Set to swing back into theaters from April, we decided to share a ranking of all eight Spider-Man movies from worst to best.
After the success of X-Men in 2000, Sam Raimi’s 2002 Marvel blockbuster Spider-Man confirmed that superhero movies would be a dominating force at the box office for years to come… and six years later the MCU was born. Since the live-action gem gave comic book fans the movie they’d been dreaming of, we’ve had seven more live-action webslinger films, all of which will be reshowing in theaters. Spider-Man is in theaters on Monday, April 15th 2024, with the other seven set to follow each Monday until June 3rd. So, that got me thinking: how does my ranking of all eight Spider-Man movies look in the year 2024?
8. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Director Marc Webb’s second and final Spider-Man movie was a total disaster, and that’s putting it politely.
Andrew Garfield is still charming in the central Peter Parker role, but everything around him, save for his chemistry with Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, falls catastrophically flat. Its villains Electro, Rhino, and Green Goblin are squandered, and by the final frame you’re left wanting no more—the cardinal sin of any superhero movie.
I’ll never forget how disappointed I was leaving the theaters, and for once, all my friends felt the exact same way.
- EMMA STONE: Her best movies
7. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Every movie ranking needs a little bit of controversy, and ranking the box office and audience smash No Way Home as the second-worst Spidey movie is sure to rattle some cages. But honestly? I couldn’t put it any higher.
The third stand-alone installment with Tom Holland as Spidey encapsulates everything wrong with the current state of superhero cinema. It coasts off cameos, and they’re so lazily executed they’re impossible to find exciting.
It was cool to see Andrew and Tobey Maguire back, but having them just walk through a portal rather than make any grand entrance is just one example of this film’s glaring lack of imagination. It’s a toy box thrown at the screen, little more.
6. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
As much as I don’t like No Way Home, that’s by no fault of Tom. I think he’s absolutely fantastic as both Peter and Spider-Man, and he proved that early on in his first solo movie, Homecoming.
Skipping past all of the set-ups we didn’t need, Homecoming gets straight to the fun and succeeds as a breezy introduction to help familiarize ourselves with new takes on old characters.
While you could accuse it of being a little safe, one thing I loved about this and Far From Home is that they work just as well as teen movies as they do superhero films.
5. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Spider-Man 3 above No Way Home!? Oh yes, every day of the week.
As much as I’m willing to agree that Sam Raimi’s divisive trilogy-capping blockbuster has its problems, they never prevent me from having a wonderful time rewatching it.
The Sandman plot is the heart and soul, but the Venom stuff is genuinely pretty thrilling too. One of the common criticisms of the movie is that it’s too goofy. After Spider-Man 2, it was cool to see Sam and the cast having a bit more tongue-in-cheek fun, and arrogant emo Peter will never not be funny to me. It doesn’t jeopardize the movie but instead enhances it.
4. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Marc may have missed the… mark… with his second movie, but he managed to bottle some magic with his reinvention of the franchise the first time around.
Andrew plays Peter more hipster than nerdy, but it helped bring a new flavor to the character and, again, his chemistry with co-star Emma makes the film worth rewatching alone. The action was great and Lizard was a villain I’ve been wanting to see since I was a kid—it was worth the wait.
I’ll go back to this one every so often and always have fun, it’s just a shame it wrote a cheque its sequel couldn’t cash.
3. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
I vividly remember so many people coming out of Far From Home saying it was just okay but
not as good as Homecoming, and after I’d checked it out I had to wonder whether we’d seen the same film.
Tom’s once again brilliant in the role and Jake Gyllenhaal nails it as Mysterio, yet another villain I’d been desperate since childhood to see realized like this on the big screen. Again, it works so well as a teen movie, and yet the superhero elements are exhilarating without falling into the trap of having the stakes set astronomically high.
Also, the Mysterio illusion scene is one of the best scenes the genre has produced.
2. Spider-Man (2002)
Where it all started. Few movies fill me with such irresistible and powerful nostalgia as Spider-Man, and it’s one of my earliest memories of going to a theater as a kid.
Embracing the comic-book silliness of the source material, there’s so much to love about this one, ranging from Tobey’s star-making lead performance to Willem Dafoe’s unforgettable Green Goblin.
If I’m looking to rewatch a Spidey film, this is often my go-to, but it’s not the best…
1. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
The acclaimed sequel Spider-Man 2 is often cited as one of the best superhero movies of all time, never mind the best Spidey movie.
Perfectly expanding on its predecessor, the set pieces are magnificent, the performances top-tier, and arguably what makes the film so brilliant is the fact it operates as a moving drama first and foremost.
The more serious tone helped set the stage for the genre for years to come, and yet it’s still able to have a bunch of jokes that land. It’s just a great movie, period.
- LEAVING SOON: Black Adam on Netflix
