Like Peter Parker swinging through New York City, the Spider-Man movies have had their ups and downs. After Sam Raimi's Spider-Man helped kickstart the modern superhero film craze in 2002, the franchise went on to spawn three different live-action takes on ol' webhead, including the moodier Andrew Garfield movies of the early 2010s as well as the modern Marvel Cinematic Universe adventures of Tom Holland. Now that Spider-Man: Far From Home has hit theaters, we've looked back and ranked every single Spider-Man movie (yes, including Spider-Verse) from worst to best.
8. The Amazing Spider Man 2 (2014)
It’s a real shame both the “Amazing” movies were total duds. The second (and final) installment of Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man was somehow more exhausting than the first, yet frantic with tangled plot threads, too. Throwing Jamie Foxx in the mess as one of three (yes, three) villains, had potential for some slick banter, but the Electro character just kind of fizzles out. Then out of nowhere Paul Giamatti lumbers into the chaos in a dinosaur-like suit of mechanical armor as the fearsome (yet cute?) Rhino. It’s one of several throwaway action scenes in the film included to tease the next Spider-Man movie. Which, obviously, was canceled. - Kate Kozuch
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7. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Possibly the most divisive movie on this list, Spider-Man 3 is filled with good moments that unfortunately got tarnished by a mishmash of problems that stem from some well-publicized behind the scenes drama. The final act of the Tobey Maguire trilogy sees Peter Parker deal with his relationship with Mary Jane, a mysterious symbiote suit, an escaped convict named Flint Marko (aka Sandman), a now-evil Harry Osborn riding around as the Goblin, and, for some reason, Venom, played by Topher Grace. If that all sounds like too much, it's because it is. Spider-Man 3 is simply overstuffed with villains and plot points, and while there are some strong action and character moments early on, the film devolves into a cringe-fest by the time emo Peter Parker starts dancing in the streets. Director Sam Raimi deserved a better final chapter than this. - Mike Andronico
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6. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
The Amazing Spider-Man was set to succeed with a beloved superhero, a promising young director and an all-star supporting cast. Until the saga all went wrong. At its core, the superhero genre demands outstanding action sequences to succeed, and Marc Webb simply didn’t deliver (or live up to his last name.) It’s the stale old story — while trying to learn more about his past and parents’ disappearance, high school outcast Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) lands in a high-tech science lab run by Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans.) A radioactive spider bites him and he becomes Spider-Man overnight. He faces off against Conner’s evil alter-ego in passable mentor-turned-foe tradition, but the oomph factor just isn’t there. Sure, the emotional chemistry between Peter and Gwen (Emma Stone) is solid, but in what universe is Spider-Man a rom-com? Eight years later, I still wish I could erase the skateboarding scene set to a moody Coldplay song from my memory. - Kate Kozuch
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5. Spider-Man (2002)
Spider-Man's debut on the big screen was just about everything fans could have hoped for — at the time. Bear in mind that Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man film came out well before superhero blockbusters were a sure thing, having just piqued audience's interests with solid fare like X-Men and Blade. Starring Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Willem Dafoe as Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson and Norman Osborn, respectively, Spider-Man retells the wisecracking webslinger's origin story, from his chance encounter with a genetically manipulated spider, to his first climactic showdown with the Green Goblin. Horror director Sam Raimi infused the film with a lot of the same over-the-top energy as his Evil Dead films; your mileage may vary on that. Some fans think the emotional melodrama is true to the original Stan Lee comics; others think it's a bit too much. Either way, the movie is still a good ride, even all these years later. - Marshall Honorof
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4. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home is bigger and more ambitious than its predecessor, but it never loses sight of the quirky high school mishaps that make Tom Holland's Peter Parker so compelling. The sequel to Homecoming is much more of a true MCU affair, seeing Peter deal with the heartbreaking fallout of Avengers: Endgame while battling mysterious new elemental threats with the help of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and Quentin Beck (a scene-stealing Jake Gyllenhaal). But even as Spidey takes on huge monsters across Venice, Prague and London in some of the most stunning visual sequences we've seen in a Spider-Man movie yet, it's Far From Home's smaller moments, such as Peter's interactions with his crush MJ (Zendaya), that give the film its heart. While it lacks the sharp focus of Homecoming and doesn't gain a strong villain until its second half, Far From Home is ultimately a more grandiose version of everything that made its predecessor great. - Mike Andronico
Check out our complete guide to Spider-Man: Far From Home's digital release.
3. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Generally considered one of the best superhero sequels of all time, Spider-Man 2 demonstrates that a good story and believable characters will take your film far. The movie does something unthinkable by today's standards: It actually picks up where the last film left off, and builds on the existing story. Spider-Man 2 doesn't simply put Peter Parker through the same character arc as the first film, but with a different villain. Instead, Peter's grown into his role as Spider-Man, but begins to realize that his superheroic antics are making his personal life untenable. He has to choose between his life as a crimefighter and his love of Mary Jane, just as the brilliant Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) accidentally transforms himself into the psychotic criminal Dr. Octopus. Spider-Man 2 is a story about romance, responsibility and redemption, and it represents the highwater mark for Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. Unfortunately, the third movie did not live up to the second's lofty standards. - Marshall Honorof
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2. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
After debuting in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland's Spider-Man was given a delightful first solo outing that skips the origin story and melodrama in favor of a charming teen comedy about Peter learning how to be a superhero while navigating his sophomore year of high school. Homecoming keeps things small-scale to great effect, focusing on the dynamics between Peter and his high school friends (including Jacob Batalon's hilariously nerdy Ned, and Zendaya's steely, sarcastic MJ), and showing Peter fail multiple times as Spider-Man while learning from his mentor Tony Stark (a just-there-enough Robert Downey Jr.). But it's ultimately Holland himself, who plays the most believably awkward, irresistibly energetic Peter Parker yet, as well as Michael Keaton's unforgettable, sympathetic portrayal of the Vulture, that make Homecoming an instant Marvel movie classic. - Mike Andronico
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1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Those who followed the spidey-suits throughout their decades in comics know that Peter Parker is just one of the many Spider-Men to sling across the Manhattan skyline, but Spider-Verse spins its webs in ways heretofore unseen on the big screen. I won't spoil the plot for the few who haven't seen it yet (it's on Netflix now, watch it before it goes away), but this film's brilliant animation is a major factor in why it shot to the top of our list. Spider-verse brings comic book style to life with lovingly inventive creativity — basically the opposite of how Ang Lee's Hulk movie tried with those white frames and captions. From the Ben-Day dots that fill in the shadows and areas surrounding objects to colors that pop with a manic energy and moments that look nearly-3D but aren't, Spider-Verse looks and feels like the ultimate comic book movie. It's grounded, though, with characters who talk and move, and shrug and smile in an incredibly natural way that will remind you of people in your life. - Henry T. Casey
