Spider-man Movies RANKED
With Spider-man No Way Home now in theaters, it is now time to revisit all the previous cinematic adventures starring our friendly neighborhood Spider-man and see how they stack up against each other. Let's take a look back at all the adventures Peter Parker has been through, starting from my least favorite leading up to the cream of the Spider-man crop.
9. SPIDER-MAN FAR FROM HOME
PROS:
Look, I certainly won't complain about European scenery...even if Spider-man belongs in NYC.
Jake Gyllenhaal has some fun chewing the scenery.
Ned's side romance is somewhat amusing.
Fun to see JK Simmons back.
Illusion sequence with Mysterio.
CONS:
Peter's undying love for MJ that came from literally nowhere.
Peter's motivations; He either comes off as selfish or incredibly dumb the whole movie.
Some of the action scenes feel like they came straight from a Disney Channel Original Movie.
Not adequately going over the aftermath of Avengers Infinity War & Avengers Endgame.
Spider-man's story is too intertwined with Iron-man; he never feels like his own hero.
Underwhelming finale fighting drones.
8. SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING
PROS:
Tom Holland is solid, even if in a golly gee-willikers kinda way that falls short of his predecessors.
Michael Keaton is fantastic.
The reveal that they already he and Vulture were already acquainted was good.
CONS:
Iron-man basically cleans up all of his messes, Spider-man never really feels heroic.
MJ's role is terrible and having another love interest when we're supposed to buy her as his true love over the next two movies was a mistake.
7. SPIDER-MAN 3
PROS:
There are actually some really cool action sequences in this one-- despite it juggling too much overall, it's still fun to watch.
Thomas Haden Church was a great addition and did a good job.
I even had fun with Topher Grace.
I love these characters even if this isn't their strongest outing and there's unnecessary drama.
CONS:
CGI in some scenes has aged poorly.
Overstuffed with plotlines and villains.
Don't love the MJ/Peter drama.
Emo Peter is...ridiculous but hey at least he's meme-worthy.
Harry's amnesia.
6. SPIDER-MAN NO WAY HOME
PROS: [SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! SKIP THIS ENTRY IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN NO WAY HOME]
All the returning greats! MVP's gotta be Willem Dafoe and Andrew Garfield for me. Dafoe doesn't miss a beat and Andrew really is making his appearance count as some closure for those who loved him in the role.
Finally letting Spider-man be Spider-man and giving him his Uncle Ben moment....even if they opted to go with Aunt May.
Peter experiencing tragedy and relating with the other versions of himself was a true highlight. All the spider-men interacting with each other was very special.
CONS:
Really hard to suspend disbelief with some of the plotlines. Really feels like just a means for the second half to happen. I don't feel like at this point in his story the world would hate Spider-man after being a part of the Avengers and maybe one of them could have stepped forward to help clear things up?
[Spoilers! Highlight to read] 3 movies in and I just didn't feel anything when Aunt May died, but glad they're putting Spider-man on the path to be more who he needs to be [/end spoilers]
5. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2
PROS
Gwen & Peter's love story continues to be the highlight of these films. They have some truly romantic moments here.
The final battle and Gwen's fate is perfectly done. Probably the most tragic scene in a Spider-man film.
Once again, Andrew is giving it his all (see next entry).
Even though No Way Home has some really fantastic moments in the second half, I gotta give my preference still to these films ahead since as films overall I just prefer the leads here more.
CONS
Too many villains to juggle.
This movie just bites off more than it can chew all the way around and suffers for it.
Too much studio interference.
I enjoy Dane DeHaan here, but wish he and his relationship with Peter had been given more setup.
Electro definitely has some cringey moments.
4. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN
PROS:
Andrew Garfield is a FANTASTIC Spider-man. His first scene as Spidey feels so right. He's nothing short of magical.
Emma Stone is so likable as Gwen Stacy. Her chemistry with Andrew is just wonderful.
Peter and Gwen's love story feels so real and refreshing.
Maybe the best Stan Lee cameo ever, this sequence is so much fun.
Some fun action sequences all around.
Love the soundtrack.
CONS:
Spotty CGI for the Lizard.
The Lizard's "evil plot" is a bit silly and doesn't make a lot of sense.
The storyline is a bit messy. A lot of plot threads aren't seen through to the end.
Peter's a bit too careless in keeping his identity secret.
3. INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
PROS:
Stunning animation.
The story feels so fresh after all the other films and works as an incredible origin story.
I love the family drama with Miles and his Uncle.
Doc Ock is great.
Climactic battle here is one of the best of all the films.
CONS:
I don't love all of the various Spider-men... namely the anime & Spider-ham versions. They just feel a bit gimmicky.
2. SPIDER-MAN
PROS:
This was the one that started it all! It's such a perfect origin film and one of the best ever made.
You feel Peter's joy as he's discovering his powers and you are truly along for the ride.
Willem Dafoe is marvelous as Norman Osborn and his alter ego, Green Goblin.
Tobey was really an inspired choice, even if I slightly prefer Andrew as Spider-man...Tobey is just wonderful as Peter Parker.
Sam Raimi's direction & Danny Elfman's score together are just top-notch.
CONS:
Some of the CGI doesn't hold up, though it was groundbreaking at the time.
There's some cheesy dialogue, but it's so comic booky that it's easy to forgive.
1. SPIDER-MAN 2
PROS:
This is one of the best superhero movies of all time.
The action here is thrilling and stunning.
Everything with Doc Ock is simply incredible, he's just a fantastic villain and his villain origin is true horror within a superhero film.
The ending with MJ is one of my all-time favorite superhero movie endings, showing how a superhero really can have happiness.
The drama with Harry just works as he inches closer and closer to his secret.
CONS:
Honestly...I can't think of a thing. It's perfection.
After No Way Home, Spider-man's future seems brighter than ever, so we'll eagerly await the future adventures that are in store for our favorite webslinger (with Across the Spider-verse Parts 1 & 2 shortly to come to make us re-evaluate our lists all too soon!) But until then, this is where they fall for me!
