With the newest Spider-Man movie now in theaters, it’s as good a time as any to look back at all Spider-Man films ranked from worst to best!
Spider-Man is a character who needs no introduction. Whether you’re an avid fan of his comics or are like me and have only been exposed to him through other mediums, chances are you have some sort of connection with the heroics and struggles of Peter Parker. This character has been a constant staple of the big screen ever since his theater debut in 2002, and every film of his since, no matter how good or bad, has left many interesting conversations in its wake.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has just been released, so it’s it’s the perfect time to look back on the web-slinger’s cinematic career, from its lowest lows to its highest highs, and get all of the Spider-Man films ranked from worst to best!
11. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is widely regarded as a contender for the worst Spider-Man film ever made, and with good reason. This sequel to the 2012 film is about Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield, of After the Hunt) dealing with the new villain Electro (Jamie Foxx, of Baby Driver), his returning friend Harry Osborne (Dane DeHaan, of Oppenheimer), his parents’ disappearance, and so many other storylines that feel like four different movies interrupting each other. But the film’s biggest problem is its tonal inconsistency. Silly moments like Electro playing Itsy-Bitsy Spider don’t mix with the far more grounded scenes and motifs trying to carry over from the previous movie.
Yet The Amazing Spider-Man 2 still does more right than wrong. Every actor gives it their all, with Garfield having plenty of standout moments to stretch his abilities. The shots are beautifully composed by director Mark Webb, and Hans Zimmer’s score is one of the best in any Spider-Man film. I even like Electro as a psychotic mind against anyone who doesn’t fit his attention-seeking narrative. Tying all this together are palpable themes of hope and loneliness, and a powerful climax (which, as a non-comics reader, I really didn’t see coming). The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is worth watching. It’s just a shame it doesn’t have a more solid identity or a cleaner screenplay.
10. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Director: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr
The web-slinger’s first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was much-anticipated, and most agree that it lived up to that anticipation. However, Spider-Man: Homecoming has gotten worse and worse for me as time has passed. Tom Holland’s performance is ridiculously likeable when he’s out of the suit. The film is very consistently funny and charming, and it succeeds most in the high school environment where it knows how to capture the more lighthearted side of Peter’s life. This is also a gorgeous film, filled with lush colors that pop in a way that’s not often seen in the MCU or even other Spider-Man movies. There’s just enough emotion and a sense of stakes to make you root for Peter and feel for when he’s in distress or down on his luck.
Unfortunately, there’s never a proper understanding of Peter’s motivations. He fluctuates between being driven by a sense of honor and how cool it would be to join the Avengers. Homecoming has little weight, even though Peter’s age and relatively average life should make the danger feel that much more real. The lesson he learns makes no sense: he’s told to stay close to the ground, yet is rewarded by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) when he does the exact opposite in the climax, only to then say he’s fine with staying where he is. The villain has a good backstory and is played really well by Michael Keaton, but he makes threats more often than he actually follows through on them. Spider-Man: Homecoming is a really good high school comedy, but a shallow and slightly confused superhero film.
9. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans
2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man initially underwhelmed me, but I like it a bit more now than when it first came out. While Andrew Garfield doesn’t work as the high school outcast he’s presented as, he nonetheless brings a lot of charm and even gravitas to the role of Peter Parker. His relationship with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) is one of the most likeable romances in any comic book movie, and Stacy herself is a fun, strong character. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans, of The King’s Man) makes for a sympathetic yet imposing villain, and the fights between him and Peter are slick and fun to watch. I like the realistic look and tone in general, and the shots of Spidey swinging through the city are visually stunning.
But The Amazing Spider-Man remains slavishly devoted to the previous Spidey origin story from 2002, retreading a lot of the same beats and losing a lot of its identity as a result. This version of Parker would never be picked on, for instance, and the city helping Spider-Man in the climax was not built up well. Not helping is some questionable editing that seems to leave out crucial story beats, making it obvious that a lot was left on the cutting room floor (some deleted scenes definitely confirm this). But despite its faults, this reboot shakes things up just enough to feel somewhat distinguished, and it does well enough in plenty of other areas to make for a Spidey flick that’s not amazing, but certainly adequate.
8. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2022)
Director: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Marisa Tomei
Spider-Man: No Way Home is the biggest, most narratively ambitious live-action Spider-Man film to date. It brings in characters from other film continuities and actually progresses what made them so fascinating to begin with, letting their pasts influence the growth of our current Peter Parker (Tom Holland). The screenplay is great at juggling all of these elements and transitioning us to something slower and heavier than the previous MCU films. Holland is the best he’s ever been as this character, and I really respect the effort made to take such a gimmicky premise relatively seriously.
But that doesn’t change the problem I had before No Way Home even came out: the follow-up to Far From Home should have been focused solely on the fallout of Peter’s identity reveal, which is only addressed in the first act before the film buckles considerably to bring in something much bigger. Between characters staying in certain forms, the flimsy nature of how they’re brought in and sent away, and even some COVID-mandated shot compositions, you can tell how much the movie is stretching to make this all work. It succeeds overall and has a ton of poignant elements to love, but the gigantic cracks at the seams stop it from holistically being anything more than acceptable.
7. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco
Comparing Spider-Man 3 to its two predecessors, it’s painfully apparent that this is the weakest of Sam Raimi’s trilogy. It juggles a lot of stories, but unlike The Amazing Spider-Man 2, the plotlines are woven together relatively well. The main thrust of the film is Parker (Tobey Maguire) struggling with his darker impulses and the fallout of his personal mistakes, which branch out to every storyline of the film. A lot of events are handled extremely goofily, but you still dread Peter’s downfall and want him to snap out of it before it’s too late. Spider-Man 3, while featuring some effects that don’t hold up at all, also contains some of the best CGI I’ve ever seen with the Sandman (Thomas Haden Church, of Wake Up Dead Man) and the symbiote, with the latter being genuinely scary at times.
Still, the last two films thrived better with their simplicity. Spider-Man 2 built up a great war between Peter and Harry (James Franco), so for that to be just one of the many events of Spider-Man 3 is disappointing. I’m fine with the more comedic scenes like Peter’s infamous strut on the streets, but there’s no denying that we lost out on some really dark sequences alongside them. Forced threads like MJ (Kirsten Dunst, of Civil War) breaking up with Peter and being held captive again are tired as well. But for all its unevenness, Spider-Man 3 still comes out as a very enjoyable film and a good, if disappointing, conclusion to Sam Raimi’s classic trilogy.
6. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sadie Sink, Jon Bernthal
A brand new day, indeed… somewhat. Following No Way Home, Peter (Tom Holland) has spent four years living an isolated life as the beloved Spider-Man, but a new threat comes and puts his friends back in danger. So, yeah, the previous film’s efforts to start over don’t seem to have completely stuck. But Brand New Day is almost a response to that ending by showing the dangers of Peter suppressing his own human need for love and care. The internal battle with his freakishly sharpened senses directly ties into that, as does the pitch-perfect chemistry with and one-sided longing for his friends. Brand New Day is by far the most consistently mature of the Holland films, from the performances to the more grounded writing to even the lighting and directing of simple conversations.
At its best, you get some of the most sharply emotional material in any Spider-Man movie. At its weakest, you still get a fun time. You may just start to notice a few characters and subplots that hinder the momentum of what should be a pretty straightforward story (a running theme with this franchise). The villain’s initial portrayal and ultimate conclusion are fantastic, but the bridge between the two is way too derivative and bland to do them justice. Between that and the lack of a wow factor, Spider-Man: Brand New Day falls short of greatness. But it comes close enough to head in the right direction at this point in the series.
5. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Director: Jon Watts
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jake Gyllenhaal, Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr
Spider-Man: Far from Home was easily Spider-Man at his best in the MCU when it came out. In the wake of Avengers: Endgame and the loss of Tony Stark, you feel the pressure and even guilt that Peter (Tom Holland) now deals with as he’s asked to step up and come into his own as Spider-Man. The film deals with the mythos we place around superheroes and the damage it can do, exploited by my favorite Spider-Man movie villain, Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal, of The Bride!). His motivations are so much clearer than in Homecoming, and you see his visible transformation and growth in confidence by the end. Although the effects can be very weak in places, the Europe-based action is also creative and fulfilling.
What holds Far from Home back is the general fluffier tone it goes for despite coming off the monumentally heavy events of Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. The high school comedy approach of Homecoming still remains when it should have been stripped back. Had that happened, and had the effects been polished, this may have been the best Spider-Man film ever made. As is, Spider-Man: Far from Home still manages to come out with its head held high as an upper-tier movie in the franchise.
4. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Starring: Shameik Moore, Mahershala Ali, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse came out of nowhere and won over everybody with how different, audacious, and even powerful it is compared to almost any other superhero movies. This is a crazy premise with a crazy execution, but the goofier comedy doesn’t restrain or interrupt the heavier scenes. Miles Morales (Shameik Moore, of Dope) breathes fresh, new life into yet another Spider-Man origin with his perfectly realized background, insecurities, and dynamics with his family. Peter Parker’s (Jake Johnson, of Self Reliance) struggles in figuring out how to fix himself brilliantly parallels Miles figuring out how to be Spider-Man.
The animation style is vivid, flashy, and jaw-dropping, but knows when to settle down for a quieter moment. Into the Spider-Verse can get away with so much that couldn’t be done in any of the other Spider-Man movies, and that’s taken full advantage of without losing sight of the rich story at the center. There are a few gimmicks that don’t land, like Spider-Ham (John Mulaney) or the many origin story flashbacks, and the sheer number of characters causes some to get lost in the shuffle. But none of that stops Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse from being a bold, refreshing, and loving take on the hero, and the first exceptional film on this list.
3. Spider-Man (2002)
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco
The very first cinematic adaptation of the famous wall-crawler, and one that remains among his best to this day. Tobey Maguire may not be the best actor to ever play Peter Parker, but he’s given the best, most complete script for the character’s humble origins. His identity, critical mistakes that push him to do good, and relationships with his friends and foes are all richly established and moved forward about as seamlessly as possible. Sam Raimi and writer David Koepp drench Spider-Man in old-school campiness and miraculously make it work. There’s no cynicism, no sense that the filmmakers are making decisions out of anything other than pure passion.
Despite all that camp, the film still manages to be highly emotionally resonant, and even brutal in scenes like the final battle. The effects and action haven’t aged the best in every regard, but a lot of them are still very impressive. In an age where so much is done through CGI, it’s a delight to marvel (no pun intended) at how much was done in-camera and how much work went into everything, especially considering there was no prior template for how to do a Spider-Man movie. The eccentricities only occasionally work against the film, but even then, they’re still entertaining in their own way. Spider-Man is simply a classic. Not quite perfect, but an excellent and engaging film that’s held up very well in its own bizarre way.
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Starring: Shameik Moore, Mahershala Ali, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Jake Johnson
Into the Spider-Verse innovated with its style and storytelling, but Across the Spider-Verse makes its predecessor look quaint in comparison by pushing its animation and story to even bigger, more experimental heights. This is one of the most visually impressive films, animated or not, I’ve ever seen. Its visuals, sound design, and editing all deliver a focused, creative, occasionally overwhelming assault on the senses. But more importantly, they remain in service of a very personal and subversive story with Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld, of Sinners) at the center.
What starts as a familiar but still engaging setup becomes a brilliant dramatic use of meta commentary that challenges our main heroes, their relationships, the notion of defying fate, and the question of if they even should defy fate. For all of Across the Spider-Verse’s glorious insanity, it’s not afraid to get quieter and more intimate for long periods of time. The more meticulous pacing of the first half puts you in the shoes of Miles and Gwen so perfectly, with Gwen in particular really breaking out as the best character in a cast full of great characters. Sure, the cliffhanger ending leaves you on an odd note and makes Across the Spider-Verse feel slightly like an incomplete story. But it’s an amazing incomplete story, one whose eventual conclusion has a lot to live up to.
1. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina, James Franco
Everything that Spider-Man does, Spider-Man 2 does just as well if not better. The action and effects are near-flawless, with the train sequence being one of the best in cinematic history. Every character is furthered and faces even tougher dilemmas than before. If Spider-Man establishes Peter Parker’s (Tobey Maguire) drive to be the hero, its sequel establishes what makes that so difficult and draining, relentlessly beating down on Peter until he has nothing left to keep him going. The burden, and ultimately acceptance, of just how much you give up to uphold great responsibility is explored with both our hero and our villain, the latter of whom is brought to life by a great Alfred Molina performance as well as remarkable digital effects and puppetry.
Better yet, where the first Spider-Man occasionally struggles in juggling its wacky and serious tones, Spider-Man 2 finds the perfect sweet spot for both of them. The pacing is the slowest of any film in the franchise, but that just goes to show how character-driven this sequel is. Raimi knows just what to focus on and how to evenly distribute the time spent on each character, the comedy, the hardships, the action, and even a bit of horror in the hospital scene with Doc Ock’s attacking arms. Everything you could ask for is nailed. Whatever lies in the future for the iconic Marvel hero’s life on screen, Spider-Man 2 remains, after all these years, his best, most well-rounded film ever, and an extremely difficult one to top.