With the DC Universe rebootingand the MCU releasing onlyDeadpool & Wolverine, the superhero landscape of 2024 has been led by perennial bronze medalist: the Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU). Created late in the cinematic universe boom, The SSU has spent six confusing years building a superficially connected web of Spider-Man villains and tertiary characters, but notably not the money-making wall-crawler himself. WithMadame Web,Venom: The Last Dance, and the still forthcomingKraven the Hunterreleasing this year, Sony’s Spider-Man-less Spider-Man Universe has more than doubled its size, continuing to baffle audiences everywhere with its limited box office performance and confusing worldbuilding. Indeed, even in a post-Avengers: Endgameflop era for the MCU, the Disney-associated Marvel characters still outperform Sony’s roster in the eyes of both critics and audiences.
It’s not all bad news, though.The SSU is beginning to garner recognitionfor just how different it feels compared to the MCU. Yes, the films are filled to the brim with questionable decisions, pointless cameos, and massively missed swings…butat least they are taking swings. Every new SSU film comes with a sense of unpredictability and potential; at no other time would audiences care for aKraven the Huntermovie, let alone an R-rated one that releases during the Christmas season. Every film in Sony’s universe feels disconnected and disjointed, and it is this very weakness that has made them rewatchable and memorable. This list willrank every Sony Spider-Man Universe movie by how rewatchable they are, factoring in their plot, performances, visual effects, and overall entertainment value.
5’Venom' (2018)
Directed by Reuben Fleischer
The first film in this franchise holds the dubious double honor of being the least rewatchable while also beingthe best overall film in the Sony Spider-Man Universe. A competent and decently compelling blockbuster,Venomintroduced general audiences toTom Hardy’s portrayal of the classic antihero, last seen as aregrettable villain played byTopher GraceinSpider-man 3. A Spider-Man-less Venom movie was questioned by audiences at the time, as the character’s comic book motivation is entirely based around the web-head. Still,Venomre-orientated itself around the character’s more recent alien mythology and origin, leaning into the bipolar nature of the symbiote/host relationship. It’s this relationship that lets Tom Hardy truly shine, putting ona quirky and incomparable dual performanceas the shaky, nervous, and disheveled Eddie Brock and the violent yet childlike symbiote.
It’s this shocking competence that makesVenoma little underwhelming on a revisit. In their attempt to recreate the Marvel Studio’s consistent quality, tone, and feeling, Sony created a film that is, at best, a mid-tier MCU film and, at worst, something as forgettable asThe Marvels. In its quirky, couple-like relationship between Eddie and Venom and one-off scenes such as Anne’s (Michelle Williams) one-scene transformation into She-Venom, the filmshows much-welcomed hints at the unpredictability and campy fun that the series would come to be known for. But on the whole,the initialVenomplays it too safe to be worth a revisit.
4’Madame Web' (2024)
Directed by S.J. Clarkson
One of the earliest andbiggest disasters of 2024,Madame Webwas a punchline even before it was released. Sony’s second attempt at expanding their universe beyond Venom tried to do so at a breakneck pace, introducing not just the titular character, played by a game but wholly out of her depthDakota Johnson, but three separate Spider-Women: Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced), Maddie Franklin (Celeste O' Connor), and Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney). To compound the issue, the film also set itself in the early 2000s (though it can be hard to tell at times) and featured Peter Parker’smartyr-destined Uncle Ben, played byAdam Scott. The result isone of the most convoluted superhero movies in recent timesthat simultaneously builds an abstract mythology while attempting to tie itself into the background of either the MCU Spider-Man films or Sony’sAmazing Spider-Manseries.
Madame Webwas even trashed by its stars, with Sydney Sweeney mocking the failed film onSNLand Dakota Johnson pretty much disregarding the film,claiming she"will never do anything like it again.“Madame Webwas also divisive in whether it was worth seeing again or at all.Some heraldMadame Webas a so-bad-it’s-good gemalongside the likes ofThe Room,whereasothers claim the film is not worth much of a thought, let alone a watch. The truth sadly lies somewhere in the middle.Madame Web’sediting choices, phoned-in acting, nonsensical story, andpainfully obvious rewritesdo make it an interesting puzzle to attempt to unravel, but the ultimate answer to that question is likely to be extremely disappointing.
Watch on Netflix
3’Venom: The Last Dance' (2024)
Directed by Kelly Marcel
Supposedly the culmination of Venom’s saga and the final outing for Tom Hardy’s now-famous portrayal of Eddie Brock, the fittingly titledVenom: The Last Danceis a surprisingly heartfelt send-off to the character and easilythe most emotional Sony Universe film. Despite itsunderwhelming start at the box officecompared to the previous two films,The Last Danceis still proving to be a moneymaker for Sony and is already more profitable than eitherMorbiusorMadame Web. This third outing for Eddie Brock and his symbiote companion rises above their first due to the franchise’s willingness to get truly weird with both its setpieces and story, creating a unique experience for audiences. Love them or hate them, Venom and Eddie are taking big swings in every scene, givingVenom: The Last Dancea frenetic and incalculable energy to its pacing and action.
This movie is all about Venom and Eddie.Tom Hardy has nailed his dual performanceas Eddie Brock and the voice of the Venom symbiote by this point and is able to portray both characters as committed, loving partners who manage to go into the series' crescendo with actual emotional investment from the audience. The fact thatthe most likable character in the entire SSU is a CGI goo monster that eats peopleis a genuine testament to theVenomseries as much as it is a knock against the other films in the franchise.The Last Danceobviously comes with its downsides. Many of the film’s numerous swings miss wide, it has one of the more underwhelming villains in recent years, and it suffers heavily from the superhero movie disease of wasting time setting up other movies and undercutting its story to do so. Buta likable star, some genuinely good action sequences, and an unexpected emotional connectionmakeVenom: The Last Dancea top-tier film, in The Sony Spider-Man Universe at least.
Venom: The Last Dance
Watch in Theaters
2’Morbius' (2022)
Directed by Daniel Espinosa
Morbiushas been out for only 2 years, and yet it feels as if it has been a part of pop culture for much longer.An instant so-bad-its-good classic, it stirred up countless memes upon release, from its silly premise, shoehorned references to other films (“I am Venom,” “You wouldn’t like me when I’m hungry”), and scenery-chewing masterclass from leadsJared LetoandMatt Smithto nearly every other facet of the film. While ostensibly having a standard superhero plot,Morbius' direction, acting, and ridiculous dialogue make itone of, if not the worst, superhero movies of all time. It failed to be even a competent entry into the genre and, in fact, executed so many of its goals worse than most other superhero movies.
Leto stars as the titular Michael Morbius, a doctor who ingests a vampire bat serum to cure a rare blood disease held by him and his friend. The main plot is somehow the most unimportant part, as the rest ofMorbius’rapidly shifting tone and baffling directionwill immediately take up the audience’s attention. In one moment, Morbius is slaughtering people in a horror scene played entirely straight, and in the next, Matt Smith is dancing in front of his mirror for much, much too long. Morbius makes cringe-inducing references to Venom, Spider-Man (who doesn’t exist in this world), and even Hulk, who legally can’t exist in this world. The finaleincludesMichael Keatonreturning as the MCU’s Vultureto recruit a vampire to kill Spider-Man in an alternate dimension or something.Morbiuswas a colossal box office bomb, and yet memes surrounding it and ironic fan petitions generated such buzz that Sony was convinced to re-release the film…upon which it immediately bombed again.Morbiusshouldn’t be rewatched as much as it should be preserved and studied. It’s a lot of things at once, none exactly successful, but it must still be seen to be believed.
1’Venom: Let There Be Carnage' (2021)
Directed by Andy Serkis
Combining the highs ofVenom: The Last Dancewith the must-see unhinged quality ofMorbius,Venom: Let There Be Carnageiswhere the Venom films found their identity as enjoyable camp blockbusters. Like other SSU films, Venom’s second feature film is a confusing mess with questionable acting direction and plot; unlike others,Let There Be Carnageseems to be enjoying itself. This time, Tom Hardy’s manic and disheveled performance as Eddie Brock is paired with an equally over-the-top performance asWoody Harrelsonembodiesthe fan-favorite Spider-Man villain Carnage. Harrelson eagerly matches the intensity with which Tom Hardy portrays Venom and creates a Joker-esque villain who is goofy enough to perform Tazmanian Devil-like spins yet threatening enough to give the film’s finale some genuine stakes.
While the first Venom was dry and, at times, ashamed of its more fun elements,Venom: Let There Be Carnageembraces them wholeheartedly. The subtext of Eddie and Venom’s relationship is promoted to the level of near text, and it’s in developing this unique connection that the Venom films find their identity. This approach is mirrored almost explicitly in the film when Venom itself attends a rave and declares it has found its identity…as Venom.Venom: Let There Be Carnageisarguably the best Venom moviefor itsunique, incomparable feeling and its full, spirited pivot into a unique directionfor the SSU. Granted, that direction isn’t necessarilygoodin the sense of quality, butVenom: Let There Be Carnageisan unhinged, laughable rompthat can be watched without nearly as much guilt as the likes ofMorbius.
