Newsletters
Entertainment
Eammon Jacobs
- "Venom: The Last Dance" is Tom Hardy's final movie as the alien anti-hero.
- Sony produced the movie, and it previously made all the "Spider-Man" films alongside Marvel.
- Here's every Sony Marvel movie, ranked.
Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview
Thanks for signing up! Go to newsletter preferences
Thanks for signing up!
Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go.
Advertisement
When superhero fans think of Marvel movies, they tend to strictly think of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Avengers. But Marvel Studios and Disney aren't the only ones adapting over 80 years of beloved comic book adventures.
In 1999, Sony and Columbia Pictures bought the rights to "Spider-Man" and other characters from Marvel Entertainment, which was still facing financial difficulty after filing for bankruptcy in 1996.
Fast-forward to the early 2000s, and Tobey Maguire starred in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man." Sony continued to make Marvel movies in the years that followed and even set up its own shared universe to rival the MCU.
The studio found success in bringing the alien antihero, "Venom," to the big screen with Tom Hardy playing the lead in two movies, which have raked in $1.4 billion worldwide, according to industry data provider thenumbers.com.
Advertisement
Here's how Hardy's third movie, "Venom: The Last Dance," stacks up against the rest of the Sony Marvel movies.
17. "Madame Web"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 15%
"Madame Web" is the most nonsensical Sony Marvel movie thanks to its baffling story. Ezekiel (Tahar Rahim), a man with spider-like powers, hunts a group of girls who he believes will kill him in the future. Cassandra Web (Dakota Johnson) uses her clairvoyant abilities to stop him. editing means most of Ezekiel's scenes are dubbed over, which pulls the audience out every time he speaks.
The poorly-written movie also tries to shoehorn as much Spider-Man-related lore into the plot as possible, including the birth of baby Peter Parker — which bears little influence on the adventure. It just happens. Basically, "Madame Web" is a mess.
Advertisement
16. "Morbius"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 15%
"Morbius" follows Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) as he tries to cure himself of a degenerative disease using bats from Costa Rica. Instead, he turns into a bloodthirsty vampire. While it attempts to be a comic book horror movie, "Morbius" quickly descends into a predictably boring punch-up between Leto and Matt Smith. Yawn.
Advertisement
15."Venom: The Last Dance"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 37%
"Venom: The Last Dance" is the worst of the "Venom" trilogy. It attempts to create a new big villain for Sony's growing universe with the god of the Symbiotes, Knull (Andy Serkis). But it fails to tap into anything interesting about the character from the comics because the story is pulled in so many different directions.
The messy plot sees Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) on the run from Knull's huge monsters who have been sent to kill the not-so-dynamic duo. Rushed sub-plots include: Brock and Venom running from the military, an alien-loving family looking for Area 51, and a talented scientist experimenting on the Symbiotes.
Throw in some painfully generic dialogue, and "Venom: The Last Dance" feels like someone asked an AI to make a comic book movie with the prompts: "Venom," "Tom Hardy," "rock music," and "cinematic universe."
Advertisement
14. "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 19%
Nicolas Cage's second time as Ghost Rider came in 2011's "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," with a completely forgettable storyline involving demons hunting a young boy. Fans have seen this plot numerous times over: a grizzled fighter protects an innocent person. It falls flat on its flaming face.
Advertisement
13. "Venom"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 30%
The first "Venom" movie is a strange blend of a dark, gritty superhero movie and a slapstick rom-com around journalist Brock and a gooey, Symbiote alien called Venom. It never quite finds its footing, and the outcome is a subpar comic book adventure that somehow managed to make $800,000 worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Stranger things have happened.
Advertisement
12. "Venom: Let There Be Carnage"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 57%
"Venom: Let There Be Carnage" is similar to the first film, except a piece of the Symbiote is now bonded to a depraved serial killer called Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), and they call themselves Carnage. The film's boring plot revolves around Brock (Hardy again) and Venom trying to stop Carnage from killing more people. There's not much substance to it, but it leans harder into the fun slapstick comedy between Eddie and Venom.
Advertisement
11. "Ghost Rider"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 27%
"Ghost Rider" isn't a bad film, but it is incredibly average. It's a shame because the character is completely over the top: He's a motorbike rider who turns into a flaming skeleton at night and fights demons. But it was moderately successful, earning $228 million worldwide, according to Box Offive Mojo. Cage's wacky performance shows he had fun with the role, but the film doesn't showcase how scary Ghost Rider can be like he is in the comics, which feels like a missed opportunity.
Advertisement
10. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 51%
Andrew Garfield played Parker for a second time in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." He revels in the chance to explore the hero even further as he grapples with his family's legacy. His chemistry with Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy deepens including that heartbreaking ending. It's just disappointing that, like other early "Spider-Man" movies, it tries to do too much.
This sequel is so preoccupied with setting up sequels and a spinoff that it forgets to focus on the fact that audiences fell in love with Garfield's take on both Parker and Spider-Man.
Advertisement
"Spider-Man 3"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 63%
"Spider-Man 3" is the mediocre ending to Sam Raimi's trilogy, starring Tobey Maguire as the titular hero. Although the film's attempt to adapt the Venom storyline is admirable, it ultimately falls short.
It tries too hard to cram in Topher Grace as Eddie Brock/Venom, Harry Osborn (James Franco) as the new Green Goblin, and Thomas Haden Church as the Sandman. Plus, the climax rushes at breakneck speed to resolve everything, making the film a disappointing end to Raimi's trilogy and Maguire's time as Spider-Man.
Advertisement
8. "The Amazing Spider-Man"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 71%
"The Amazing Spider-Man" arrived in theaters in 2012, only five years after "Spider-Man 3". The new take on the hero introduced Garfield as Parker in an edgier story that leaned closer to the "Ultimate Spider-Man" comics.
Garfield's dedicated performance and his endearing dynamic with Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy make up for the cluttered plot, which sees Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) try to turn the world into lizards to rid humanity of all illnesses.
Advertisement
7. "Spider-Man: Far From Home"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Back in 2019, "Spider-Man: Far From Home" looked at how Parker copes with the death of his mentor, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), following the events of "Avengers: Endgame." Although it's understandable why he fails to notice that Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) is up to no good as a new "hero" named Mysterio, it's irritating nonetheless.
He arrives in the story claiming to be from a different universe, holding all the information about a mystery unfolding around the world, and Peter barely suspects a thing.
Regardless, it is still pretty fun watching Spider-Man try to work out of his comfort zone across Europe, proving that the hero doesn't need the cityscape of New York to thrill audiences. Plus, Holland and Zendaya's adorably awkward dynamic adds a surprisingly authentic teen romance story amongst the thrilling fight sequences and plot twists.
Advertisement
6. "Spider-Man: No Way Home"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Yes, Maguire and Garfield returning to play their respective Spider-Men next to Holland in the multiverse story is an exhilarating treat. It helps that the trio has exquisite chemistry together throughout the climax. However, the plot is just an excuse to bring heroes and villains back from previous films rather than trying to tell a truly original story.
However, it manages to raise emotional stakes outside of the multiverse mcguffin, largely due to a tearjerker gut punch involving Parker's Aunt May (Marisa Tomei).
The sequel also does a great job of pushing Holland's young hero to his limits. It'll be interesting to see how Marvel and Sony carry him forward after stripping the character back to basics in the film's closing moments. Tom Holland confirmed "Spider-Man 4" starts filming in Summer 2025.
Advertisement
5. "Spider-Man: Homecoming"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" is Tom Holland's second outing as the Wall-Crawler after his MCU introduction in "Captain America: Civil War." While most MCU movies involve end-of-the-world stakes, "Homecoming" refreshingly focuses on a smaller threat, as the hero tries to stop Michael Keaton's Vulture from selling experimental weapons to gangsters in his neighborhood. It deserves your attention for its smart third-act twist.
Advertisement
4. "Spider-Man"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
2002's "Spider-Man" is the blueprint for every subsequent cinematic version of the iconic hero. Raimi masterfully translated the Web-Slinger from the page to the screen, complete with the will-they-won't-they dynamic with Mary-Jane Watson (Kristen Dunst). Maguire delivers a pitch-perfect dorky performance as Parker, but he also nails Spider-Man's signature quips.
The story is cheesy in places, but when the characters are that engaging, who cares? It gets bonus points for Willem Dafoe's delightfully ham-fisted Norman Osborn, also known as the Green Goblin.
Advertisement
3. "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is the follow-up to 2018's "Into the Spider-Verse," and sees Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) face the realization that he was never meant to get spider-powers. It's crammed full of Easter eggs that nod to live-action "Spider-Man" movies and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The comic-inspired animation also makes each new dimension unique with different color palettes and musical cues. And that's without mentioning the fiercely elegant fight scenes. But it's Miles' conviction that he's meant to be a hero that really makes his story worth revisiting again and again.
Advertisement
2. "Spider-Man 2"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man 2" continues the franchise by exploring how Parker copes with maintaining his life and his college degree while battling a man with eight mechanical arms. Sure, it's a silly premise, but the film offers a fascinating juxtaposition between Parker's insecurities next to the villainous Doctor Octopus' (Alfred Molina) genuine desire to better the world.
Plus, Spidey's fight with Doc Ock on the subway is one of the best live-action superhero fights of all time.
Advertisement
1. "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" hurls the audience into a multiverse story with numerous Spider-Men. But it does a fantastic job of weaving in a heartfelt, coming-of-age story about a young teenager, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore). He struggles to balance the weight of getting superpowers alongside the pressure of starting a school for talented students and making his parents proud.
Throw in its gorgeously unique animation style, and it's easily the best Sony Marvel movie of the last two decades.
Read next
Advertisement