The latest in a long line of web-slinging Marvel movies arrives this week.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a new adventure following Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) on a new multiversal journey, joined by faces new and old. This wall-crawling menace has been in movies for decades, though, being played by Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland.
To get you ready for the Spider-Verse, here are the Spider-Man movies ranked.
10. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
The weakest Spider-Man movie is the third entry in the Sam Raimi trilogy. (Shocking, we know.)
For the record, thought? Spider-Man 3 remains an entertaining film with excellent moments. The plot surrounding Spider-Man and Flint Marko/Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), with Sandman’s tie-in to Uncle Ben’s death, is well-written. However, there are too many subplots weighing the film down, such as the laughable Eddie Brock/Venom (Topher Grace) storyline and the unnecessary addition of Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard). This movie mishandles the relationship between Peter and MJ (Kirsten Dunst), too — reducing it to a low-stakes joke for most of the runtime.
(Oh, and while it’s famous for the Bully Maguire/Emo Peter Parker memes, those moments are actually some of the best in the film. ‘Nuff said!)
9. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
After plans for Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 fell through, the series was rebooted with The Amazing Spider-Man, directed by Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) and starring Andrew Garfield as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. While there are fun moments, it winds up as the most generic of the Spider-Man films. The dark color palette doesn’t match the colorful hero, and it feels like a bleak, by-the-numbers story with a few storylines that never get resolved.
8. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
The sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man steps things up a little. It upgrades the suit, Marc Webb directs the swinging sequences to perfection, and it has an incredible musical score from Hans Zimmer. Then-couple Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone have the best chemistry out of any Spider-Man romance, and there are plenty of tender scenes that showcase that. However, the film gets held back by the same mistakes as Spider-Man 3. By intentionally trying to set up the Sinister Six, this Spider-Man movie feels overstuffed with storylines and characters. The storyline with Harry Osborn/Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan) is terrible, and Jamie Foxx’s Electro is not used well enough.
7. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Spider-Man: Far From Home sees Peter Parker on a field trip with his friends in Europe. This movie gets a lot of mileage out of the idea of a high school student trying to impress the girl he likes while having to secretly save the world. It introduces Jake Gyllenhaal as Quentin Beck/Mysterio, and he proves to be a formidable presence in this film. Far From Home is an entertaining, high-energy adventure that hinges on Peter making one of his worst choices yet.
6. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
This movie became the first stand-alone Spider-Man movie set in the MCU, and newcomer Tom Holland had a lot to live up to. Fortunately, he brought his all to this movie with his charisma and lighthearted energy. He spends the movie wanting to prove himself to Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and it creates a fun, low-stakes adventure. Michael Keaton is fantastic as Adrien Toomes/Vulture, and Jon Watts directs this film like a classic 1980s John Hughes movie.
5. Spider-Man (2002)
This movie is iconic. It’s the Spider-Man movie that many people grew up watching; the one that introduced filmgoing audiences to Marvel’s friendly neighborhood wall-crawler. It features Willem Dafoe’s pitch-perfect performance as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, alongside one of the most memorable movie kisses ever. (Don’t worry — Dafoe isn’t involved.) It’s a fantastic origin story, and while a few elements haven’t aged perfectly, it remains a fun time regardless.
4. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
One of the best Spider-Man movies is easily Spider-Man 2, which features one of the best stories in the franchise. The Green Goblin was a hard villain to follow up, but Alfred Molina as Dr. Otto Octavius/Doc Ock brought the heat for this summer blockbuster. It’s an age-old comic set-up, centered on Peter’s struggle to balance his personal, professional, and superhero lives. Seeing him return to full form with the mind-blowing train sequence is satisfying, and the emotionally hefty conclusion leaves everything on a perfect note.
3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
This film may be tied with the first Spider-Verse movie as one of the best superhero movies ever made. It’s brilliantly written, with a breathtaking animation and plenty of standout sequences. The characters from the first film are taken down new, interesting paths, and it brings back all the humor and drama that you would expect. It’s grounded in its stakes, and the story is filled with twists that will leave you begging for more once the credits roll.
2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
The Spider-Man movie that nobody was expecting ended up being one of the best installments in the franchise. An animated film without Peter Parker as the protagonist was a risk, but the story of Miles Morales trying his best to fill the shoes of Spider-Man is inspiring. It’s a high-spirited adventure that brings plenty of self-awareness to the character while also not being restrained by the boundaries of live-action. The scene where Miles takes a leap of faith is goosebump-inducing, and every needle drop is superb.
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Spider-Man: No Way Home is the culmination of decades of Spider-Man content. The writing may be a little rough around the edges, but the film throws enough at audiences to keep them engaged for almost three hours. The final 45 minutes — where Maguire, Garfield, and Holland square off against a gaggle of villains — are a superhero experience that will take your breath away.
