My Spider-Man Movie Rankings
I saw this on ComicBookMovie.Com and thought I'd do my own ranking of Spider-Man films as I've been thinking about this ranking myself since the release of Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse.
Please note, there are SPOILERS about the various Spider-Man films in here.
Here we go from 7-1...
7. Spider-Man 3
Let's face it. This film was a mess and a lot of it had to do with Sony executives getting too involved. Had the film only had Thomas Hayden's Sandman in the film, this might have moved up the list. But, Sam Raimi was forced to add Venom into the film. And then we also had Hobgoblin thrown into the mix. It ended up never giving any of the villains a chance to shine or develop. I felt that they were getting there with Sandman, but it wasn't enough. Also, I felt that everybody was phoning in the performances. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and James Franco all seemed like they were done playing these characters making Spider-Man 3 the worst of them all.
6. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is not far from last. Again, this film had a problem with villains. While the new look of Electro made sense, Jamie Fox played this character so one dimensionally, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. It reminded me of Colin Farrell's over the top Bullseye in the Daredevil film. But, if Electro wasn't bad enough, making Dane DeHaan's Harry Osborn become the Green Goblin for no reason at the end was just too much. The reason why I didn't put this film at the bottom is for one scene only. It's the scene where Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone) is tossed down the clock tower. It was palpable and my heart stopped as Spidey tried to catch her. And my heart broke when you heard that crack before she hit the ground, knowing that she died. To me, it's one of the best scenes in Spider-Man movie history, It's just too bad the rest of the movie was not great.
5. The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man was okay. I thought Andrew Garfield made a fun Spider-Man, although he felt too old for Peter Parker. And I adored Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. The only problem is that, despite its trying to give a fresh take to the Spider-Man, it ended up over complicating a story that is already pure and had already been told in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. Also, while I liked Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connor, I wished that the Lizard's look stayed closer to the comic book version.
4. Spider-Man
This film may not have been the first live action Spider-Man movie, it has been the most definitive origin story to date. Sam Raimi showed a great reverence for this character and told a very straight forward adaptation of the Spider-Man story. It's the film that made us remember how much we loved Spider-Man. While some people complained about Green Goblin's look, I thought they did the best they could at the time. Plus, I loved Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn. His voice is what I hear when I read him in the comics.
3. Spider-Man 2
For the longest time, Spider-Man 2 was my absolutely favorite Spider-Man film. I think this was the first time outside of Magneto in the X-Men films where they really fleshed out the villain in a Marvel film. I got the motivation of Doctor Octopus. Alfred Molina's performance really made you feel for this villain who was not motivated by world domination. The scene where Spider-Man battles Doc Ock on the train is still one of the best superhero action scenes in movie history.
2. Spider-Man: Homecoming
There are a few reasons why I find Spider-Man: Homecoming to be the best of the live action Spider-Man movies. First, there's Tom Holland as the webslinger himself. The problem with the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb Spider-Man films is that the actors who played Spider-Man were too old. Or, at least, looked too old for the role. Tobey Macguire might have made a good Peter Parker and Andrew Garfield a good Spider-Man, but there was something missing from the other role they played. Tom Holland just is everything we want out of both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. The film also took a lame villain in the comics and made him absolutely terrifying, yet sympathetic. To me, the Vulture is one of the best villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To top it off, Spider-Man: Homecoming has one of the best scenes in Spider-Man movie history - the scene in which Peter is trapped under rubble and he has to get himself out. Holland's performance is arresting. An amazing (pun intened) film overall.
1. Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse
I wrote a full review about Spider-Man: Into The Spideverse, which you can read here, but I really do think it is the best of the Spider-Man films. I have always been a fan of Miles Morales, but when they said they were making this movie with Miles as the main character, I was skeptical. Again, not because I didn't want a Miles Spider-Man movie, but that I thought that they would ruin his first cinematic outing. My knowledge of Lord and Miller has been movies like The LEGO Movie which are fun, but not really weighty. But, this film, under the direction of Peter Ramsey, Robert Persichetti Jr. and Rodney Rothman, really gets Miles. I couldn't have asked for a better film for him. He's just a kid trying to figure life out, but, in the rich tradition of Spider-Man, understands that with great power comes great responsibility. The film is surprisingly emotional, mainly because of how well they developed the relationship between Miles and his uncle Aaron. It makes Aaron's death even more powerful. It's not just Miles that this film gets, though. They also manage to get two Peter Parkers, Gwen Stacy, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Ham and Peni Parker. They all add value to the film and you never feel that they detract from Miles. And, because the film embraces its comic book roots, they are able to have a cartoon pig and an anime girl in this film and make it look natural. Just a great Spider-Man film.