Days after watching the film, I'm still processing the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. It is unlike any Spider-Man movie to date; in fact, it's not like any movie in the Marvel franchise.

Sure, the action is there. The wisecracking friends, the ominous villains, the world-threatening plot. The humor.

There are aspects of the film that are custom made for hilarity. The trademark Spider-Man humor is certainly present. And yet, No Way Home is, at times, depressing as hell -- there's a lot more sadness, heartbreak and even outright shock than one might expect.

Tom Holland, as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, is, of course, amazing in the role. He brings just the right amounts of emotion to each scene, and you can tell Holland has a bright future in filmmaking. (Let's just hope he stays with Spider-Man for a while, because he's perfect for the part; c'mon, Tom, milk that paycheck for as long as you can!)

Fair warning, there are some spoilers ahead, but unless you're just turning your computer on for the first time in months, you already know them.

No Way Home follows immediately after Far From Home, which ended with Spider-Man accused of murder -- and his secret identity revealed by bellicose newsman J. Jonah Jameson (J.K. Simmons, excellent as always, returning to the role from the original Sam Raimi-directed trilogy). This movie begins with the expected outcomes of that revelation: his arrest, harassment of his family and friends, hero worship and accusations, even an inability to get into college because of the controversy surrounding him and those closest to him.

Although Peter manages to extricate himself from his legal troubles, with the assistance of lawyer Matt Murdock (Netflix's Charlie Cox returning in a brilliant cameo), his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) are still paying the price for Peter's costumed adventures. So he turns to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help, asking the sorcerer to erase the world's memory of him. Strange complies, despite warnings from Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Benedict Wong), but the spell goes awry and opens a doorway to the multiverse -- anyone, in any universe, who knows Peter Parker is Spider-Man starts bleeding through into our world.

Among the first to cross over are villains from previous Spider-Man movies: Green Goblin/Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), Electro (Jamie Foxx), the Lizard (Rhys Ifans) and Sandman (Thomas Haden Church).

Fortunately for Peter, he also gets some unexpected help from ... Peter Parker. Two Peters from parallel worlds -- those played, in previous franchises, by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield -- pop in to lend a hand.

The revelations of this film really open up the Marvel franchise to a lot of new possibilities, many of which no doubt will be explored in the upcoming Doctor Strange movie, Multiverse of Madness. But for now, let's focus on what we have.

First, it was great seeing Maguire and Garfield suit up again, and their interactions with their fellow Spider-Men were extremely well done. Maguire's Parker is older, with an older man's experience (and aches) to contend with, while Garfield's is still bitter from the devastating climax of his second film. No Way Home gives him, at least, a touching form of closure to that tragic turn of events.

As for the villains, they also made a triumphant return to form, with sufficient nuance in their reactions to their new circumstances to warrant having so many foes in the mix. Goblin and Ock are the primary movers as the plot unfolds, and their responses to the situation are markedly different.

The plot of No Way Home has exciting and unpredictable twists along the way, and the end brings some crushing changes to Peter's world. The story is well crafted, the direction is solid, and the acting -- with Tom Holland leading the way -- is beyond reproach.

At this point, I wish I could say the next Spider-Man movie was scheduled for a 2022 release, but that's wishful thinking. Let's hope the studio doesn't keep us waiting too long!