The Spider-Man franchise has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows, and with the ninth installment, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, breaking box office records, it's time to rank all nine live-action movies. From the original Spider-Man to the latest entry, each film brings something unique to the table. However, not all of them are created equal. So, let's dive into the world of Spidey and explore the best and worst of the franchise.
9. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
This movie is a textbook case of a studio learning all the wrong lessons from the MCU and trying to copy them. It's an epic clash of tones, with Jamie Foxx's Electro feeling straight out of a Joel Schumacher '90s Batman movie. The story feels rushed and lacks logic, with characters like Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy being used as plot devices. The movie also includes Venom, a character Sam Raimi didn't care for, which only adds to the mess. While it's still better than Batman and Robin, it's a low point in the franchise.
8. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
After the euphoric high of Spider-Man 2, this installment is a step down. Sam Raimi caved in to studio pressure and included Venom, which doesn't fit well with the rest of the movie. The story is juggling too much, and it never manages to bring all the disparate stories together in a satisfying way. The amnesia storyline with James Franco is super lame, and MJ as a screaming hostage is exhausting. However, some of the action sequences are great, like Spider-Man rescuing Gwen Stacy. It's a fun and watchable mess, but it's a shame Raimi's tenure ended with such a collective 'wait, really?'
7. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
This movie felt wrong-headed from the jump. The reboot was unnecessary, and the casting of Andrew Garfield felt right. However, the movie was just aggressively okay and never could justify its existence so soon after the Raimi trilogy. The realistic and natural approach robbed the series of much of its charm. The chemistry between Garfield and Emma Stone is sweet and real, but the movie lacks the quippiness that makes Spidey so lovable. The worst of all the live-action Spidey costumes also doesn't help.
6. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
This movie is a blast and a great example of the MCU at the peak of its power. Taking Spider-Man out of Manhattan works well, and the high school trip to Europe allows for tons of lighthearted fun. However, the movie has to deal too much with being a palate cleanser after the heaviness of Avengers: Endgame and Tony Stark's death. The villain, Mysterio, is great, and the nightmarish hologram sequence is incredible. But the movie becomes bogged down in MCU stuff from other movies.
5. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
This movie should absolutely not work, but somehow, Jon Watts and his incredible cast manage to pull it all off. It has to resolve the cliffhanger from the previous film, team up Spidey with Doctor Strange, and bring back the two previous Spider-Mans and their respective villains. The movie works so well because we care about Peter Parker and his friends. It finally takes Tom Holland's Peter out of Tony Stark's shadow and gives him the tragic origin story he needs. It's a miracle this movie works, but it sure does.
4. Spider-Man (2002)
Sam Raimi's original Spider-Man from 2002 is a Spidey origin story done almost totally right. Tobey Maguire was genius casting, as he captured the awkward nerdiness of the Peter Parker of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's imagination. The screenplay hits all the major beats of Silver Age Spidey's early years with remarkable flair. All the bullet points are here, from Peter getting the spider-bite to learning how to use his powers. And somehow, it never feels rushed. Willem Dafoe is over the top in all the right ways as Spider-Man's #1 nemesis, Norman Osborn/Green Goblin. This film is as near to perfect a superhero origin story as ever there was.
3. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
It took almost fifteen years, but Homecoming finally gave us a Spidey who believably looked like a teenager. The movie wisely decided to skip the spider-bite and transformation, letting the audience assume something similar had happened to this Peter Parker. Tom Holland and Jacob Batalon share the screen, and Zendaya as the new MJ has more going on personality-wise than either Dunst's MJ or Gwen Stacy ever did. The performance of Michael Keaton as the Vulture is terrific, and the de-aging of Aunt May with each reboot became eye-rolly. However, Marisa Tomei's Aunt May rules.
2. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)
Destin Daniel Cretton's Brand New Day is in our book the second best live-action Spidey movie. It really looked to Marvel Team-Up, a long-running comic where Peter Parker teamed with one or more different Marvel heroes. The movie features Holland as the true classic Spider-Man at last, giving his all to serve his city, but suffering a sad and painful personal life. The action scenes are spectacular, and even the POV scenes of Peter swinging through the city are unlike any we've ever seen before. The movie does almost everything right, and a few more viewings might let it take the top spot.
1. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Nine Spider-Man movies in, and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 is still the reigning champion of Spidey films. It captures the heartbreak and loneliness of what it means to be Spider-Man more than any other Spidey film. Alfred Molina's Dr. Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus is an incredible and truly sympathetic villain. Everything with Doc Ock is perfect, from his 'birth' scene to his incredible fight scenes with Spidey. The train sequence is still the best set piece in any Spider-Man movie. And the ending gets us right in the feels every time. It manages to take everything good about the opening chapter and take things to another level.
