Successfully spinning a web between Spider-Man movies new and old, Spider-Man: No Way Home is a thrilling, fun, and heartbreaking superhero spectacular.

Spider-Man is one of the most tragic figures in superhero history. He is also one of the most enduring, with three reboots in the last 20 years. The latest incarnation starring Tom Holland has proven to be the most successful yet, not to mention quite an emotional rollercoaster with the “friendly neighbourhood” hero surviving civil wars, intergalactic battles, and even his own demise.

It says something, then, that Spider-Man: No Way Home is the most emotionally taxing, not to mention logistically challenging, adventure yet for the young superhero. It’s all thanks to the inclusion of the “multiverse” setting that was pivotal in Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Yet while the blend of different dimensions in this superhero universe works well for an animated film, just how will it fair for a live action production? Under the direction of Jon Watts, very well indeed.

Spider-Man: No Way Home begins with unscrupulous news reporter J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons) revealing the identity of Spider-Man as Peter Parker. With the uncomfortable lens of the world on Peter and those he loves, Peter asks Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell that will make the world forget he is Spider-Man. However, tampering with reality brings with it unintended consequences, as villains and allies from other dimensions make their presence known.

With so many characters thrust together in the one movie, it can be a difficult juggling act to get the balance right between engaging story and surprising character reveals. Fortunately, Watts’ deft handle on the Spider-Man universe results in a film in which novelty, substance, and high-grace pop-culture entertainment blend very well together.

At 148 minutes there is a lot to consume, yet the wise decision to always focus on Peter Parker as a character with depth, faults, complexity, and a supporting and loving community of family and friends for who he will risk his life for, is what keeps this multi-character, multi-dimensional superhero epic grounded. For his part Tom Holland lives up the mantle of the most important figure in the MCU right now, combining those well-developed action man bonfires with dramatic chops that are spectacularly good at key times. It is Holland’s best performance as Spider-Man yet.

Of course, there is a giddy excitement at watching a crossover film event such as …No Way Home. Watching Holland trading fists with an excellent Willem Dafoe as the villainous Green Goblin is especially a delight. Great too are the web-slinging action scenes that Watts pushes to another level, such as a Spider-Man versus Doctor Strange battle in the head-tripping Mirror-verse.

Yet this Spider-Man story is all about a character as a man of emotion, wisdom, angst, anger, power, and responsibility. It is Marvel in ultimate flex-mode, and a dream come true for Spider-Man fans of all generations.