Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU), an ambitious bid to extend the Spider-Man silver screen legacy, seems to be drawing to a close with Kraven the Hunter. The news follows several years of mixed-to-negative critical response and sagging audience interest. With Sony now shifting gears to the animated Spider-Verse series and its collaborations with Marvel Studios for the MCU’s big-screen Spider-Man outings, it seems the perfect time to look back on the highs and lows of the SSU. Here’s every movie ranked.
Note: The opinions expressed are those of the author.
6) Madame Web
Director: S.J. Clarkson
Release Date: Feb. 14, 2024
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Emma Roberts, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Adam Scott
Rotten Tomatoes: 11%
IMDb Rating: 4/10
Madame Web was well-meaning in its efforts to bring a lesser-known character to the forefront, but it failed to overcome its lackluster script with poor execution. Focusing on Cassandra Webb, a paramedic who develops clairvoyant powers, the film intends to construct a story of suspense and heroism. Sadly, it was marred by technical problems, muddled storytelling and under-used characters that kept it from fulfilling that potential. Dakota Johnson delivered an adequate performance, but three Spider-Women in the supporting cast were shortchanged with a lack of depth. The result? A disorienting, plodding tale that failed to capture the interest of audiences or critics.
5) Kraven the Hunter
Director: J.C. Chandor
Release date: Dec. 13, 2024
Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose, Alessandro Nivola
Rotten Tomatoes: 15%
IMDb Rating: 5.5/10
The action-filled Kraven the Hunter was meant to explore the origin story of Sergei Kravinoff, a big-game hunter with an unhappy family history. Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s performance included some standout moments, especially in the high-octane action sequences, but the film was docked for a clichéd script and a lack of real character development. With disjointed editing, awful CGI, and flat dialogue, the film failed to construct a viable narrative. Although they introduced memorable rogues like the Rhino and Chameleon, even their arcs were wasted, undermining the film’s significance further.
4) Morbius
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Release Date: April 1, 2022
Cast: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Al Madrigal
Rotten Tomatoes: 15%
IMDb Rating: 5.1/10
A much-mocked “mediocre vampire flick,” Morbius billed itself as Leto’s portrayal of the tortured scientist who’s transformed into an evil bloodsucker, but the film never quite gelled. Despite some attempts to pay homage to the horror genre, the script was uninspired and the direction unremarkable, leaving it feeling like a missed opportunity. The scant references to Spider-Man felt shoehorned in, and a clunky post-credits scene teased a potential crossover with the MCU’s Vulture. Even with a horror-inspired, campy approach to the material, Morbius failed to make its narrative shine, securing one of the weaker entries in the SSU so far.
3) Venom: Let There Be Carnage
New ‘#Venom : Let There Be #Carnage‘ trailer highlights Cletus Kasady’s monstrous transformation https://t.co/F2Te4WJ4Hv
— Fandom (@getFANDOM) August 2, 2021
Director: Andy Serkis
Release Date: October 1, 2021
Cast: Tom e DHardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris
Rotten Tomatoes: 57%
IMDb Rating: 5.9/10
The follow-up to Venom leaned into its absurdity, delivering a high-octane showdown between Eddie Brock’s Venom and Cletus Kasady’s Carnage. Woody Harrelson played his part with a combination of menace and camp, and Tom Hardy embraced the bromance aspect of the interplay with his alien symbiote. While entertaining for some of its duration, the movie was marred by a jarring plot and a weak script. An improvement over the original in terms of action and pacing, it still didn’t quite reach its full potential.
2) Venom: The Last Dance
#VenomTheLastDance isn’t just fun, IT’S THE BEST VENOM MOVIE BY FAR! It’s the funniest, most emotional, best story & it takes the silliness we love & fully embraces it full force. They do A LOT of cool symbiote stuff & we couldn’t have gotten a better ending to this trilogy that… pic.twitter.com/7TPAF78My8
— Matt Ramos (@therealsupes) October 22, 2024
Director: Kelly Marcel
Released Date: October 25, 2024
Starring: Tom Hardy, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Rotten Tomatoes: 41%
IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
The Venom trilogy came to an end with Venom: The Last Dance and it was part goofy, part heartfelt, part bombastic action. Eddie Brock and Venom’s road-trip-style adventure provided a fun dynamic, while the climactic battle presented the CGI spectacle fans had hoped for. But the story was rushed, the supporting characters felt underdeveloped and the villain seemed to exist more as a tease of future projects than as a compelling antagonist. While the film tied up Eddie and Venom’s story in a satisfying manner, it ultimately underscored the continual mediocrity of the trilogy.
1) Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Release Date: October 5, 2018
Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate
Rotten Tomatoes: 30%
IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
The first Venom movie is still far and away the crown jewel of the SSU, and that’s probably thanks in no small part to Tom Hardy himself and the character’s shared dynamic with his alien alter ego. Though by no means flawless, the film’s campy attitude and engaging action sequences struck a chord with both audiences and critics, sufficiently buoying it to become a surprise box-office smash. Its narrative weakness was overshadowed by its goofy charm, paving the way for a solid foundation for the SSU.
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe: An Underwhelming Finale
Kraven the Hunter closes out Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, marking the end of an era of missed opportunities and potential unfulfilled. There are a few moments of entertainment scattered among its six films, but the SSU ultimately never delivered the world-building and character depth in its storytelling that Marvel fans expect from superhero cinema. Sony’s renewed focus on collaborations with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and critically adored Spider-Verse movies should bring the Spider-Man franchise into a much brighter future, even if its absence from Spidey-verse films brings some disappointment.
