For almost 25 years, the Spider-Man franchise has been one of the most successful in movie history. And the ninth entry, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is breaking box office records all over the world. But over the years, the franchise has had some high highs, and also some pretty low lows. But looking back on all nine, which ones are the best, and which ones never need to be watched again? Below, we rank all nine live-action Spider-Man movies, sans MCU movies where he guest stars, from worst to the very best.
9. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) Director: Marc Webb
C’mon, you can’t be all that surprised this one is at the very bottom. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a textbook case of a studio learning all the wrong lessons from other successful franchises like the MCU, and trying to copy them. But they didn’t absorb the right things, and put franchise building before character, story, or logic. It’s also a textbook example of over-correcting from criticisms of the previous entry. Yes, the first Amazing Spider-Man was too dour and “serious,” and needed to lighten up and be more fun. But Jamie Foxx’s Electro was so, so goofy, he felt straight out of a Joel Schumacher ’90s Batman movie. It was an epic clash of tones.
Jamie Foxx is in an entirely different movie than the one Andrew Garfield is in, who has to deal with an old friend gone bad (Harry Osborn, take two) and a girlfriend who would (Spoilers?) soon die just because that’s what happened in the comics. This movie felt especially bad in the same summer of Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. One thing this movie does do right is give us the best cinematic Spider-Man costume. Well, at least until the one Tom Holland wears in Brand New Day. But other than that, this represents the lowest point in the live-action Spider-Man franchise. It’s still probably better than Batman and Robin, for what it’s worth.
8. Spider-Man 3 (2007) Director: Sam Raimi
After the euphoric high of Spider-Man 2, we should have known that Raimi’s third installment would be a step down. And boy, it sure was. Raimi caved in to studio pressure and included Venom, a character he didn’t care for, to sell more toys. But the movie already had two other villains, and it never managed to bring all those disparate stories together in a very satisfying way. The stuff with Thomas Haden Church’s Sandman is all great, especially his “birth scene.” But the whole amnesia storyline with James Franco, while very comic booky, is super lame. And MJ as a screaming hostage was just beyond exhausting by this point. Although, Miss Dunst, you are indeed a five-star screamer.
This is a movie that is juggling way too much, and it mostly doesn’t work. And it doesn’t because you can tell Sam Raimi’s heart just wasn’t in it this time. Having said all that, it’s a mess, but a super fun and watchable mess. And some of the action sequences are great, like Spider-Man rescuing Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) from a construction site disaster. A lot of fans these days hate Tobey Maguire’s alien symbiote-influenced “Dark Peter,” but he gets some iconic scenes, and that dance has stood the test of time. If we were still in elementary school, this might be our favorite Spider-Man movie. It’s a hot mess, but it’s never boring at least. But it’s a shame Raimi’s tenure on the franchise ended with such a collective “wait, really?”
7. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) Director: Marc Webb
Everything about this movie felt wrong-headed from the jump. Despite being directed by someone whose last name is Webb. Sony decided to reboot Spider-Man on screen a mere decade after his first movie hit, and only five years past Spider-Man 3. It was simply to cut costs and not give Raimi and Maguire raises. However, the casting of Andrew Garfield felt right, and we had hopes it would be good. Alas, the movie was just aggressively ok, and never could justify its existence so soon after the Raimi trilogy. Also, it doesn’t help that this movie has the worst of all the live-action Spidey costumes.
The Amazing Spider-Man went for a more realistic and natural approach than Raimi did, but in doing so, robbed the series of much of its charm. None of the actors are bad. We’re talking about Oscar winners like Sally Field and Martin Sheen here. But the idea that it wasn’t fate that gave Peter Parker his powers rubs us the wrong way. It’s not supposed to be a chosen one story. So what saves it? The chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy is sweet and real. And Garfield remembers that Spidey is meant to be quippy, something Tobey Maguire wasn’t all that great at. Those things alone make this one watchable, just not particularly great.
6. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Director: Jon Watts
Not as good as the two Jon Watts Spider-Man movies it’s sandwiched in between, but Far From Home is nevertheless a blast, and a great example of the MCU at the peak of its power. Usually, taking Spider-Man out of his home turf of Manhattan doesn’t work, but the high school trip to Europe allows for tons of lighthearted fun between Peter, Ned, and the rest of the kids (and teachers!) of Midtown High. If there’s a big downside, it’s that this movie has to deal too much with being a palate cleanser after the heaviness of Avengers: Endgame and Tony Stark’s death, and that’s probably its greatest detriment upon rewatch.
But this movie works because Tom Holland and Zendaya really sell us on the budding romance of Peter and MJ, and has us rooting for them throughout. Even though the villain seems to hate Tony Stark more than Peter Parker, Jake Gyllenhaal is great as Mysterio, a bad guy who does some actual damage to Peter’s life. That nightmarish hologram sequence is incredible, and still one of the better scenes in the MCU from a visual standpoint. Too much of Far From Home becomes bogged down in MCU stuff from other movies, such as Nick Fury as a Skrull. Why did they do that? But it’s nevertheless fun, often hilarious, and always heartfelt. We stan Night Monkey Forever.
5. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) Director: Jon Watts
Spider-Man: No Way Home is a movie that should absolutely not work. It’s doing so many things, it should buckle under its own narrative weight and nostalgia bait. It has to resolve the cliffhanger from the previous film regarding Peter’s exposed identity, team up Spidey with Doctor Strange, and bring back the two previous Spider-Mans and their respective villains for a gigantic cinematic multiverse-smashing adventure. That’s a lot to do, and still make sense as a movie. And yet, somehow, Jon Watts and his incredible cast manage to pull it all off.
So, why does it work so well, with such high scores from both critics and audiences? It’s more than just the spectacle and the nostalgia, even though all that stuff still works to this day. It’s because we care about Peter Parker and his friends. Not just this Peter, but the two previous ones too. NWH finally takes Tom Holland’s Peter out of Tony Stark’s shadow, no longer “Iron Man Jr.,” and finally gives him the tragic origin story the character needs to truly be Spider-Man. You try and not cry as Aunt May delivers the “With great power” speech. And it even rectifies how badly Andrew Garfield’s Peter got done dirty by his own series, and gives his character a nice wrap-up arc. Is it a miracle this movie works? Yes, but it sure does.
4. Spider-Man (2002) Director: Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man from 2002 is a Spidey origin story done almost totally right. Tobey Maguire was genius casting, as he captured the awkward nerdiness of the Peter Parker of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s imagination. David Koepp’s screenplay hits all the major beats of Silver Age Spidey’s early years with remarkable flair, condensing years of comics into one very lean script. All the bullet points are here, from Peter getting the spider-bite, to learning how to use his powers, to the tragedy of Uncle Ben, and learning his key life lesson about great power and great responsibility. And somehow, it never feels rushed.
Other things that make it iconic are Willem Dafoe going over the top in all the right ways as Spider-Man’s #1 nemesis, Norman Osborn/Green Goblin. James Franco also perfectly portrays the entitled Harry Osborn, who is just nice enough to Peter Parker to earn his forever friendship, even though he’s a jerk. And we’d be remiss to not mention one of the greatest comic book castings ever, J.K. Simmons as Daily Bugle editor, J. Jonah Jameson. He was so spot-on and hilarious that the Amazing Spider-Man reboot didn’t even try to top him by recasting. And the MCU just brought him back, because he’s just that perfect.
So why number four then? For starters, for as much as Kirsten Dunst brings a genuine sweetness to her MJ, on the page there’s not much more to her than “girl next door.” Peter is a nerd, but not the scientific genius who invented his own web shooters. And we didn’t spend enough time in the high school setting, probably because Tobey Maguire was already pushing 30. As great as Willem Dafoe is as the Goblin, his Goblin suit will forever suck. Sorry, it should have been makeup, that Power Rangers Goblin lowers this otherwise great film one whole notch. But these are quibbles really. Like Superman: The Movie, this film is as near to perfect a superhero origin story as ever there was.
3. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) Director: Jon Watts
It took almost fifteen years, but Homecoming, Jon Watts’ and Tom Holland’s first Spider-Man film, finally gave us a Spidey who believably looked like a teenager. After two origin story movies, the MCU Spidey wisely decided to skip the spider-bite and transformation. It simply let the audience assume something similar had happened to this Peter Parker. This Spider-Man owed more to Brian Michael Bendis’ 2000s Ultimate Spider-Man comics than Stan Lee’s. But that’s ok, because Sam Raimi already did that version. It’s okay to draw from modern Marvel Comics for a change regarding Spidey.
Here, we got a Peter who is still the least popular kid at Midtown High, but at least his BFF Ned is a genuine friend, unlike Harry. We absolutely love seeing Tom Holland and Jacob Batalon share the screen. And Zendaya as the new MJ (but not Mary Jane) has more going on personality-wise than either Dunst’s MJ or Gwen Stacy ever did. And yes, the de-aging of Aunt May with each reboot became eye-rolly, but sorry, Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May rules. She is the best cinematic Aunt May ever. Fight us.
But this movie wouldn’t work as well as it does without the terrific performance of Michael Keaton as the Vulture. His speech to Peter in the car on the way to the Homecoming dance remains a top-tier villain moments. Yes, this Spidey is still “Iron Kid,” but it’s not like we didn’t have five previous movies without other superheroes. It’s fine that Tony Stark is in this for five minutes. And that Washington Monument action scene is a peak Spidey cinematic moment. This entry remains insanely rewatchable and fun, and exemplifies everything we adore about Spidey. Plus, “Do a flip!” will always make us smile.
2. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Maybe it’s recency bias, but right now, Brand New Day is in our book the second best live-action Spidey movie. As far as we’re concerned, Destin Daniel Cretton knocked it out of the park. While other Spider-Man movies have adapted comics like Amazing Spider-Man, BND really looked to Marvel Team-Up, a long-running comic where Peter Parker teamed with one or more different Marvel heroes. But the stories were still centered on Peter Parker and his struggles, and the guest stars were there to reflect on his story, and not make Spider-Man a guest star in his own series. And that’s exactly what BND does so well.
This movie features Holland as the true classic Spider-Man at last, giving his all to serve his city, but suffering a sad and painful personal life. Is Spider-Man really even Spider-Man if he’s not at least 50% sad? This movie is juggling a lot, much like No Way Home did, but it succeeds even more than that film did. Holland and Zendaya’s scenes with MJ are racked with remorse and regret, and his chemistry with the Punisher (Jon Bernthal) makes for a delightful on-screen duo. The Hulk is put to the best use he’s had since Ragnarok, and even Yelena’s cameo scene is one everyone will remember. Even the unconventional villain (not a traditional Spidey foe) works incredibly well because they found a way to connect them to Peter Parker emotionally.
And ultimately, there’s just how good a Spider-Man movie this is on an aesthetic level. The action scenes are spectacular, and even the POV scenes of Peter swinging through the city are unlike any we’ve ever seen before. We love the previous Jon Watts movies, but we can’t say they were shot in an interesting manner. And after eight movies, we finally get a costume that looks like the one we’ve seen for decades in the comics. For a Spider-Man movie, Brand New Day does almost everything right. A few more viewings, and we just might let it take the top spot on this list one day.
1. Spider-Man 2 (2004) Director: Sam Raimi
Nine Spider-Man movies in, and to us, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 is still the reigning champion of Spidey films. Raimi’s sequel captures the heartbreak and loneliness of what it means to be Spider-Man more than any other Spidey film. Plus, it has one incredible and truly sympathetic villain in the form of Alfred Molina’s Dr. Otto Octavius/Doctor Octopus. Everything with Doc Ock is perfect in this movie, from his “birth” scene (pure Sam Raimi horror in a PG-13 movie), to his incredible fight scenes with Spidey that still thrill us.
The train sequence is still the best set piece perhaps in any Spider-Man movie. And it’s elevated by the NYC citizens tending to Peter Parker as though he’s the city’s messiah. Yes, some of it is lazy, like Peter losing his powers just because he’s in a bad headspace. Who knew genetics worked like that? But because of that story point, we got incredible moments like Peter confessing to Aunt May what happened to Uncle Ben. So we’ll hand-wave it away. It’s fantasy at the end of the day.
Spider-Man 2 somehow balances the Raimi comedy (Bruce Campbell, for the win) with the continuing melodrama of Peter’s existence perfectly. And this time, Mary Jane Watson even feels like a three-dimensional character and not just a prize for Peter to win. And that ending gets us right in the feels every time. Like X2 and Superman II before it, Spider-Man 2 manages to take everything good about the opening chapter and take things to another level. And so for us, it holds the crown for best live-action Spider-Man movie.
The first eight live-action Spider-Man films are currently streaming on Disney+.