This week the Summer heats up with Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It’s the fourth outing for Tom Holland, and the ninth live-action film since 2002. This week’s binge offers a ranking of the previous eight live-action Spider-Man films. Films appear in ascending order.

No. 8: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
About: This is the second outing for Andrew Garfield in the lead role. Look, this take on the world had an amazing cast, including Emma Stone, Sally Field, and Jamie Foxx in this installment. And yet, the film is a mess. The villains are poorly written, and the construction of the story just doesn’t work.

No. 7: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
About: This is the first of the Garfield films. This one featured Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben, Dennis Leary as Capt. Stacy, and Rhys Ifans as Curt Conners. It’s again a great cast, but this one isn’t great. I like Garfield as an actor, and I think he makes an OK Peter Parker, but there is something about the way these are done that feels like a bust.

No. 6: Spider-Man 3 (2007)
About: This was the final of the three with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire. It’s not a bad film, and there is an editor’s version that feels a bit tighter and better. But it’s just a film that’s over-stuffed. There is a lot going on, and rumors it was meant to be two films that were jammed together. It’s the weakest of Raimi’s three films.

No. 5: Spider-Man (2002)
About: This is the one that started it all, kicking off the modern wave of Spider-Man films. With great power comes great responsibility, and this film balances that power well. I like Maguire in the lead and Willem Dafoe creates an iconic villain in The Green Goblin. This is a fun film.

No. 4: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
About: This is the first of three Tom Holland outings as Spider-Man. I like Michael Keaton as the primary villain here, but mostly I like the humor and the fun vibe that Jon Watts brings to the franchise. This is about a young Peter finding himself. The appearance of Robert Downey, Jr., as Tony Stark is great here, too.

No. 3: Spider-Man 2 (2004)
About: Alfred Molina is great as Doc Ock in this one. This one ups the ante and delivers an emotional story. I think Maguire is at his best in this installment, with great back-and-forth with Aunt May (Rosemary Harris) and Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst). I like the scope and the action here, too. This is a really fun film.

No. 2: Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
About: This was the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Endgame, which gave it a high bar to clear. But in Holland and Watts we trust. This is a funny and engaging film, with a clever villain played by Jake Gyllenhaal. It has a lot of memorable moments ending on an incredible cliffhanger.

No. 1: Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
About: This is not only the best Spider-Man film, but also one of the best superhero films, ever. It brings together Holland, Maguire, and Garfield, and the most iconic of the villains from the early Spider-Man films. It tells a powerful story that ends in a deeply emotional place. I simply love this film.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.