6) Spider-Man (2002)
These days it’s difficult to imagine a pop-culture landscape not dominated by superheroes, but when Spider-Man was released in 2002, Marvel Comics was not yet the cinematic behemoth we know it as today. With its then-cutting-edge special effects, effective plotting, and savvy casting (the Tobey Maguire-Kirsten Dunst upside-down kiss was instantly iconic; Willem Dafoe’s portrayal of the Green Goblin was so potent, he was the natural choice for the most dreaded Spidey-foe 20 years later in Spider-Man: No Way Home), Spider-Man was a critical and commercial success—and provided momentum for the wave of box-office heroes that would follow in its wake.
