5. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Generally speaking, every Spider-Man movie is considered on some level to be a ground-breaking or beloved entry into the superhero genre. However, Spider-Man 3 is generally considered the worst, and for good reason. It rounded out Sam Raimi’s beloved trilogy with a climax that many felt wasted the arc’s narrative potential. Shockingly, that’s because it’s another of those movies that suffered from studio meddling.
Raimi’s original plan was to feature the villains Sandman and the Green Goblin, ending the two separate ongoing arcs started in the first film (Uncle Ben’s murder and Norman Osborn’s death). However, wanting to optimize merchandise sales, Columbia Pictures insisted on Raimi including Venom as well, giving Spider-Man 3 three villains to introduce. Raimi was forced to comply, but it made the film worse as a result.
The most common criticism of the film is – shockingly – that there were too many characters shoehorned into its story. None of its narrative elements felt particularly cohesive, and the Venom story in particular felt forced. It’s pretty easy to see how the studio’s involvement hurt the movie, as the finished film wasn’t really able to reflect Raimi’s original plans at all.