Ranking All the Spider-Man Movies
The first Spider-Man film bursted into cinemas in the summer of 2002 and was immediately a cultural phenomenon. It is now 2019 and we are on our eighth Spider-Man film, Spider-Man: Far From Home. Is it a bit much? Maybe. If you think about it, we have nine Batman theatrical films and the first Batman film debuted in 1966. But I digress. In honor of Far From Home, here is my ranking of all the Spider-Man movies.
7 – SPIDER-MAN 3 (Sam Raimi, 2007)
A few months ago, I re-watched Spider-Man 3, a film I absolutely despised when I saw in theaters back when it first came out and a film that I refused to watch ever again. Upon this re-watch, the movie isn’t that bad. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a “good” film, but it is far from the disaster I thought it once was. I like Sandman and I like Peter’s story battle with the symbiote and the action sequences are cool. Topher Grace as Venom is the films biggest issue, and the dancing sequence is still goofy. Still the weakest of all the Spider-Man movies, though not a bad one either.
6 – THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 (Marc Webb, 2014)
I am in the minority and actually like The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Does it have its flaws? Sure, but they aren’t blasphemous flaws. There are also quite a few good things about this film. Andrew Garfield was a good Spider-Man and his chemistry with Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey is incredible and is really the driving force of the Amazing series. The action in this movie is slick and it features one of the most emotional scenes in any Spider-Man movie with the death of Gwen Stacey. It does suffer, however, from too many villains and side characters. Electro was a decent villain, but the Green Goblin is awesome, yet is only in the movie for a brief moment. They needed to balance this part of the film and have a better focus. Other than that, I enjoy this movie quite a bit.
5 – THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (Marc Webb, 2012)
Was The Amazing Spider-Man a bit premature? Probably. Five years after Spider-Man 3 and we already get a reboot? Surprisingly, The Amazing Spider-Man was a refreshing, new take on the Spider-Man franchise. It may have been the origin story that we had already seen, but it was told differently, with Webb’s vision taking out the Raimi campiness and making a more serious, but still fun movie. This was our introduction to Andrew Garfield as our web-slinging hero and he filled Tobey Maguire’s shoes perfectly. Emma Stone lights up the screen as Gwen Stacey and the chemistry between her and Garfield is outstanding. Rhys Ifans was a solid villain as Lizard and the action is a load of fun. This was a really good reboot and a perfect start to an incomplete franchise.
4 – SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (Jon Watts, 2017)
Spider-Man was a character that was begging to be in the MCU and he finally made an appearance in Captain America: Civil War. Heralded by critics and fans as one of the films standouts, many could not wait for his solo movie. Homecoming is a true delight. A fun, entertaining, funny film that features one of the MCU’s best villains. Tom Holland is a very good Spider-Man, but he really shines as Peter Parker, a struggling high school genius who tries to balance superhero life with actual life. Michael Keaton shines as Adrian Toomes/Vulture, chewing up every scene with menace. Homecoming is one of the better MCU movies and a fresh take on the character.
3 – SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, 2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the most unique Spider-Man movie. This is the first time we saw an animated Spider-Man on the big screen and the film made sure we wouldn’t forget it anytime soon. The animation is insane and unlike any animated movie I have ever seen. With its mixture of comic books and pop-art, this is a visually stunning movie, with great character design (particularly Kingpin) and wild action sequences. This is also the first time we got to see a Miles Morales-led movie and his story throughout the film is what drives Spider-verse to be as good as it is. He isn’t alone on his journey, however, as a time portal as allowed other Spider-men and women to join him in, including Spider-Gwen, Spider-Ham, and Spider-Man Noir. Led by a great voice cast, smart humor, and thrilling action, Into the Spider-Verse is a very weird, but very entertaining Spider-Man film.
2 – SPIDER-MAN (Sam Raimi, 2002)
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man was the first comic book phenomenon I ever witnessed. Not since Titanic (1997) had I witnessed a movie with this much popularity, and definitely never seen one in the superhero genre. This film is a staple for intro films and has everything you want from the opening movie. Right from the get-go, we are immersed in this world, from it’s characters to its tone. We are introduced to all of our key characters in Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, Harry Osborn, Norman Osborn, Aunt May, and Uncle Ben. It has plots that are specific to this movie, like Spider-Man versus Green Goblin, and starts plots that will last through all three films, like Harry’s revenge mission on Spider-Man and Peter and Mary Jane’s love story. This is one of the defining comic book movies in cinematic history.
1 – SPIDER-MAN 2 (Sam Raimi, 2004)
Spider-Man may be one of the defining comic book movies ever, but Spider-Man 2 is simply one of the best to ever be created. This movie takes everything that was great about Spider-Man and elevates it to another level. We get the great action and characters that we got from the first film as well as new ones, most notably Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus. But what makes this movie as good as is it is the emotion in the film. This is one of the few comic book movies I have seen that focuses not on the hero, but the human. Sure, Spider-Man has to defeat Doc Oc, but it is what Peter Parker goes through that carries this movie. He can’t pay rent, he keeps disappointing his loved ones, his school work is disappointing, and he begins to question whether or not he can be the hero that New York City deserves. Heart-wrenching scenes where Peter tells Aunt May what really happened to Uncle Ben really humanize Peter and add a whole new level of sympathy to the film. This movie adds so much to the mythos of Spider-Man and Peter Parker as a character and still keeps with the tone and style of the series. This is as good as comic book movies, which is why it is the best Spider-Man movie.
How would you rank the Spider-Man movies? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.
