{"id":723861,"date":"2026-08-02T04:29:41","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T04:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/723861\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T04:29:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T04:29:41","slug":"every-spider-man-movie-ranked-from-worst-to-best","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/723861\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Spider-Man Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Disney, Sony Animation, Sony Pictures\n <\/p>\n

The world\u2019s favorite webslinger is back this week in Spider-Man: Brand New Day<\/a>, the fourth film starring Tom Holland as one of the most iconic superheroes in the history of pop culture. While Brand New Day pushes the character in a new direction, it also recalls a half-century cinematic history of the friendly neighborhood teen in tights, which got us thinking about the dozen or so adventures of Spider-Man on the big screen. From a 1970s TV movie through the Tobey Maguire years, Andrew Garfield era, Spider-Verse flicks, and now the Holland quadrilogy, it\u2019s been an incredible ride, one with extreme highs and regrettable lows. The world loves Spider-Man, and this is the order in which that love should be enshrined.<\/p>\n

Some housekeeping before we begin: After careful consideration, we disqualified the 1978 Supaidaman, a.k.a. Japanese Spider-Man. It\u2019s just a 24-minute episode of the show, only included on some film lists because it played once at the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival in July 1978. It opens a Pandora\u2019s box of potential inclusions if single TV episodes can make this list. (No one wants to consider where Spider-Noir<\/a> ranks.) And yet, we\u2019re making an exception for our first entry \u2026<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Photo: CBS\n <\/p>\n

Why include what is basically an extended TV pilot for the 1977\u20131979 CBS series<\/a> if we\u2019re kicking Supaidaman to the curb? First, it\u2019s feature-length, so it plays more like a movie than a show. Second, it was widely released internationally in theaters by Columbia Pictures, making a remarkable-for-1977 $9 million at the box office (almost $50 million in 2026 dollars). With that technicality out of the way: It\u2019s horrible, even for its time. Yes, some of the \u201970s aspects are nostalgic fun (it has the funkiest disco score in any superhero movie), but the script, which blends origin story with a mind-control villain in a way that never really intertwines the two, barely sustains the length of the movie. It\u2019s constantly padding itself to get from one commercial break to another, including some truly hilarious scenes of wall-climbing that almost need to be seen to be believed. Michael Pataki also gets some good laughs as a cigar-chomping cop, but Nicholas Hammond is a snooze as Parker. Seinfeld fans will get a kick out of a cameo by Len Lesser, a.k.a. Uncle Leo, but there\u2019s not much here to recommend otherwise. It should be noted that Columbia would again take a pair of two-part episodes from the run of this show to milk some foreign box office from them in 1978\u2019s Spider-Man Strikes Back and 1981\u2019s Spider-Man: The Dragon\u2019s Challenge. Consider this an entry for all three.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Photo: Sony Pictures\n <\/p>\n

Five years after the missteps of Spider-Man 3, Sony rebooted the series<\/a> under the direction of Marc Webb, allowing Andrew Garfield to step into Spidey\u2019s red suit alongside Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, Rhys Ifans as Lizard, Martin Sheen as Ben Parker, and Sally Field as Aunt May. What\u2019s funny about watching this misfire years later<\/a> is how much it leans into one of the most mocked aspects of Raimi\u2019s last movie: emo Spidey. Garfield is an undeniably great actor, but the decision to essentially remake the origin story a decade after watching it with Tobey Maguire<\/a> does him no favors. So much of TASM is just a shadow version of Raimi\u2019s first movie, right down to an Uncle Ben do-over, with less interesting characters, rhythms, and villains. It\u2019s a version of Spidey that doesn\u2019t just take itself too seriously, it drains the superhero of so much of what people love about him.<\/p>\n

\"Emma <\/p>\n

Photo: Niko Tavernise\/Columbia Pictures\n <\/p>\n

Some might understandably argue that this should be swapped with the previous entry for Electro\u2019s dubstep soundtrack alone, but it barely sneaks past the first flick for one major reason: Garfield and Stone. Watching them now, one can see how they grew as performers<\/a> even just from the first movie to the second, especially in the character-driven emotional beats of the first half. The truth is that the ensembles in the Webb movies are arguably the best of the entire franchise on paper \u2014 this one has three Oscar winners in Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, and Sally Field \u2014 but the scripts are either shallow rehashes<\/a> of what was better in the Raimi films or half-hearted attempts at fan service that feel like checklist assignments (remember the Sinister Six set-up?) more than anything born of creative passion. Worst of all, they\u2019re obsessively morose, which no one wants from Spider-Man. He\u2019s your friendly neighborhood ally, not your Goth one.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Photo: Columbia Pictures\n <\/p>\n

The first hour of the last collaboration between Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire is significantly better than you remember. It has that zippy Raimi style, one that feels like it weds a comic-book sensibility to the vibrant filmmaking of the man who made Evil Dead 2. Somewhat ironically, the movie falls apart<\/a> when it leans into its more horror-driven ideas, including the clunky Venom subplot and everyone\u2019s favorite Spider-Man whipping post, Evil Peter. More than that, though, Topher Grace just doesn\u2019t work as Eddie Brock<\/a>, Thomas Haden Church looks lost as Sandman, and James Franco lives in the shadow of Willem Dafoe as much as his character does. On the other hand, Bryce Dallas Howard plays an effective Gwen Stacy, Kirsten Dunst is typically fantastic, and Raimi and the great cinematographer Bill Pope craft some memorable imagery around the nonsense. There\u2019s more here to like than the historical record would have you believe \u2014 this is the point on the list where we\u2019d at least cautiously recommend seeing the movie \u2014 but not enough to rank it any higher.<\/p>\n

\"Michael <\/p>\n

Photo: Chuck Zlotnick\/CTMG, Inc.\n <\/p>\n

If John Hughes made a Marvel movie<\/a>, it would look a lot like this coming-of-age blockbuster that reshaped the Marvel Cinematic Universe, finally fully bringing Spider-Man into the fold after a scene-stealing turn in Captain America: Civil War. The first Tom Holland movie is just barely the worst because of its inability to find its own voice in the already-cluttered MCU, sanding down too much of what people love about the character with shallow stakes. And it\u2019s more of a way to connect the Battle of New York to the Blip than a movie that feels like it stands on its own webbed feet. It doesn\u2019t help that Holland seems to be playing even younger than his teenage identity (he comes off more preteen than 15) and that none of the recurring characters like Zendaya\u2019s M.J.<\/a> and Jacob Batalon\u2019s Ned have really found their voices. Honestly, the best thing about Homecoming remains Michael Keaton\u2019s fun performance as Vulture, one of the better MCU villains of this series<\/a>. For that alone, and the setup this movie does for superior Holland installments to follow, it\u2019s worth seeing.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Photo: Jay Maidment\/Marvel\/Columbia Pictures\/Everett Collection\n <\/p>\n

The dramatic end of No Way Home required a reset for the Tom Holland franchise, and new director Destin Daniel Cretton mostly pulls off the tough act of following up a beloved blockbuster, even with a few common MCU missteps along the way<\/a>. The evolution of Spider-Man from a globetrotting teenager to isolated Big Apple crime-stopper allows Holland to give his best performance to date, and probably the best Spidey acting turn by anyone so far, even if it\u2019s hard to shake the feeling that this film is also a bit too transitional in the bigger MCU picture. Having said that, the young cast rules with Holland, Zendaya, Batalon, and Sadie Sink stealing the flick from vets like Jon Bernthal and Mark Ruffalo. It may not have the best action of the franchise, but it has a sizable heart, and it finally solves the \u201cEmo Spidey\u201d problem through Holland\u2019s committed, emotional performance. Most of all, it\u2019s an effective repurposing of a common superhero theme in that Peter learns that no one can successfully navigate this violent world alone, not even its most powerful beings.<\/p>\n

\"Tom <\/p>\n

Photo: Jay Maidment\/CTMG\n <\/p>\n

Yes, a lot of the Mysterio stuff in the back half of Jon Watts\u2019s second film hasn\u2019t aged well in terms of CGI or even memorable storytelling, but one should remember where this film exists in the MCU before considering its effectiveness. It was the megafranchise\u2019s first major film after Endgame<\/a>, which was intended as an intense chapter break in the history of all these characters. How does a saga hit refresh after something as monumental as the death of Iron Man? Watts was basically tasked with resurrecting the franchise, and he did so by shifting tones from the intense action of Endgame to a globe-trotting adventure<\/a>. The Mysterio stuff even arguably plays into a wink-wink suggestion that maybe all the closure in Endgame wouldn\u2019t be permanent. After all, you can\u2019t always believe what you see in the MCU. It also feels like Holland and Zendaya find their characters more in their second mainline Spidey outing, making this one of the more underrated MCU flicks of the last decade.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Photo: Matt Kennedy\/Sony Pictures\n <\/p>\n

Remember when this movie cured COVID? One of the reasons No Way Home clicked was how much it felt like the pandemic era\u2019s first universally beloved event movie. And what an event it was, bringing together characters and performers<\/a> from across the entire Spider-Man mythology, including multiple Peter Parkers, Green Goblin, Doc Ock, and even minor players like Lizard, Sandman, and Electro. It really is the Endgame for the Spider-Man mythos, which means a degree of narrative bloat<\/a>, but it\u2019s still remarkably satisfying as a piece of superhero entertainment. It helps to have such ace performers as Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina back in the mix, but this is the best Holland Spider-Man for one simple reason: It\u2019s the most entertaining. It hums from plot point to revelation to explosion to tragic death, a reminder, maybe when we needed it most, of how purely enjoyable a blockbuster like this could be.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Photo: Columbia Pictures\n <\/p>\n

Hollywood tried to make a Spider-Movie for a generation \u2014 with directors like James Cameron, Michael Bay, Tim Burton, David Fincher, and M. Night Shyamalan considered at various points \u2014 but it was Columbia Pictures head Amy Pascal who arguably changed the course of superhero moviedom with her first choice: The Evil Dead director Sam Raimi<\/a>. She knew that Raimi\u2019s kinetic, passionate visual style was perfect for the colorful world of Peter Parker, a gambit that paid off with the first studio blockbuster of his career. Of course, it\u2019s Raimi\u2019s poppy vision that makes this origin story so effective, but it helps to have an incredible cast at a time when it still felt like a bit of a step down to make a lowly \u201csuperhero movie.\u201d It\u2019s really got a perfect balance of rising stars (Maguire, Dunst, Franco) alongside established legends like Dafoe, Cliff Robertson, and Rosemary Harris. It also sets a crucial foundation for so much Spidey filmmaking to come in how much it centers the big theme: \u201cWith great power comes great responsibility.\u201d Peter Parker learns not just about power but grief, regret, and morality. So many of the best superhero movies to follow, including everything from The Dark Knight to Black Panther, owe a debt to this flick, one that proved how much could be done within the genre\u2019s sandbox.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Photo: Sony Pictures Animation\n <\/p>\n

One could argue the order of the two phenomenal Spider-Verse movies, but the sequel falls just under the original for a couple reasons. First, it\u2019s not a complete story. So while it\u2019s undeniably about as entertaining as this kind of thing can be, there\u2019s a sense that we won\u2019t be able to fully appreciate it until we\u2019ve seen how it lands some of its dangling plot points in the follow-up. Second, the first movie\u2019s just a bit naturally tighter in terms of character and storytelling, what with this one being even more stuffed with Spider-People<\/a>. Having said that, movies don\u2019t get much more mesmerizing than Across the Spider-Verse, as directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson take the creative confidence granted by the critical and commercial success of the first film and just go nuts with it, both visually and narratively. The storytelling is so ambitious as Miles Morales travels the multiverse to defeat the Spot (Jason Schwartzman), but it\u2019s the nonstop visual thrills that really carry Across the Spider-Verse, a movie bursting with more creativity in every scene than most entire animated features.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Photo: Sony Pictures Animation\/Marvel Entertainment\n <\/p>\n

Hollywood hasn\u2019t released an animated film of this caliber since its 2018 release. Into the Spider-Verse feels like it rewrites the potential of animated superhero movies<\/a>, and yet so few have been able to follow in its ambitious footsteps because the degree of difficulty onscreen is so remarkably high. From its very opening scenes, Into the Spider-Verse<\/a> plays with not just coming-of-age and superhero tropes but how much we love them, dropping in references to generations of comic books and even the live-action movies that preceded it. The voice work is unimpeachable, but it\u2019s the way directors Bob Perischetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman wed the comic-inspired visuals to the emotionally driven storytelling that make the film so special. It\u2019s funny, thrilling, and legitimately moving. And it feels like the movie on this list most likely to inspire future creatives to make something as remarkable.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Photo: Columbia Pictures\n <\/p>\n

It might just be the best superhero movie ever made. Raimi and writer Alvin Sargent don\u2019t make the mistake of simply repeating what worked in the first movie: They build on the foundation they\u2019ve set, deepening the franchise\u2019s themes and characters instead of just going bigger with them. The lessons that Peter Parker learned about the responsibility of great power are reflected in one of superhero moviedom\u2019s best villains, as Dr. Otto Octavius finds himself wielding unimaginable force even as he\u2019s wracked with unfathomable grief. From Pope\u2019s vibrant cinematography to Danny Elfman\u2019s killer score to an ensemble without a single weak link, it revealed that the ceiling for the superhero movie was much higher than anyone suspected. And it climaxes in one of movie history\u2019s best scenes as Spider-Man\u2019s act of great strength reveals his secret identity to a subway full of survivors<\/a>, who use the moment to lift him above their heads before realizing he\u2019s just a kid. As a character, Spider-Man has always been at his most interesting when he\u2019s caught between being an ordinary teenager and the savior of the free world. Spider-Man 2 best captures that duality, making it the finest webslinger movie to date.<\/p>\n

Sign up for the Vulture Daily<\/p>\n

An entertainment newsletter for the pop-culture obsessed.<\/p>\n

Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms<\/a> and Privacy Notice<\/a> and to receive email correspondence from us.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Disney, Sony Animation, Sony Pictures The world\u2019s favorite webslinger is back this week in Spider-Man:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":723862,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[34214,96,5396,7468,110740,2839,37885,25452,22502,19799,11944,22529,5454,56,54,55,13305,109200,109201,26452],"class_list":["post-723861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-movies","tag-andrew-garfield","tag-entertainment","tag-marvel","tag-mcu","tag-miles-morales","tag-movies","tag-ranking","tag-rankings","tag-spider-man","tag-spider-man-brand-new-day","tag-superheroes","tag-tobey-maguire","tag-tom-holland","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-vulture-homepage-lede","tag-vulture-lists","tag-vulture-picks","tag-vulture-section-lede"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=723861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/723862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=723861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=723861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=723861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}