Spider-Man: No Way Home

SPOILER-FREE

At this point, the Marvel and DC  films are mostly soap opera serials, answering questions from other films, building on the core stories and opening up magical portals to the next ticket purchase.

I have mixed feelings about superhero films. The year started with Wonder Woman 1984 on my TV screen. It was a film so bad that I wanted to walk out of my own house. Summer brought us Black Widow, a film that brought people back to the theater only to realize it wasn't such a fun time and potentially ruin the international pastime. If not for Annette, Black Widow would have been my pick for absolutely worst time at the cinema this year.

But then there are the Avenger films, offering a grand time at the movies and the joy of feeling like a kid again for a two or three-hour ride that feels like half of that. Spider-Man: No Way Home, a lighthearted film full of treats, is just like those fave Avengers films—and it may save the movie houses.

The surprises start early and just when I was thinking the fights and legendary matchups were all stopping short of where they could go, I realize they were pacing us for the finale where they go all in. Memorable movie moments ensued.

It's been years since I was in a movie theater with gasps, laughs, cheers and spontaneous clapping during the film. Spider-Man: No Way Home earns it.

The Ten Buck Review: My low expectation spider-sense was off; this was great fun and a wildy entertaining, unique story. As a bonus, no bad guy gets large so they have to throw a special thing at it.

Award potential: Fan favorite? Not really an Oscar contender except Best VFX.

Where to see it: In the theaters, thank goodness.

The Ten Buck Review: Worth ten bucks.