Ranking the movies in the ‘Spider-Man’ franchise
May 12, 2017
Marvel was recently able to buy back the rights from Sony to their beloved character Spider-Man. His first official appearance was in “Captain America: Civil War,” so it only makes sense that Marvel would try to revamp the beloved superhero at least one more time.
Spider-Man has been featured in a couple of movie franchises before his new, July 7 release. Here’s a look at his previous incarnations from best to worst.
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Spider-Man 2
Directed by Sam Raimi, “Spider-Man 2” makes it to the top of the list with it’s well-devised plot and cohesive characters. While Raimi’s first entry was great, he stepped it up a notch with the series’ second installment. The film centers on Peter Parker’s (Tobey Maguire) struggles with his powers, life, and relationships, as well as his confrontations with the movie’s creepy main villain Doc Ock (Alfred Molina).
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Spider-Man
Before Raimi’s first installment in the “Spider-Man” series, the only other depiction of the superhero was in the comics and a show from 1977. So needless to say that an update of everyone’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man was greatly appreciated.
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The Amazing Spider-Man
While the newest version of Spider-Man, played by Andrew Garfield, was fun, it wasn’t as good as the two films mentioned above. Director Marc Webb was able to create a plot line people hadn’t seen before with characters that were new to the movie universe. Webb also used a different love interest, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), which allowed for a clean slate and new ideas.
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The Amazing Spider-Man 2
The follow-up to the 2012 installment wasn’t as good as the first. There was fear that it would end up like the third Maguire-led “Spider-Man” movie since it included three different villains. That being said, the film ended up being a soulful and important piece in the “Spider-Man” franchise.
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Spider-Man 3
While Raimi’s signature car was shown in the movie, he played no major role in the film’s production. Most consider this film to be the worst of the worst. Nevertheless, the film did introduce the audience to famous comic characters — but unfortunately, there were a few too many of them. Parts of the movie are intentionally cheesy — including Maguire-as-Venom’s saunter down the New York City streets — but that silliness ended up infecting the entire movie.
Hopefully, “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” starring Tom Holland, will make it to the top of the list — or at least close to the top. Placing Peter Parker back in the high school environment — which “Homecoming” does — allows people to relate to the more normal aspects of an otherwise super-gifted person, something which has always made Spider-Man unique in the superhero genre.
