All 9 Live-Action Spider-Man Movies: Ranked From Worst to Best

For nearly 25 years, the Spider-Man franchise has been one of the most successful brands in cinematic history. While the ninth installment, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, broke box office records worldwide, the series has accumulated both very high peaks and quite low troughs. Nerdist ranked the nine live-action films from worst to best, not counting the MCU films where Spidey made guest appearances.

9. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) — Marc Webb

A textbook example of a studio drawing the wrong lessons from the MCU: an eagerness to build a universe before character, story, and logic. Jamie Foxx's Electro is almost straight out of Joel Schumacher's 90s Batman; a tone diametrically opposed to Andrew Garfield's performance. It represents the bottom, except for giving us the best Spider-Man suit in the series.

8. Spider-Man 3 (2007) — Sam Raimi

Raimi was pressured by the studio to include Venom, whom he disliked; with two villains already, a third completely upset the balance. Thomas Haden Church's Sandman, especially his "birth" scene, is magnificent; the amnesia subplot and screaming MJ are tiresome. A messy but never boring, watchable chaos.

7. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) — Marc Webb

A reboot that came just five years after the Raimi trilogy, essentially made to cut costs. Garfield's casting was right, but the film couldn't go beyond "not bad." The more realistic approach stripped the series of its charm; on top of that, it had the worst suit in the series.

6. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) — Jon Watts

A good example of the MCU at its peak: the European trip opens up plenty of lighthearted space for Peter, Ned, and the Midtown crew. Tom Holland and Zendaya's chemistry is convincing, Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio is a villain who causes real damage to Peter's life. The hologram nightmare sequence is one of the MCU's best visual moments.

5. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) — Jon Watts

A film that should have collapsed on paper: resolving the identity cliffhanger, teaming up with Doctor Strange, bringing back two old Spider-Men and their villains. Yet it works, because it's not just about nostalgia; we genuinely care about all three Peter Parkers. Holland's Peter finally steps out of Tony Stark's shadow.

4. Spider-Man (2002) — Sam Raimi

A nearly flawless origin story. Tobey Maguire is brilliant casting; David Koepp's script condenses years of Silver Age comics into a single film and never feels rushed. Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn and J.K. Simmons' J. Jonah Jameson are iconic. Downsides: a superficial MJ and that terrible Goblin suit.

3. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) — Jon Watts

Fifteen years later, a Spidey who finally looks genuinely high school-aged. Skipping the spider bite after two origin films was a smart decision. This version, close to Bendis's Ultimate Spider-Man comics, also brings one of the MCU's best villains in Michael Keaton's Vulture.

2. Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) — Destin Daniel Cretton

The ninth film in the series exploded both at the box office and with critics. Cretton tells a more street-level and emotional Spider-Man story, building Holland's Peter from the ground up; the costume design is also the best in the series.

1. Spider-Man 2 (2004) — Sam Raimi

No surprises at the top. Raimi's second film is still not only the best Spider-Man movie but also one of the best superhero films of all time. Alfred Molina's Doc Ock is tragic and terrifying, the train scene is one of the genre's benchmark scenes, and the tension between heroism and personal sacrifice is the real force holding the film together.

Source: Nerdist — "Ranking All 9 Live-Action Spider-Man Films".