Despite my disappointment with Marvel movies in recent years, I can’t help but admit that I am a Spider-Man fanatic. I love all of the original Tobey Maguire movies and, though I am not the biggest fan of the two Andrew Garfield films, his performance as the beloved web-slinger is one that is heavily underrated. The most recent iteration of Peter Parker, played by Tom Holland, has been enjoyable and fun to watch, thus far.

However, when I watched the first trailer for the newest Spider-Man movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home, I felt fairly indifferent about it. For some reason, I wasn’t completely losing my mind over the newest film in the Spider-Man trilogy. That was the case until they revealed the return of Willem Dafoe as Green Goblin, Jamie Foxx as Electro, and Alfred Molina as Doctor Octavius. This is when my excitement dial was cranked to 11. Appealing to my sense of nostalgia, they brought back the villains that I loved watching when I was a little kid. My excitement only grew even more when they revealed the return of Rhys Ifans as The Lizard and Thomas Haden Church as the Sandman.

The release of the second trailer not only filled me with excitement, but it also brought a brand-new feeling… A feeling of worry. I was afraid that the movie was going to be nothing more than a cash grab, offering nothing new to the table. As the release date got closer and closer, my expectations began to plummet, until finally the film came out.

Before walking into the theater with my friends, I decided I wanted to watch the movie not as a film critic, but as a casual Spider-Man fan. I wanted to just enjoy the ride and watch the movie to see all of these beloved characters return to the big screen. As I left, I was very satisfied with what I had just watched. This movie was the perfect “Spider-Man Fanservice” movie with callbacks to the old films, while at the same time, offering new and interesting plot moments for Holland’s Spider-Man.

Unfortunately, this is all I can really say about the movie because if I were to go into any more detail, I would be heavily spoiling the film. There are several things I could spoil, and I would hate to be the one that ruins the experience of the movie for you because I accidentally reveal an important plot point. So, for the sake of the viewer, I cannot go into any further depth of this movie.

However, perhaps at a later date, when the movie goes on streaming services and more people see it, I can revisit this movie and talk about the moments that make it so exciting to watch. If you are a Spider-Man fan and you are on the fence about seeing Spider-Man: No Way Home, I highly advise you to get a group of fans together to watch this two and a half hour long fanservice ride. With that being said, it is important to temper your expectations if you are critical of movies and looking for incredible filmmaking choices, as that is not what you are going to get. The point is to go into the theater and enjoy the ride. If you go in with these thoughts in mind, you will have an amazing time watching Spider-Man: No Way Home. As a Spider-Man fan, I can confidently say that this was one of the best experiences I had last year. Watching this movie with a large group of friends and gushing over the references is something that I am never going to forget. So, please watch Spider-Man: No Way Home when you get the chance! It was a movie that reminded me how much I love the character of Spider-Man.