The appearance of the Amazing Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield) alongside the original movie Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) and the current (arguably best) Spider-Man (Tom Holland) in No Way Home made me a little nostalgic for earlier incarnations of Marvel's most iconic hero. Looking back, I'm reminded that, although Amazing Spider-Man 2 had some problems, it also had some strengths.

As villains go, this movie had the weakest of the bunch. Electro (Jamie Foxx) is caricatured to the point of ridiculousness, with a ridiculous origin story -- how does a jolt of electricity from a vat of eels perform instant dental work, anyway? -- and a Sad Sack persona. The Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan) is simply ... let's be honest here, he's awful. (To be clear, I blame the script, the director and the makeup crew more than the actor. The whole "Spider-Man's blood" subplot is just stupid.)

And yet, when Spider-Man pulls himself out of his grief and steps onto the street to save a little boy from that mechanical Rhino (Paul Giamatti) -- who can't help but cheer just a little bit, even if it's a secret cheer on the inside?

It's a rousing climax to a movie that has heart. Garfield, of course, is an awesome Spider-Man, ever witty and sarcastic when the mask is on. As Peter, he's a little too "cool" for the dweebish teen he's supposed to be, but that definitely set him apart from his predecessor in the role.

Emma Stone nailed it as Peter Parker's first love, Gwen Stacy, providing much of the film's emotional foundation and stability -- and of course the heartbreak as well. Her denouement, while no surprise to comic-book readers, was acted and filmed with devastating, straightforward sincerity, and it was hard to leave the theater unaffected. (It's a nice touch in No Way Home that gives Garfield's Spider-Man some long-overdue closure on that matter.)

By no means my favorite Spider-Man movie -- and by no means the worst: Spider-Man 3, Maguire's third movie, holds that title -- Amazing 2 still is fun to watch. It's enough that I still wish Garfield had gotten a full trilogy.