The Best Spider-Man Movie of All Time Is a Top 10 Streaming Hit (but Another One Is Currently Beating It)

Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy was at the forefront of the superhero movie boom at the turn of the century, helping establish comic book adaptations as lucrative Hollywood blockbusters. There have obviously been a plethora of superhero movies released in the 19 years since Spider-Man 3 came out (including every single installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe), but Raimi’s trilogy continues to resonate with moviegoers. One only has to look at the fanfare surrounding Tobey Maguire’s return in Spider-Man: No Way Home for proof. For further evidence that the Raimi films remain a huge draw, a couple of them are currently big hits on streaming.

According to FlixPatrol, which measures the popularity of titles across various streaming services, both Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 are in the top 10 on HBO Max in the United States. The former ranks No. 5, while the latter is No. 9. Spider-Man 3 is also currently streaming on HBO Max but did not place on FlixPatrol’s chart.

Spider-Man 2 Remains the Greatest Spider-Man Movie of All Time

Since Raimi’s time with the wall crawler, it hasn’t just been superhero cinema in general that’s grown exponentially; there have been multiple other iterations of Spider-Man on the big screen, including some that have earned widespread critical praise. The animated Spider-Verse films are beloved fan favorites and Tom Holland has left his mark on the role in the MCU, but more than two decades later, Spider-Man 2 is still arguably the greatest Marvel movie ever made. Years before The Dark Knight released and revolutionized the film industry, Spider-Man 2 raised the bar for what a comic book movie could be.

Spider-Man 2‘s greatest strength is the fact that at its heart, the story is about Peter Parker. Raimi understood that if audiences weren’t invested in Peter, they wouldn’t care about the Spider-Man action. One of the main reasons why the character is so appealing is because Peter is a seemingly normal guy with relatable problems such as figuring out the right work/life balance and relationship issues. Spider-Man 2 builds its entire narrative around that angle; now that Peter is established as Spider-Man, he finds himself struggling with the responsibility of keeping New York safe as his personal life is thrown into disarray. Spider-Man 2 does a great job of exploring the difficulty of living the double life and the impact that can have on anyone — even someone with super powers.

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Because story is so important to Spider-Man 2, it helps that the cast delivers great performances across the board. Alfred Molina is the film’s standout as Doc Ock, crafting a sympathetic villain who remains one of the most memorable antagonists in a Marvel movie. After the unhinged insanity of Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, Molina’s performance was a nice change of pace that kept the Spider-Man films feeling fresh. And once again, Maguire showed why he was perfect for Peter Parker, capturing the character’s everyman sensibilities with an endearing performance. His scenes with Kirsten Dunst and James Franco are excellent, illustrating how Peter’s relationships with his closest friends have changed since becoming Spider-Man.

The action that complements the compelling story in Spider-Man 2 is the cherry on top. With his distinct sense of style, Raimi confidently stages several thrilling set pieces, including the now iconic train sequence. Another scene that stands out is Doc Ock’s arms attacking the doctors at the hospital, which allows Raimi to go back to his horror roots and illustrate how terrifying it is that the arms have gained control over the well-meaning scientist. The original Spider-Man remains an important work and was proof of concept for superhero movies, but Spider-Man 2 built upon that foundation and elevated the genre to new heights.

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