2002 brought us the first major motion picture featuring the popular Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man. Since then, audiences have gone on a whirlwind trip. Three different actors have taken on the role in live-action form, Spider-Man has entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Sony has their own slew of Spider-Man themed films set to arrive.
That said, there’s a lot of debate on what the best Spider-Man movie is. We’re ranking them all here based on their ratings by the users over at IMDb. For this list, we’re only including films where a Spider-Man character is the lead (which means Venom is included) and not ensemble pieces like Avengers: Infinity War.
Spider-Man 3 (6.2)
It’s the installment that unfortunately killed a franchise. The first two installments of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy were well-received and considered among the greatest superhero films ever made at the time. However, Spider-Man 3 was met with, at best, a mixed response from both audiences and critics.
This entry had plenty of fun moments but suffered from a bloated plot. The film attempted to shoehorn in three villains (Sandman, Green Goblin, and Venom) which caused none of them to develop properly. Throw in the wacky scenes where Peter Parker dances and you’ve got something that was questionable all around. It makes sense that the franchise was rebooted.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (6.6)
Take what was said about Spider-Man and apply it here because it fits. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 had good things going for it. Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield continued to have great chemistry, while the death of Gwen Stacey came across as a powerful emotional moment.
Like Spider-Man 3, this tried to do too much. The Green Goblin storyline never clicked and felt forced, while Electro and Rhino made for lackluster villains. This also tried to set an entire universe in motion and it wasn’t earned. The worst part was probably the fact that Spidey got over Gwen’s death in a montage at the end, rendering the whole thing kind of pointless.
Venom (6.7)
2018’s Venom is in a strange place. Sony owns the film rights to Spider-Man but shares them with Disney. Since they aren’t making their own live-action Spidey movies, they started a new universe with this anti-hero. Critics lambasted this (29% on Rotten Tomatoes) but fans enjoyed it (80% audience score and $856.1 million at the box office).
There were several reasons why cinemagoers appreciated this. For one, Tom Hardy clearly had a lot of fun in the role. This was also just flat out good fun. It never took itself too seriously and gave viewers something that was simple to digest. It wasn’t a classic but it’s an enjoyable romp.
The Amazing Spider-Man (6.9)
Marc Webb, famous for (500) Days of Summer, took over the reins of the character when Spider-Man was rebooted in 2012. Unfortunately, that was the same year as superior superhero flicks like The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. This worked as a different take on the character.
Andrew Garfield brought a cool charisma to Peter Parker and this marked our first look at Gwen Stacey on the big screen. The Lizard was something of a weak villain and his plot proved to be too goofy. Those things held this back from being the great turnaround that Spider-Man needed.
Spider-Man 2 (7.3)
You’re probably surprised to see this rank so low. For many fans, Spider-Man 2 remains the holy grail of superhero flicks. That being said, it doesn’t score as highly as expected on IMDb. Maybe these reviews are more recent, as some folks have noticed how this doesn’t quite hold up as well almost two decades later.
Still, there’s a lot to like here. Tobey Maguire is better than ever as our hero, with some truly uplifting scenes. Doctor Octopus was a compelling villain and some of the action scenes are all-time greats. Some of the supporting characters are poorly written, which is probably the film’s weak point.
Spider-Man (7.3)
Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man from 2002 slightly edges out its sequel by virtue of having more IMDb reviews. This movie is historic as it changed everything. Other than some solid X-Men movies, the superhero genre was churning out lackluster films. Spider-Man was a massive success in every possible way.
Though it has its poignant and serious moments, this movie is just a blast to watch today. It’s filled with over the top performances (especially from Willem Dafoe) and some gloriously cheesy moments. This also gave us our first iteration of the Spider-Man origin story in cinema.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (7.4)
In 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, the world was introduced to a Spider-Man who was part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He stole the show in that movie and got his own solo project the following year. Spider-Man: Homecoming gave Tom Holland a chance to truly strut his stuff as the titular hero.
He shined bright, offering up what many consider the best iteration of the character. The inclusion of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man only boosted things. Michael Keaton provided an incredible villain and was part of one of the best superhero movie twists in history.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (7.6)
It seems like each time Tom Holland gets to ply Peter Parker/Spider-Man, he gets better. His performance in Spider-Man: Far From Home is fantastic and helped lead a highly-anticipated entry. This was the first Spider-Man film to surpass $1 billion at the box office and it was the first MCU entry following Avengers: Endgame.
We got to see the aftermath of the “Blip” and how Peter dealt with the death of Tony Stark. Jake Gyllenhaal turns in fantastic work as the villainous Mysterio, Zendaya has electric chemistry with Holland, and this featured some hilarious fun moments. When you add in supporting roles for MCU veterans like Samuel L. Jackson, you’ve got a recipe for success.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (8.4)
We are in the golden age of Spider-Man films. 2018’s Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse pretty much did everything right. Its effort earned it the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. The voice work from the likes of Shamiek Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, and Jake Johnson was tremendous.
What truly made this film stand out was the animation style. This felt like you were reading a comic book the whole time. It was one of the most unique takes on an animated film that you’ll ever see. This also benefitted from the way it hammered home the idea that anyone could be Spider-Man. The movie represented multiple genders, races and more. An outstanding soundtrack is just the cherry on top.
