 "As No Way Home concludes the saga, here's a definitive ranking of all nine Spider-Man films so far")
The reviews are fabulous, and early guesstimates suggest _Spider-Man: No Way Home_ could bust a box-office record or two. Tom Holland’s final outing as the webbed wonder has lived up to hype and hope for fans, drawing full houses nearly everywhere.
Omicron be damned, the film, riding a budget of around $200 million, is poised to generate $150 million upon release according to Variety, though more optimistic trade pundits pitch first-weekend figures at $175 million worldwide.
No Way Home is likely to be the biggest Spidey caper ever at the box office. But is it also the best that there ever is, coming from the super webslinger?
The mood around Holland’s final act as Spider-Man, in a way, harks back to the sort of fervour Tobey Maguire’s first film garnered in 2002. There is an element of risk that tied Maguire’s first and Holland’s last. Maguire’s film was widely deemed Marvel/Sony’s war cry in the battle for Hollywood superhero turf that, till then, solely belonged to rivals DC with their Superman and Batman hits of the ’80s and the ’90s. The anticipation on part of the fans that the film faced resonates almost two decades later, as Holland takes his final bow in red ’n blue tights. For, the challenge for No Way Home to serve as the perfect closure to Peter Parker’s screen world is akin to one that Spider-Man 2002 faced while opening the saga.
All that happened in between — including the genre classic Spider-Man 2, the Andrew Garfield-toplined Amazing-verse, and the animated gem Into The Spider-Verse — defined an organic evolution for Spider-Man on screen over the past two decades.
It is the reason why all nine films need to be viewed in entirety while understanding new-age Hollywood’s definition of Spider-Man, and technically, these films should not be compared.
Still, the superhero, who many believe is the world’s most popular ever, surely deserves his own countdown. So here are the nine Spidey films, arranged in reverse ranking order. Do not take it as a worst-to-best ranking; think of it as our reckoner on which films are most and least likely to stand the test of time. As far as the friendly neighbourhood webslinger goes, he is always up for a winner as long as his Spidey sense is tingling.
9. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
The final film of Sam Raimi’s trilogy of the noughties was probably envisioned as a spectacular goodbye gesture for fans. However, banking very little on plot, and wholly on the notion that “nothing succeeds like excess,” Spider-Man 3 ended up a bloated mess, almost inadvertently a spoof of all that worked for Tobey Maguire in the first two films.
8. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Andrew Garfield was in top form as Spider-Man, and the Marc Webb film cast Oscar winner Jamie Foxx as the villain Electro (a role he returns with in No Way Home). However, the mind-boggling CGI action the film touted had become commonplace by 2014. Garfield’s final outing as Spider-Man was a web of confusion tangled with a flimsy plot.
7. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Indian buffs would primarily recall the film for Irrfan Khan’s role of Oscorp executive Rajit Ratha, who plays a pivotal role in the creation of the film’s sinister villain Lizard (played by Rhys Ifans). Garfield brought fresh swagger to the Spidey template in the Webb directorial, an otherwise average Spider-Man flick.
6. Spider-Man (2002)
The Sam Raimi film is actually far more important than it is deemed today. Not only did it kickstart the Spider-Man saga, the film laid the foundation for Marvel’s superhero cinema legacy that would spectacularly unfold over the next two decades. Maguire rocked in the film that still seems lovable despite dated CGI effects.
5. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Holland in Spider-suit has to contend with Jake Gyllenhaal’s sly Mysterio and save the world, even as the script lets Peter Parker vacay in Europe. The Jon Watts film refused to take itself too seriously, and amply stuffed with action, humour, and drama, was a nice preparatory exercise for the big-bang impact to come with No Way Home.
4. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Holland’s first solo caper in a Spidey suit unfolds in the aftermath of his adventure with the Avengers. The Watts film served as an ‘origins’ saga for the Holland era of Spider-Man movies without getting heavy on back story. Instead, Homecoming unfolds as a fun reboot letting Holland stake claim as the best Spider-Man yet.
3. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Maguire’s second outing is widely considered a superhero classic today for its sheer completeness as an entertainer. It is a rare Hollywood sequel that topped the first film, and wholesome in the way Raimi’s narrative balanced action, CGI, emotion, drama, and humour. The film continues to enjoy repeat value even after all these years.
2. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
For Marvel and Sony, the tough challenge was to live up to franchise legacy. The outcome is impressive, and though not without flaws, thoroughly entertaining. Despite the Omicron threat, Holland’s final outing has opened to mammoth figures all over, and the Watts film works as a fitting closure for the Peter Parker era of Spider-Man.
- Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
One rarely comes across such a blend of perfect CGI work and fine storytelling as this film. Into The Spider-Verse, the first animated Spider-Man saga, is the most accomplished of all Spidey films. Directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman shifted the Spider-Man template from Parker’s high-school domain to the Brooklyn turf of Miles Morales, highlighting his Puerto Rican and African-American lineage, thereby adding a hip-hop edge to the teenybopper action.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is playing in cinemas.
Vinayak Chakravorty is a senior film critic, columnist, and film journalist based in Delhi-NCR.
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