Best Spider-Man Movies 2025

After forty years of Spider-Man staying purely on the pages of comics, we were lucky enough to see this web-slinging hero fly across the big screen. Since 2002, there has been a refreshingly small number of Spider-Man movies, although the more recent versions of the character have had some standout appearances in other films. Here are our picks for the best Spider-Man movies.

What are the best Spider-Man movies as of June 2025?

Before we dive in, please note that this list is somewhat personal. Everyone seems to have wildly different takes on the Spider-Man films, and you won’t find a single Andrew Garfield Spider-Man movie here (sorry).

Runner-ups that didn’t make the cut include No Way Home and The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), which are not as well-reviewed or beloved by fans as some other Spider-Man movies, but at least they fared better than our emo-haired Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3.

Let’s get into it.

Spider-Man

The first Spider-Man movie (2002) absolutely earns its place on any list of the best Spider-Man films. The character’s cinematic debut played a crucial role in shaping modern superhero cinema and helped set the tone for future films. An entertaining tonal mix of goofy and serious, Spider-Man is easily one of the most rewatchable superhero movies in any franchise.

In addition to Tobey Maguire, some standout actors showed up for this film: Cliff Robertson delivers the most heartfelt portrayal of Uncle Ben to date, Willem Dafoe gives us everything a villain should be (and then some), and, of course, J.K. Simmons steals every scene as Peter’s hilariously abrasive boss, J. Jonah Jameson. The movie has a lot of heart, and it’s clear that director Sam Raimi has a genuine affection for Spider-Man.

Sure, a few special effects haven’t aged all that gracefully, and some minor casting choices feel a little bland. But its place in the character’s legacy is undeniable. It gave us unforgettable moments — from the now-iconic MTV Movie Award–winning upside-down alleyway kiss to the final web-slinging shot across the city skyline.

Whether you’re feeling nostalgic for the early 2000s or just getting into the Spider-Verse, this is where you should start.

Spider-Man 2

As you might guess, Spider-Man 2 (2004) picks up where the first film left off. Peter Parker lands an internship with a brilliant and respected scientist, Dr. Otto Octavius. But when an experiment goes awry, the result is one of Spider-Man’s most memorable villains: Doc Ock, played brilliantly by Alfred Molina. This time around, Peter isn’t just up against a formidable enemy — he’s also struggling with the loss of his powers and grappling with responsibility, identity, and burnout.

Once again, director Sam Raimi blends genres with flair, mixing New York noir, mad scientist horror, and indie romance-turned-breakup story. The film is full of iconic moments, including the unforgettable train sequence where Spider-Man stops a train full of passengers from flying off the rails. The passengers grab onto the wounded Spider-Man just before he collapses off the front of the train to the street below, carrying him with arms outstretched like a wounded savior. When the passengers see him, they’re shocked: “He’s just a kid.” It’s a moment that could have been overly sentimental, but thanks to the film’s carefully mixed tone, it just works.

We also get a refreshingly goofy Peter Parker montage set to “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head.” What more do you want? Critics widely agree that Spider-Man 2 improved on the original.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Jumping ahead a few years and totally skipping over Andrew Garfield’s run, we get a fresh take on Peter Parker with Tom Holland‘s debut in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. After the darker tone of the 2012 and 2014 films, Homecoming brings back the humor and lightness that make Spider-Man so enjoyable. This version of Peter feels like a real high school kid from Queens, dealing with awkward crushes, math tests, and the small issue of being a superhero.

After Tony Stark recruits Peter Parker to join the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War, Peter Parker has to juggle being a teenager and a superhero. Since we already know the origin of this character, Homecoming is enjoyable because we can spend more time with a teenager taking on this new responsibility. One of the film’s biggest strengths is its incredibly New York outer-borough setting and ensemble characters. The high schoolers look and act their age, and Peter’s world feels lived-in and local, instead of the somewhat confusing mix of New York City and Chicago from the original Spider-Man movies. Case in point: the montage of Spider-Man helping an old woman with directions, stopping a “car thief” who turns out to be the car’s actual owner, and getting yelled at by a bunch of riled-up neighbors (one of these being Stan Lee) leaning out their windows. It’s very New York.

Homecoming is fun, fast-paced, and full of the witty dialogue we expect from the MCU. Still, it plays things a little safe and occasionally feels weighed down by its Marvel connections. It’s not as bold as Raimi’s films, but it still ranks among the best Spider-Man movies, as it marks a significant turning point for the Spider-Man franchise, firmly planting Peter within the larger Marvel Universe.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Into the Spider-Verse could easily top our list of best Spider-Man movies if we were going by critical acclaim alone. With a whopping 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s a film beloved by both critics and fans. However, we have to agree that the score here is well-deserved.

When Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) gets bitten by a radioactive spider in the subway, his life starts to change in seriously freaky ways. He begins developing powers like those of the Spider-Man of his world, a masked hero his police officer father openly disapproves of (vigilantism and all that). But things get even weirder when Miles meets a group of spider-powered heroes from alternate universes. Together, they must stop a threat that endangers all realities.

This 2018 animated film (and one of the best recent ones not made by Pixar or Disney) is full of heart, humor, and, of course, heroism. It does a really good job of making you feel like you’re actually immersed in a comic book, which we consider a modern ode to the original form.

Spider-Man: Far From Home

In the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, Far From Home (2019) takes Peter Parker to Europe on a summer school trip. Of course, what’s a high school trip without Nick Fury (played by a pitch-perfect Samuel L. Jackson) showing up to recruit Peter to battle a new threat? Peter also teams up with Mysterio, a master illusionist (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) who, maybe not-so-surprisingly, turns out to be…well, we’ll let you guess.

In Far From Home, Spider-Man seriously levels up. But we’d have to guess that surviving Avengers: Endgame will do that to a person. And even though Peter has grown, he still has that classic high school charm and awkwardness that keep him grounded and entertaining. He’s a terrible liar, especially when MJ (played by the iconic Zendaya) starts asking the right questions about his secret identity. His nervous fumbling is both hilarious and endearing. It’s those small, human moments that make this version of Spider-Man so satisfying to watch and one of our picks for the best Spider-Man movies.

How we picked the best Spider-Man movies

With over two decades of Spider-Man movies, narrowing down the best Spider-Man movies to a list of five might feel like we’ve left a few hanging (no pun intended). 

We selected our favorite friendly neighborhood Spider-Man films based on a combination of critical and fan reception, cultural impact, and perhaps a touch of personal bias. Some films nailed the heart and humor of the character, while others introduced new elements of storytelling or visual style. We also considered rewatchability and outstanding performances from the leads and supporting cast.