Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Be honest, the whole plot only exists because Peter Parker cannot stop talking during a magic spell. Doctor Strange agrees to wipe the planet’s memory so a teenager can get into MIT, which is wild behavior for a man who guards reality professionally. Hold that thought, because Willem Dafoe walks in and the movie stops being a mess and becomes the best kind of chaos. His Green Goblin flips from sweet, lost old man to pure menace with nothing but his face, no mask needed. Tom Holland finally gets material with real weight, and he’s ready for it. The middle act takes a turn that rewires the whole Holland run, and the final stretch plays like a stadium crowd in movie form. Audiences handed it an A+ CinemaScore and it made $1.92 billion worldwide. An 8.4 because it’s a giant fan party with a surprisingly sad heart, built on the shakiest excuse in the MCU. $32.84 says you scream at your TV during the rewatch even though you know exactly what’s coming.

What works: Willem Dafoe’s terrifying Green Goblin and a Tom Holland performance with real grief behind it turn a fan party into something that actually hurts.

What doesn’t: The plot hangs on Doctor Strange doing a planet-wide memory wipe for a college application, which falls apart the second you think about it.

Who it’s for: Anyone who grew up with more than one Spider-Man and has been waiting years to feel like a kid in a theater again.