Spider-Man: No Way Home is probably the best of the super hero movies this year---or any other year for that matter. Although not a great fan of these overblown films, I found this one greatly entertaining and quite funny in many situations. Kids will love it, and comic book fans will be in ecstasy and will enter puberty a few years early. Tom Holland is a movie favorite only slightly second behind Timothee Chalamet. They are both young, cute, appealingly modest, and squeezable.

Holland looks so well fit for the role of Peter Parker/ Spider-Man that we can’t imagine any of the other actors who have played him to be the correct choice. It’s no secret that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield both show up to participate in the hilarious shenanigans. Both are former Peter Parkers and brought their own sensitivities to the part. They greatly help Holland deal forcefully with today’s villains. Both Maguire and Garfield are getting long in the tooth and may soon be eligible for the Shady Pines of super hero-dom.

It’s all nonsense, of course, but such fun! Peter asks Dr. Strange ( a curmudgeonly Benedict Cumberbatch, who erases his mean as a rattler character in The Power of the Dog, to make his identity as Spider-Man a secret to everyone. That may not be such a good idea as those who love him will forget who he is as well! Drat! Complications arise.

Lovely Zendaya shows up wearing probably the worst and ugliest wardrobe since Bette Davis’ in Baby Jane.  Sabotaged by the costume designer, the poor young lady looks like a hash house kitchen maid. Surely there are younger styles available to twenty-somethings in the big city. In real life, Zendaya towers over the miniscule Holland, so in their scenes together, either she was standing in a ditch or he was perched on top of an orange crate to eliminate their height differences. The magic of Hollywood!

All the favorite characters appear and add so much action, fun, wonder, and delight. Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus again threatens with his tentacles that have their own minds. Molina allegedly was digitally made to look younger since his last appearance in 2004’s Spider Man 2. And dashing Jamie Foxx shows up as Electro, shocking everybody. Willem Dafoe creates yet another one of his insane characters as the Green Goblin. Dafoe specializes in lunatic parts. International star Benedict Wong re-creates his character of “Wong,” the Master of Mystic Arts.

The very important people in Peter’s life again support him. Oscar® winner Marisa Tomei appears as Aunt May, who stands up for Peter in every way. Tomei adds some touching scenes that will be upsetting for fans, but they advance the evolution of Peter’s life. Peter’s best friends include Ned Leeds played by Jacob Batalon and M.J. Watson portrayed by  Zendaya. 

Praise must be heaped upon the hundreds of creative people who design and implement all the special effects that make the movie so exciting and a visual delight. Cinematographer Mauro Fiore deserves some credit for putting it all together in dazzling colors and splashy explosions.

The film is smashingly entertaining, and the cast is top notch. Benedict Cumberbatch is fun as Dr. Strange before he became strange.  Zendaya and Tomei prove they are good actresses, and Tom Holland once again solidifies his place in the Universe as the most appealing and fun super hero.

(Released by Columbia Pictures and rated “PG-13” for sequences of action/violence, some language and brief suggestive comments.)