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'Spider-Man' still
The Amazing Spider-Man is about to swing into cinemas, promising to take the movie series into darker territory. Five years have elapsed since Sam Raimi's original trilogy wrapped up, so now seems as good at time as any to revisit it and assess whether these films have stood the test of time.

With this in mind, Digital Spy re-watched all three movies to see how well they hold up.

Spider-Man (2002)

The first Spider-Man movie was a huge deal when it arrived in 2002. Fans had waited decades to see the web-slinger make his cinematic debut, and an exciting superhero culture was gaining momentum.

There was a lot to get excited about back then. Tobey Maguire embodied all of the qualities of an effective Peter Parker, nailing the altruism and wry humor. There was drama, impressive action sequences, and some strong performances from the supporting cast, notably JK Simmons and Rosemary Harris.

'Spider-Man' still
'Spider-Man' still

It was a solid origin story; or at least it was ten years ago. Looking back at the film now, it hasn't aged well. The computer generated imagery is about as convincing as an early PlayStation 2 game, some of the dialog would make Adam West's Batman blush, and the way it panders to the post-9/11 crowd is nothing short of blatant.

Willem Dafoe's take on the Green Goblin is certainly entertaining, but he goes far beyond pantomime villain to the point where it's near impossible to take him seriously, and that cheap-looking costume doesn't help matters.

Spider-Man captures that comic book tone well, but we suspect Raimi's collection was rather dated.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Spider-Man 2 was met with similar fanfare to its predecessor when it landed in 2004. The original did a good job of setting the scene, and there was huge scope for a follow-up considering the rich well of source material Raimi had to draw from.

Maguire's second outing as the wall-crawler was, and remains, everything a sequel should be. It builds upon the themes of the original, sees the protagonist grow and flourish, and delivers more of those memorable action scenes that fans thrive on. The CG effects showed improvement too.

'Spider-Man 2' still
'Spider-Man 2' still

Raimi had an extensive rogues' gallery to select a new villain from, and Doctor Octopus was the obvious choice for the role. Alfred Molina's performance in the role of antagonist Otto 'Doctor Octopus' Octavius is more convincing that Dafoe's before him, offering a different take on the mad scientist archetype.

Showing the man as a good-natured individual before his mechanical contraptions began calling the shots makes Octavius a more tragic character than his comic book counterpart, which offers an interesting take on the source material.

It's not all gold. Some of the characters are under-developed, such as Daniel Gillies's John Jameson, who should be a pivotal part of the story considering he becomes more than a serious rival for the affections of Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst).

However, any gripes with Spider-Man 2 can only be considered nitpicks since it remains one of the best superhero films of the last decade.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

There's a reason Raimi didn't get the go-ahead to make Spider-Man 4, and that reason was Spider-Man 3. Somewhere between Peter's emo phase and that ridiculous dance scene, it became clear that a more serious direction was what the film series needed.

Raimi bit off more than he could chew with this one, introducing too many new characters and juggling multiple plot threats. Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a throwaway inclusion, while one of the greatest Spider-Man characters of all time, Venom (Topher Grace), gets precious little screen time.

'Spider-man 3' still
'Spider-man 3' still

The symbiote storyline was a comic book classic, a powerful allegory about the effects of addiction. It had to make it to the screen sooner or later, but Raimi approached it wrong.

Rather than focusing on Peter's inner turmoil, the director played for laughs, turning him into a cocky emo kid with a penchant for theatrics, and the end result felt far removed from Spider-Man.

On a more positive note, the visual effects continued to improve as the technology behind them grew increasingly sophisticated, but that isn't enough to make Spider-Man 3 anything more than the series' lowest point.

> Digital Spy reviews The Amazing Spider-Man
> Spider-Man movies in pictures

Watch a trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man below:

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