With Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse still in theaters entertaining audiences and ten theatrical Spider-Man movies out, here’s how I rank the ten Spider-Man movies. This list does not include Sony movies such as Venom nor other MCU movies Spider-Man does appear in such as Avengers: Infinity War. This is just how I rank the movies from my least favorite to favorite movies.
10. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
The only Spider-Man movie I would say I do not like is The Amazing Spider-Man 2.They try to do too much in one movie, from incorporating villains that do not need to be in the movie, to spending too much time setting up a universe. It continues a plot that should have wrapped up in the previous movie, which is the mystery about Peter Parker’s parents. The saving graces of the movie were Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone’s performances and amazing chemistry. This movie underperformed and got mixed responses from critics and audiences, which pushed Sony to reboot Spider-Man again, this time into the MCU.
9. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
The first movie in the reboot was a good enough movie that had the potential to be a great movie. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are great and have better chemistry than Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. The movie had a darker tone than the Raimi trilogy, but had more quips from Spider-Man. The action was a lot of fun to watch. The movie explored how Peter felt about his parents’ leaving. At the same time, it spent too much time retelling the origin story of Spider-Man. The Lizard had so much wasted potential as a villain. Captain Stacy being against Spider-Man when most of the time in previous Spider-Man media before the movie he was an ally of Spider-Man felt off. At times it feels like it aged well, but other times it doesn’t. Overall, The Amazing Spider-Man is still a good movie, but could have been way better.
8. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
The weakest movie in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, Spider-Man 3 manages to be both a disappointing movie and an entertaining one. Venom was handled poorly and miscast. Some characters, such as Gwen Stacy were unnecessary, and certain plotlines, such as more love drama between Peter, Mary Jane, and Harry, should not have been in the movie. At the same time, it’s gotten better in the last sixteen years. Sandman was a solid villain with a good backstory. The fight scenes are some of the best in a Spider-Man movie. The message of forgiveness is strong in the movie. While it could have been way better, Spider-Man 3 is a lot better than how some people have treated it.
7. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Tom Holland’s first solo movie in the MCU is a fun, smaller-scale movie that takes inspiration from John Hughes movies. After his great introduction as Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland continues to do well as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Michael Keaton’s Vulture is a great villain for both Spider-Man movies and the MCU. The movie has some of the best humor in the MCU. The movie sometimes overdoes it with the MCU references, probably to reassure audiences that Spider-Man is officially in the MCU. The action isn’t the best compared to other Spider-Man movies and the final battle is my least favorite final battle in a Spider-Man movie. Despite some of the flaws, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a solid movie that does things differently in a good way.
6. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
I consider this to be the most underrated Spider-Man movie. Spider-Man: Far From Home improves the action and tone of Spider-Man: Homecoming. We see Peter wanting to take a break from Spider-Man after coming back in Avengers: Endgame and getting together with Zendaya’s MJ, but is dragged into a mission by Nick Fury. Jake Gyllenhaal is great as Mysterio and the illusion scenes are some of the best visual effects in a Spider-Man movie. MJ is given more character development in this movie. What holds this movie back is the fact that Mysterio is another MCU character with a grudge against Tony Stark and Stark decided to trust a teenager with dangerous EDITH glasses. Despite those two issues, the movie is fun and a good direction to take Peter Parker’s character development.
5. Spider-Man (2002)
Sam Raimi’s first Spider-Man from 2002 remains not only a top-five Spider-Man movie, but a top-five superhero origin story. The movie does a great job telling the origin of Spider-Man, surrounding him with great supporting characters, an iconic score from Danny Elfman, and a fantastic villain in Green Goblin. Tobey Maguire is awesome as Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man, and Willem Dafoe is great as Norman Osborn, also known as the Green Goblin. Raimi has a perfect blend of both a serious and light tone, which is lacking in modern-day comic book movies. A couple of times the outdated special effects stood out, but never took away from this amazing movie.
4. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Home is the best MCU Spider-Man so far. In this movie, the multiverse opens up after Peter and Doctor Strange try to make the world forget Peter is Spider-Man. The movie celebrates all the live-action Spider-Man movies bringing back classic villains such as Green Goblin and Doc Ock from the Raimi trilogy. We see Tom Holland’s Spider-Man go in a darker direction, and the action improves from the previous two movies. It’s great to see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield return as Spider-Man. Despite the nostalgia, we see Tom Holland’s Spider-Man grow. The one change I would personally make is not having MIT reject Peter and his friends to be the reason he asks Doctor Strange to make everyone forget who Spider-Man is. The ending when everyone forgets who Peter Parker is was a bold move that I hope continues to play out in his next MCU adventure. Overall, this is one of the few great MCU movies to come out after Avengers: Endgame, and I look forward to the future of Holland’s Spider-Man.
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Next is the recent movie, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The story of Miles Morales continues, and we see how being Spider-Man has impacted his life, mainly his relationship with his parents. We get more of Gwen Stacy as Spider-Woman and learn more about her backstory. The Spot is a good villain after being seen as a joke in the comics. Miles takes a stand and tries to break canon tropes that define Spider-Man. The cameos and Easter eggs are a lot of fun to see. The movie ends on a cliffhanger, which is the only downside, but I look forward to the conclusion in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse remains one of the biggest surprises of any comic book movie. At the time, people were hesitant to trust Sony because of how they handled the Andrew Garfield movies and thought they only need Spider-Man in the MCU. This movie won a lot of audiences over with great characters such as Miles Morales, amazing animation that puts other Sony animated movies to shame, a new take on Peter Parker with the older Peter B. Parker, an awesome soundtrack, and a story with heart. Not only is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse one of the best Spider-Man movies to come out, it’s one of the best-animated movies to come out.
1. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
For me, Spider-Man 2 remains the king of Spider-Man movies. The movie shows a perfect example of the difficulties of balancing a normal life and a superhero life. Even though none of us are superheroes, it’s probably the most relatable comic book movie when it comes to trying to balance so much in our lives. Raimi took a minor story arc from the 1960s Spider-Man comics and turned it into a big plot, with Peter Parker giving up being Spider-Man for a portion of the film. Similar to the first film, Raimi balances light and dark moments perfectly, adding a bit of his horror element a couple of times. Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock is one of the best performances of any comic book movie villain. Tobey Maguire continues to show why he is the best Spider-Man. The fight sequence between Spider-Man and Doc Ock remains one of the best fights in a comic book movie.
How would you rank the Spider-Man movies? Which Spider-Man movie is your favorite or least favorite? Let us know in the comments below.