Spider-Man: No Way Home is about to be released, and with its multiverse scope and returning villains from the film franchise’s history; it seems as good of a time to rank the seven live-action movies that have been leading up to this.
Before beginning, here are our rules for judging:
- Firstly, this ranking is based on my notes from a recent rewatch of all of them, so no nostalgia goggles are allowed!
- Secondly, this list only covers the live-action theatrically released films since those are the ones that tie into the upcoming movie. So none of the edited-together TV movies from the 70’s TV series, nor Into the Spiderverse, will be on this list. Just know that if Spiderverse were here, it would d be tied for #1.
- Thirdly, no MCU crossover movies, just Spidey-focused ones.
- Finally, this is entirely my opinion, and you don’t have to agree with the order of this list. Just hear me out
Now, let’s get this show on the road, web slingers!
The List
7. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Kind of an obvious one, all things considered. On rewatch, there are still some good parts, in particular the chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, and the visual effects and action scenes are gorgeous. But none of that saves it from a convoluted story choked by plot lines that don’t really mesh together, from the entirely unnecessary subplot about Peter’s parents, to how Electro just feels wedged in and doesn’t really connect to either Peter’s issues with Gwen or the subplot with Harry.
The Amazing Spider-man 2 just reeks of Sony trying desperately to do everything to compete with the MCU and none of it working. It also feels so disconnected as a sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man, from the visual aesthetic to the tone. Ironically, MCU head Kevin Feige (who was a producer on it) had a list of notes that went public from the Sony email hack back then, and it pretty much hit the nail on the head on all the problems.
6. The Amazing Spider-Man
I know someone is going to think I just have it out for either Marc Webb or Andrew Garfield, but I swear, I was as surprised that this one has aged so poorly. The best thing about this movie again is Garfield and Stone, but I started to wonder if their chemistry was absent, would their scenes be as good based only on the dialogue? Personally, I don’t think so. Garfield probably is the most talented actor to play Spider-Man, it’s just a shame that the writing fails to make him feel like the character.
Too cool to be the everyman nerd, too showboating and angry to be the hero who made “with great power comes great responsibility” a catchphrase, the writing basically in an attempt to justify a reboot zigs where the first film of the previous trilogy zagged. In particular, from the darker look to the attempt to be more grounded (from how the suit is made to cross-species genetics serving as the catchall for superpowers in this), it really feels like this was trying to emulate what Christopher Nolan did with his Dark Knight trilogy. But the most damning thing is how Peter’s father becomes the driving force of the plot, including being the primary reason Peter gets his powers at all, which just robs this movie of one of the most fundamental ideas of Spider-Man, that anyone could be him.
5. Spider-Man 3
I’m as surprised as you are, but yeah, Spider-Man 3 may be the weakest of the original trilogy, but it’s actually a fun movie that fits with its predecessors in tone and story, and unlike the film that kicked off this ranking, it actually knew how to craft a plot that weaved all its subplots together, using the themes of revenge and forgiveness, and framing the symbiote as the primary villain. On rewatch, it’s baffling that everyone focuses so much on Peter’s awkward and deranged dancing, but no one talks about the drama of the Peter-MJ-Harry dynamic or the absolutely amazing action scenes.
At this point, it’s public knowledge that Sam Raimi was forced to include Venom, but I feel like he managed to still make the movie on his terms, and it’s still a fun and entertaining flick to watch. I highly recommend checking out the Editor’s Cut as well, which manages to sell the addictive and self-destructive nature of the black suit’s effects on Peter, as well as alternate takes on some scenes, making for a better story.
4. Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spidey’s first solo outing in the MCU is a lot of fun, harkening to the high school comedies of the ’80s, and also uses the character to give us one of my favorite looks at this universe: from among normal people who grew up with all these heroes in their history. The cast is great, with Holland and then Keaton as the Vulture stealing the show. The third act where Peter proves that he doesn’t need a super flashy suit to be Spider-Man is one of my favorite third acts in any superhero movie.
My only problem that drags it down is Peter’s motivation. Spidey shouldn’t be doing stuff to prove himself to Iron Man; it’s already enough that he feels it’s his responsibility that he just can’t ignore. Granted, that needs to happen to set up that third act that I love so much, but I feel there was a way to still achieve it another way. Also, Peter is so ready to just drop out of high school just to be a superhero feels… wrong; especially since usually he’s wanting to have a normal life and complains doing hero work is interfering is often a major part of Spider-Man‘s mythos. Still, this is such a fun flick and I love the recreation of the scene from Amazing Spider-Man #33 so much as a Spidey fan.
3. Spider-Man: Far from Home
Peter’s European adventure feels so much like a classic Spider-Man story; reeling from the loss of someone he cares about, feeling insecure in his role as a hero, wanting to connect with the girl he likes, and his superhero responsibilities putting a strain on his life, it just feels right. Mysterio is such a great villain for a story like this, preying on Peter’s issues and causing the kid to make a massive mistake that he then deals with in the climax. It just feels like the MCU version of Spider-Man has started to find the balance between a traditional story for the web-slinger and his place in the larger cinematic universe. At this point, it’s only at this place in the ranking because the remaining films are better Spider-Man adaptions going forward.
2. Spider-Man
The first real movie to feature Spider-Man is still a great movie. Granted, I’m a sucker for origin stories, but Spidey’s is such a good one that the movie is still a classic to this day. Director Sam Raimi draws so much from his love of the classic Stan Lee/Steve Ditko/John Romita Sr. era of the comics that the film just radiates with heart and fanboy enjoyment. The humor is great, balanced well with the drama, the cast is great, so many iconic moments throughout, there’s a reason people hold this up there with Donner’s Superman and Burton’s Batman as one of the great classic superhero movies.
1. Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 sounds so obvious, but that’s only because it’s true. With the origin out of the way, this sequel delves into one of the major parts of the Spider-Man mythos: the struggle Peter Parker has with trying to balance his two lives while denying himself the chance to be happy either way. With Alfred Molina serving as a great villain that shows what Peter could be (both as a normal guy with a fulfilling love life and someone who shirks his morality to go after what he wants without regard for the consequences on others), it’s just a classic Spidey tale in an epic, yet oh-so personal story.
Where will Spider-Man: No Way Home rank against these? Will rumors of returning Spider-Men prove true? Check this space, true believers, for our review when it comes out!
