I don't think anyone is denying that the villains of the old are better than the villains of the new. New Harry Osborne's actor was awful. His backstory was awful. His villain design was awful. His miraculous usage of the Goblin Glider without ANY training was awful. ASM's Harry Osborne was absolutely terrible.
But what are we comparing this to?
I'm sorry. There has not been a single good Spider-Man movie. Spider-Man 2 is the closest, but acting like it's the ideal Spider-Man movie is ridiculous. Yes, I realize I just called you out, Kaiolino, and I apologize. Spider-Man 2 is good because of Doc Oc, it's great action scenes, and side characters that aren't Peter or Mary. Even Harry was good in Spider-Man 2. But why should I celebrate this movie, if Peter and Mary are poor conceived.
Peter Parker is a difficult character, so I understand. There has been no character in comic books that has been redone over and over and over more than Peter Parker. Because he's constantly been juggled over and over between two personas: the corky, clumsy science nerd and the overconfident, smug jokester. And yeah, Doug pointed this out perfectly. Tobey is TOO MUCH of a corky, slumsy science nerd toward the point where it's hard to believe he'd ever attempt to be a superhero. Andrew is TOO MUCH of an overconfident, smug jokester toward the point where he sometimes seems like a jerk. Because of this, people often say Tobey is a believable Peter Parker, yet Andrew is a believable Spider-Man.
I'm going to pray that you all realize why Mary Jane in the original trilogy is awful, because as someone who adores Mary Jane as a character in the comics, I don't want to touch this topic with a ten foot pole. Cause if I do, I'm going to make a really, really long post. Longer than this one, and I don't want to do that.
To break this down…
Raimi Trilogy:
Better villains (Green Goblin is stupid but toward the point of being a guilty pleasure, while Venom is bleh)
J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson and Elizabeth Banks as Miss Brant
Far more optimistic in the realm of superheroes
New Movies:
Better Spider-Man
Emma Stone as Gwen Stacey
Far more gritty to embrace the struggles Peter Parker goes through.
--- Update From New Post Merge ---
@Gliblord:
Was the Green Goblin/Harry plotline any good in the original comics? I have a feeling it really just ought to be cut
Harry being the Green Goblin was much more Harry going crazy. However, unlike how assholic he is in ASM2, seeing Harry go nuts was heart breaking, because Harry was a good person. He was sweet and kind. Seeing Peter Parker realize that his own best friend went nuts and went on a spree was tragic, because it made Peter Parker question whether or not he was truly doing good as Spider-Man. I give kudos to the original trilogy for that, despite Spider-Man 3 shenanigans.
Norman Osborn, however, is a fantastic character. He's responsible for so many famous character deaths, yet manages to be both a hated villain and a beloved 'morally gray' hero. He's had moments where he's been Peter's absolute greatest enemy, cheating death even after Harry dies, but he's also been the leader of the Thunderbolts, a league of 'former villains or anti-heroes' that work together.