spidey, though, Charles fails in his mission, with Erik reaching a path of no return. It's the visuals of these two best buds speaking telepathically to one another that "Brand New Day" clearly takes notes from. Trauma and personal tests are what bring the drama to the final act of the webheads' latest installment, even using similar shots to get the message across. Give it another watch, remind yourself of what the "X-Men" could be when it was great, and hope that the MCU era might reach the same standards somewhere down the line.

Arguably one of the greatest visuals in "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" is watching Jean Grey body-hopping her way around New York and playing psychological games with Peter and the city's citizens. Seeing people convulse in crowds clearly shows just how strong this future X-Men member can be. It's also a visual trick that fans of '90s horror will remember from a massively overlooked Denzel Washington movie.

"Fallen" was part murder mystery, part supernatural horror, and followed the Oscar winner as a detective tracking a series of murders that had occurred years earlier. The deeper he gets into the case, though, the sooner he begins to realize that the murderer is not of this world and is, in fact, a demon that can take over someone's body and force them to commit heinous acts, just like Jean does.

It hasn't been confirmed whether Cretton drew inspiration from "Fallen" for "Brand New Day," but either way, this is a great movie that presents a similar villain in a far more effective and disturbing way. A standout sequence features Washington chasing the demon as it hops-scotches its way from the police station (traveling through talents like James Gandolfini and John Goodman) out into the streets, all while singing "Time Is On My Side." It might be a little hokey in places, but it's one of Washington's rare forays into horror that doesn't get enough respect.

When fans first caught a glimpse of Peter's eyes blacking out in the movie's initial trailer, expectations grew that our lovable hero might be transforming into the feared Man-Spider, a beastly final form of Spider-Man after his powers went into overdrive. Thankfully, that wasn't the case (well, this is a family film, after all), but that didn't mean our hero's battle against a consuming presence was totally written off.

Without friends or family to support him, Peter's work-life balance leaves him out on patrol far more than he should be, even prompting his law-enforcement colleague Det. Jean DeWolff (Liza Colón-Zayas) to advise him to rest. This borderline obsession ultimately leads to a monster of his own making and is very reminiscent of a BGR favorite, overlooked body-horror movie, "The Fly."

David Cronenberg's classic horror remake sees Jeff Goldblum step into a telepod and come out a little worse for wear, no matter how much he might deny it. What follows is a tragic love story as new girlfriend Geena Davis sees Seth Brundle slowly gain fly-like traits at the cost of his own identity falling apart in a very literal form. If you feel like you missed out on the Man-Spider, then the Brundlefly would make for a very good, exceptionally sticky substitute. It'll also make it abundantly clear that this monstrous story arc from Spider-Man history is better off staying in the comics.