5) The Sandman Cometh – Spider-Man 3
After the heights of Spider-Man 2, still regarded as one of the very best of superhero movies ever, anticipation was through the roof for Spider-Man 3 back in 2007. Sadly, what made the previous one work so well was lost amidst excessively goofy humour and underwhelming villains.
One sequence that is undeniably brilliant, though, is the creation of Sandman. The schmaltz might be overplayed with the character elsewhere, but Flint Marko is a truly tragic figure here. Being made of sand might seem like a handy ability to have to rob banks with, but it would be a crummy way to live, as shown by Flint’s body collapsing into dust as he tries to reform himself.
With some breathtaking CGI which still holds up today plus a terrific score by Christopher Young, the scene is so good that it’s almost enough to redeem the whole film. And then you remember the ‘dancing in the street’ scene, and it suddenly isn’t anymore.