Happy Spider-Man Day everyone! Nearly over the past twenty years, we have been graced with many different Spider-Man’s and Spider-Man movies. In the spirit of this day celebrating everyone’s favorite wall crawler, I am going to rank all the Spider-Man movies! Warning: mild spoilers may appear ahead!
8) The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
The reason I rank this film at the bottom is partially because it fell victim to the “shared universe building” formula. Too much planning stuffed into one movie: building on Peter and Gwen’s relationship, planting the seeds for the Sinister Six, having three villains (as if they didn’t learn from Spider-Man 3…), and depicting a major comic book moment (Gwen Stacey’s death) that was heavily spoiled in the trailers all rolled into one movie made this a hot mess. Paul Giamatti is also wasted as Rhino, barely even appearing in the film. While the series had some potential for the future, I thought it was best that it got scrapped in favor of Spider-Man joining the MCU.
7) Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Now director Sam Raimi has made it clear that this movie suffered from lots of studio interference. Another movie that suffered from the “too many villains” problem, I still feel to this day that Venom or Sandman deserved to be the only villain in the movie, they can definitely hold their own as a sole antagonist. Peter getting the black suit didn't really land with me, and it felt more goofy than I had experienced it in comics and television shows beforehand. Topher Grace was also horribly miscast as Eddie Brock/Venom, and don’t even get me started on the infamous “Emo Peter Parker” stuff…I mean come on, look at it! Utterly ridiculous!
6) The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
The first reboot of Spider-Man did a lot to differentiate it from the Sam Raimi movies. To me, it was definitely influenced by Nolan’s Batman movies to show a somewhat darker take and origin story for Spider-Man. Andrew Garfield makes for a decent Peter Parker and there is no denying his fantastic chemistry with Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey. It was also great to see Lizard appear as a villain in a Spider-Man movie after years of being teased in earlier films.
5) Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
The most recent Spider-Man movie had a lot riding on it. It was to be the first MCU movie post-Endgame. Suffice to say, it delivered. We got an emotional story of a kid who was coming to terms with the death of his mentor while trying to save the world at a time where he just wanted to take a vacation. Jake Gyllenhaal was great as Quinten Beck/Mysterio, but one thing that hampered the film for me was that no one really believed that he was a good guy, especially since Mysterio is an extremely famous Spider-Man villain. The movie’s post credits scene is one of the best I’ve ever seen and brought back J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson with an ending that will forever shake up the status quo of Spider-Man moving forward.
4) Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Everyone was excited back in 2016 when Spider-Man finally entered the MCU in Captain America: Civil War (2016). His first MCU solo movie was a great way to build on his character within the world of the MCU. I think introducing him prior to his solo movie was a great move on Marvel’s part because we didn’t need to see the origin story for a third time in fifteen years. Tom Holland is great as a younger, high school-aged Peter Parker who is still getting his feel as a hero under the mentorship of Tony Stark. This was really the first Spider-Man film that explored a younger Peter Parker and the pressure of being a hero and a student at the same time.
3) Spider-Man (2002)
The one that started it all. Like Blade (1998) and X-Men (2000) before it, Spider-Man (2002) really helped usher in the age of superhero movies that are still dominating today, even more so than when this movie was released. Terrific action pieces, an emotional story, and great performances all around showed that superhero movies could be taken seriously in cinema rather than “just for kids”. Tobey Maguire shines as Spider-Man, Kristen Dunst is great as the girl next door MJ, J.K. Simmons gives a definitive performance as J. Jonah Jameson, and Cliff Robertson gives an underrated performance in my opinion as Uncle Ben. With iconic moments and thrilling set pieces, it set the mark for what was to come in the future of superhero cinema.
2) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
How do you tell a Spider-Man story when audiences have seen it play out so many times? Easy: move the focus away from Peter Parker! This film followed Miles Morales, a Spider-Man that was long overdue for a film. It resulted in a poignant story of a kid trying to live up to expectations of being Spider-Man with the help of other Spider-Man's from different universes. The film introduced a new Spider-Man to older generations while inspiring a whole new generation of fans. A great line from this movie: "Anyone can wear the mask. You can wear the mask".
1) Spider-Man 2 (2004)
While it was tough to choose, Spider-Man 2 (2004) comes out on top for me. It is considered one of the best superhero movies ever made, and it has everything you would want in a Spider-Man movie. One thing I enjoyed about this movie was that its one of the first movies I remember that explored the cost of being a hero. It showed while being Spider-Man is great, it takes a heavy toll on the life of Peter Parker. Alfred Molina also gives a great, tragic performance as Otto Octavious/Doc Ock, as a complex villain just looking to make the world a better place. This movie also spawned a fantastic and influential video game component that I highly recommend!
So there you have it, my definitive ranking of the theatrical Spider-Man movies! Do you agree or disagree? Sound off in the comments below for your rankings or favorite Spider-Man movie!
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