Warning: Spoilers ahead.

Spider-Man has been spinning his web on the silver screen since 2002.

Last Friday, the Spider-Man franchise entered a “Brand New Day.” From Tobey Maguire to Tom Holland, Spider-Man has gone through a series of eras and iterations, both live-action and animated, but all beloved by fans.

Read on to find out which Spider-Man film Daily Bruin Arts contributors deem best.

Spider-Man 2 (Columbia Pictures, 2004)

“Spider-Man 2” has the power of the “won” in the palm of its hand.

Sam Raimi’s 2004 film is the perfect sequel, not just because it builds so well on its predecessor but also because it emphasizes the character’s greatest contradiction: that the sacrifices that make his life harder are the very things that make him a hero. After giving up the woman he loves to keep her safe, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) confronts adult life, split between the comforts of his personal life and the inescapable duties of his superhero one. By prioritizing his own happiness, Peter comes face to face with a villain who does the same in the power-obsessed Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). Between defying deadly doctors, losing meaningful relationships and watching his own powers nearly fade, Peter realizes that being a hero is not about having it all: sacrifice, instead, is necessary to become the person he wants to be.

The only thing more central to Peter’s character than guilt and responsibility is his never-ending struggle to balance those two lives. This tension is not only relatable to the audience but is the foundation for what people understand as the core of a Spider-Man story, which Raimi’s film captures best. His impulses as a horror director reinforce how scary that pressure can be, shining through in the Evil Dead-esque hospital scene with whip zooms on chainsaws and extreme close-ups of screaming surgeons. Equally essential is the Danny Elfman score, which underscores the entire tale with a sense of purpose and loneliness.

In the end, Raimi’s film helps us believe there’s a hero in all of us.

– Parsa Arshi

[Related: Film review: It’s a ‘Brand New Day’ for Spider-Man with stunning performances, cinematography]

Spider-Man: Far From Home (Marvel Studios, 2019)

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man goes international in “Spider-Man: Far From Home.”

Caught in a web of comedy, suspense and false realities, viewers follow Peter Parker (Tom Holland), MJ (Zendaya) and Ned Leeds (Jacob Batalon) on a school trip to Europe. Despite Peter’s attempts to leave his superhero duties back home, Elementals – destructive monsters that are actually holograms – attack. A mysterious intergalactic superhero, Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), swoops to the rescue while Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) meddles with Peter’s plans.

The film hits every beat a superhero movie should, delivering high stakes and thrilling action without losing sight of Peter’s humanity. Peter explores what it means to be a hero as he grieves the death of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). Simultaneously, like its predecessors, each classic Spider-Man joke lands. Some of the film’s best humor comes from Holland and Batalon’s chemistry as best friends. Their teenage antics drive their European adventure. Holland showcases Spider-Man’s wit and nerdiness. The awkward blossom of Peter and MJ’s young romance adds a fun spin to this film, with a stellar performance from Zendaya.

After witnessing Mysterio’s magic, viewers will walk away certain of one thing. Like Peter’s identity, the secret – that this is the best Spider-Man film – can’t stay hidden.

– Sara Green

[Related: Film review: ‘Supergirl’ soars with casting, visuals but loses sight of its heroine]

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures Animation, 2023)

The only thing better than a movie with one Spider-Man is a movie with six hundred Spider-People.

After two decades of constant comic book film releases, it’s rare for a superhero film, let alone a superhero sequel, to feel as fresh and inspired as “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson, the highly-anticipated follow-up to “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” took four years to make. Every second of hard work shines on the screen.

After “Into the Spider-Verse” brought Miles Morales’ origin story to theaters in 2018, “Across the Spider-Verse” portrays the messy aftermath as Morales struggles to balance managing his personal life and preventing the multiverse from collapse. The drama and humor that stem from that plot-twist-filled premise is wildly entertaining on its own. However, that captivating story is further elevated by the barrage of neon colors, an electrifying Daniel Pemberton score and many mind-boggling feats of animation, making the film look like a comic book come to life. Improving on the near-perfection of its predecessor seemed like an impossible task, but “Across the Spider-Verse” is cinematic proof that, in the right hands, bigger sometimes does mean better.

In every universe, “Across the Spider-Verse” reigning as the best Spider-Man movie is a canon event.

– Kiara Mack