Years before "Iron Man" and the rest of the MCU dominated the box office, director Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy helped pave the way for the golden age of superhero blockbusters. 2002's "Spider-Man" and its two sequels — 2004’s "Spider-Man 2" and 2007’s "Spider-Man 3"— are superhero pathos at its finest, and I'm sad to say they'll be leaving Netflix very soon. But you've still got time to get a marathon in before then.
On August 31, Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy as well as Andrew Garfield's turn as the web-slinging superhero in "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" will all be removed from the Netflix library. That gives you about a week and a half (at the time of writing) to watch the movies that helped build superhero movies into the Hollywood tour de force that they are today.
You'll still be able to find all five movies, along with the MCU "Spider-Man" films starring Tom Holland, over on Disney Plus. Be sure to check out our handy guide for watching all the Marvel movies in order for your next marathon watch session.
What is Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man' trilogy about?
Stop me if you've heard this one before: "With great power comes great responsibility." That line has become synonymous with the web-slinging hero, so much so that Tony Stark cut the MCU's version of Peter Parker off before he could finish it. But audiences first heard it on the big screen in 2002's "Spider-Man," which introduced us to Peter Parker, played by Tobey Macguire in a career-defining role.
On a high school field trip, the mild-mannered Peter is bitten by a genetically modified spider that grants him enhanced strength, webbing that shoots from his rest, and other superhuman powers. As he learns to control his newfound powers, he enters a wrestling competition, hoping to use the prize money to buy a car to impress his crush, Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), but is cheated out of his winnings.
When a thief makes off with the prize money, a still-bitter Peter lets him get away — a decision that changes the trajectory of his life forever. The thief guns down Peter's Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson), and as he lies dying, he utters the iconic phrase that convinces Peter to start using his powers for good.
He struggles to balance a budding photography career and a potential romance with Mary Jane with a fight against the Green Goblin, who terrorizes New York City. Raimi uses innovative camerawork like quick zooms and campy whip pans to evoke the aesthetic of the original Spider-Man comics, making this classic superhero origin story truly stand out even now, more than two decades later.
The sequel manages to be just as impressive as the original, seeing Peter face off against Alfred Molina's Doc Ock, the de facto villain of his day and the blueprint for fleshed-out superhero villains in the years to come like Thanos.
Yes, 'Spider-Man 3' is as bad as you remember ... but that's part of its charm
While the trilogy's disappointing third act famously fell short of expectations, "Spider-Man 3" still makes for a fun watch if you go in with tempered expectations. I'm a sucker for the needlessly dark and edgey makeovers that franchises were getting left and right during the 2000s, and "Spider-Man 3" has one of the most iconic.
After getting corrupted by the Venom symbiote, Peter's mood swings between brooding in an all-black Spidey suit in the rain atop the Empire State Building to dancing in the street in a scene that goes on uncomfortably long. I remember how much my friends and I cringed seeing it in theaters, and it's every bit as baffling on a rewatch.
The movie's been so heavily memed in the decades since that you almost forget how much of an absolute fever dream it is. That being said, between its campy "of a time" aesthetic, Thomas Haden Church's performance as the sympathetic villain Sandman, and special effects that still hold up surprisingly well, it's become something of a cult classic since its disastrous release.
Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy is streaming on Netflix until August 31.
