There are probably as many ways to introduce a superhero as there are superheroes to introduce. New York’s favorite web-slinger has had his ups and downs in the movies, with some openings catching the audience’s attention in all the right ways and others in all the wrong ones.
RELATED:Spider-Man: Miles Morales Glitch Makes The Combat Look Even Cooler
A good opening reminds longtime fans why they love a character while providing an entry point for new arrivals. A variety of actors, writers, and directors have all tried their hand at getting the Friendly NeighborhoodSpider-Manright, with mixed results. Anyone who remembers Spider-Man’s regrettable finger-snapping, popped-collar “evil” moment fromSpider-Man 2understands the perils of getting characterization wrong. Here are the best — and worst — openings in the Spider-Man canon.
9The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Manopens with Peter as a child, playing hide-and-seek. There are a few interesting moments as he searches the house for his parents, but the sequence mostly falls flat. It is passably shot, but nothing in either the direction or cinematography stands out, leaving it to the writing and action itself to save the day.Unfortunately, neither are up to the task.
Peter’s discovery of his father’s ransacked office should’ve delivered an emotional punch,as diehard Spidey fans know,but because the scene’s music started off melancholy and suspenseful rather than building or transitioning to those things, the audience’s emotions are already there, waiting for the plot to catch up and robbing the moment of its intended impact. The goodbye scene isn’t lifeless, just a letdown.
8Spider-Man: Homecoming
Adrian Toomes, aka Vulture, is leading a salvage operation in New York following the Avengers' battle there, but his operation is halted when the Department of Damage Control, a government organization partnered with Tony Stark, takes over, driving Toomes out of business.
RELATED:Movie Characters Who Look Completely Different In Games
The performances here are anything but lacking, but the direction and writing are heavy-handed in their attempt to win the audience some sympathy for Toomes. Sympathy is what Toomes gets, but given thatit’s only arrived at through ham-fisted emotional manipulation,the remainder of this otherwise great scene can’t help but ring hollow. Michael Keaton is exceptional, it just isn’t enough.
7Spider-Man: Far From Home
Spider-Man: Far from Homeis difficult to evaluate. Its first minute, featuring Nick Fury and Maria Hill’sfirst encounter with Mysterioin Mexico, is too abrupt, even for a cold open. It checks off plot points but does so emptily. The scene then segues to an “In Memoriam” piece mourning the dead Avengers, presented by Jason and Betty, who do the school’s daily announcements.
The comedic chemistry and caliber of joke writing on display here are fantastic.In fact, this sequence of transitions is one of the best in any Spider-Man movie. Had the brilliance of the piece’s second half not been so weighed down by its lackluster beginning, the opening ofSpider-Man: Far from Homewould have ranked amongst the best.
6Spider-Man
The opening of Sam Raimi’s 2002Spider-Mansheds the big-budget, explosive action openings that superhero movies are known for in favor of something quieter and more personal.
RELATED:Ways Neversoft’s Spider-Man Game Holds Up
Peter Parker’s soft narration as he describes the girl he loves, Mary Jane Watson, helps capture the character in an instant, and the sudden shift to Peter running alongside the bus he’s too slow to catch shows the other side of him:geeky, out of place, and not yet capable of doing even the simple things right.He boards the bus, only to be pelted, tripped, and refused seating by the other kids. Of all openings in the franchise, Raimi’sSpider-Manmay do the most to establish how far Peter has to go if he wants to be a hero.
5Spider-Man 2
The camera pulls away from MJ’s stylized face on a billboard, bringing the city into view. Like the first of Raimi’sSpider-Manfilms,Spider-Man 2opens with Peter Parker narrating, and like that film, this one establishesPeter’s everyman qualities.“Peter, you’re a nice guy, but you’re just not dependable,” says his boss at the pizza shop where he works as a delivery person between donning his Spidey suit and taking down bad guys.
He swings through the city to try to make the delivery in time but has to detour to save two children who run out into the street. Because of that, he’s late.He might not uphold Joe’s 29-Minute Guarantee, but Peter shows exactly why he’s a hero,and what kind of movie this will be, in this scene.
4Spider-Man: No Way Home
As if framing Spider-Man for villainy and murder weren’t enough, Mysterio delivers one final death kiss by revealing Peter Parker’s name and face to the public, outing him as Spider-Man. Peter, watching the announcement from atop a streetlight, leaps down and tries to help MJ, who is being harassed by the crowd.
RELATED:Neat Spider-Man: Miles Morales Photo Shows Enemy’s Point Of View
He swings her to his apartment, a process she’s less than enthused about, and there they attempt to figure things out. A blend of action, heart, and humor is the signature for every Spider-Man film, andSpider-Man: No Way Homemore or less nails that balance in the opening moments.
3Spider-Man 3
A looping video of Spider-Man’s exploits plays on a giant screen. Newspaper headlines and magazines shout the web-slinger’s accomplishments. Kids cheer at the sight of him. InSpider-Man3,Peter is a full-fledged hero at last, even if he’s still bullied in class.The opening montage is energetic, funny, and well-composed.
Its standout moment occurs when Peter attends Mary Jane’s Broadway play and watches her descend a staircase against a backdrop of stars.Harry watches Peter from the balcony, injecting the perfect amount of tension and foreshadowing into the scene. Emotionally nuanced and clever,Spider-Man 3has the strongest opening of the Raimi trilogy.
2The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Movies often lose what makes characters great in comic books. To do a character as phenomenal as Spider-Man justice requires more than animating comic panels like a flipbook. The dialog, the movements, and the tone must all ring true.The Amazing Spider-Man 2is not just the best Andrew Garfield opening, it’s one of Spider-Man’s greatest overall.
RELATED:Impressive Spider-Man Clip Shows Player Clearing Out Demon Warehouse With No Damage Or Combo Breaks
None match its energy as Spider-Man flings himself through the city, rocketing down between skyscrapers and sailing over traffic.He is one of the few superheroes who look joyous when using his powers.He joins a pursuit in progress against the Rhino, saving Max’s life in the process, in a scene that is simultaneously funny, triumphant, and sad. Almost nothing outdoes this.
1Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Versecondenses decades of comics and films into a perfect, minute-and-a-half-long montage of Peter Parker summarizing his life, only to top itself with the perfect transition introducing Miles Morales. Bent over his drawing pad, listening to music, singing lyrics he half remembers,Miles is in an instant as charming and relatable as Peter ever was, if not more.
This film features the perfect introduction to not one Spider-Man but two, linking live-action and animation, present and future, in one glorious cinematic moment.Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseis the greatest love letter to a superhero that audiences have seen yet, and it all starts in these opening frames.
MORE:Marvel: Things You Didn’t Know About The 1978 Japanese Spider-Man Series
