Corporate interests will always get in the way of artists trying to tell a good story, and that’s partly why I think comic-books are so damn magical. Even in a medium that’s mostly controlled by a handful of giant companies with strict rules about their intellectual property, you can still see miraculous bursts of creativity […]
Corporate interests will always get in the way of artists trying to tell a good story, and that’s partly why I think comic-books are so damn magical. Even in a medium that’s mostly controlled by a handful of giant companies with strict rules about their intellectual property, you can still see miraculous bursts of creativity even in the most unabashedly cynical products.
For example, there’s the fan-favorite Venom. Think of how many people were involved in the process of turning an alternate costume for Spider-Man (the result of a contest meant to make the character appeal to a broader audience) into a monstrous supervillain, only to then re-imagine the character as a reformed hero once the marketing folks realized that he was nearly as popular as Spidey himself. No single person planned for it to turn out this way, but each artist tried to nudge the idea in a fun direction, and now kids are out there wearing Venom masks for Halloween.
This same messy form of collaborative art can also be observed in Blockbuster filmmaking – and that’s exactly why I’ve managed to enjoy all three Venom films in spite of the franchise’s conceptual flaws. Even at their worst, these flicks have always had the same spirit as the goofy ’90s comics that they’re trying to emulate, and you can always tell that most of the people working on them are trying to gently nudge things in the right direction.
I’m still not entirely sure if any of these are traditionally “good” movies, but I like ‘em just the same. And with Venom: The Last Dance finally hitting theaters and presenting us with a thrilling conclusion to this deeply odd run of monstrous super-hero flicks, I think it’s about time to rank and compare all three of them.
Naturally, this ranking will be based on personal opinion, but don’t forget to comment below with your own take on this controversial franchise. And while we’ll only be ranking the solo trilogy of Venom movies (that means no Spider-Man 3 or even that memorable Truth in Journalism fan-film directed by Joe Lynch), readers are still welcome to discuss other adaptations.
Now, onto the ranking…
3. Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
I don’t think even Sony was expecting their Spidey-less Spider-Man movie to be as big of a success as it was, but you have to commend Ruben Fleischer for thinking about the future when he cast Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady for that post-credits zinger in the original Venom. After all, the lack of a compelling villain was one of the biggest complaints directed towards the first flick, so it stands to reason that a sequel featuring the character’s psychotic rival would be a guaranteed blast, right?
Well, sort of.
Instead of learning from their mistakes, Sony doubled down on censorship and executive meddling when the time came to make what should have been a superior sequel. Let There be Carnage is still an enjoyable movie, but it’s also a confused mishandling of Andy Serkis’ directorial talents that simultaneously feels undercooked and overstuffed.
While I appreciate the manic energy that Harrelson brings to the table (with the film benefiting greatly from a villain that is almost as entertaining to watch as our lead), the character’s adaptational downgrade coupled with the script’s rehashing of the best parts of the first one make this the most disappointing entry despite a few flashes of brilliance.
However, as someone who actually owns a copy of the comic-book where Carnage first surfs the web using the symbiote – I was honestly quite happy to see a comic-book movie that isn’t ashamed to be as silly as its over-the-top source material.
2. Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
Written and directed by the lady who helped glue this messy franchise into a coherent trilogy in the first place (with frequent Tom Hardy collaborator Kelly Marcel having previously worked as a screenwriter on both Venom and Let There be Carnage), The Last Dance mostly makes up for its bizarre lack of comic-book action and accuracy with some genuine heart and a surprisingly consistent tone.
In fact, the heartfelt interactions between Eddie and the Symbiote feel so earnest here that you often forget that the film doesn’t actually contain any of the flashy fight scenes or winks to the source material that folks have come to associate with the genre – though it still features plenty of fun monster chases and Area 51 shenanigans.
While I agree with the filmmakers’ insistence that Knull is too powerful of a villain for Venom to face on his own, the decision to have his envoys be faceless alien creatures (which suffer from the same design pitfalls that have plagued most monster movies released since Cloverfield) are what keep this threequel from being a legitimately thrilling picture, especially when you remember that Sony will almost certainly bring Venom back for a crossover if their dealings with Disney allow it.
Additionally, the film suffers from a conspicuous lack of Michelle Williams, as the ghost of Brock’s failed marriage (and the fact that his ex really was better off without him) was a huge part of what made the other films so endearing.
Even so, the bizarre symbiosis of an extraterrestrial creature feature with an introspective road trip is what really makes The Last Dance a better time than Let There be Carnage. You can tell that Marcel’s personal vision made it onto the screen even if it wasn’t exactly the vision that fans were hoping for. That’s why I appreciate this as the only Venom film that doesn’t feel like it required corporate-mandated reshoots and late nights in the editing-room in order to meet its release window.
We even get to see Mrs. Chen and Venom dance along to Abba – how can anyone hate this movie?
1. Venom (2018)
An ill-advised production that seemed doomed to fail, the original Venom was the one entry with the most problems stacked against it. And yet, this film somehow ended up being the most chaotically entertaining feature of the bunch.
The film actually went through numerous rewrites and iterations before unfortunately being greenlit after Sony reached their complicated deal with Disney that allowed Spider-Man to finally show up in the MCU while also preventing him from taking part in spin-offs.
Despite an army of lawyers advising what could and couldn’t be included in the film, what we ended up with was much more entertaining than it had any right to be. Yes, the movie was clearly re-edited to hell (mostly due to some unfortunate censorship meant to reduce the flick’s R rating to a more profitable PG-13) while also suffering from a shaky final act with a forgettable villain, but that just makes the passion behind the good parts of the experience that much more impressive.
Even with a script that feels like it was locked in a drawer for 15 years, Venom still miraculously captures the essence of its title character without even being allowed to depict his iconic spider logo. Eddie and the symbiote’s dialogue is lifted almost verbatim from the Lethal Protector comics (even if their arc is less impactful due to the lack of Supervillain baggage), and there’s a certain glossy style here that the other films weren’t able to replicate.
Of course, the main attraction here is watching Tom Hardy perform his dual role as if he were in a live-action Looney Tunes adaptation, with the actor’s under-appreciated comedic talents being responsible for most of the flick’s entertainment factor. The sequels might also benefit from this, but you can tell that Hardy really went all-in for this first movie.
It may not be high art, but I honestly enjoy this oddball flick more than most of the formulaic super-hero flicks that tend to garner good reviews.
Venom: The Last Dance is now playing in theaters nationwide.
