Tom Hardyhas established himself as a Hollywood star with some memorable movie franchises. Hardy started his screen acting career with notable roles in star-studdedcasts likeBlack Hawk DownandBand of Brothers. Hardy’s performance inBronsonannounced his talents, with many high-profile movies to come, including severalcollaborations with Christopher Nolan.
Hardy’s best performancesinclude several standalone movies, but his franchise work is impressive. Hardy has appeared as both DC and Marvel characters, taken on an iconic action hero role, and been part of a beloved sci-fi franchise. Of course, while these were all key to Hardy’s career, some of his franchises are better than others.
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Only a year after Tom Hardy made his feature film debut inBlack Hawk Down, he had a prominent role intheStar Trekuniverse. Unfortunately, it was one of the sci-fi franchise’s lesser entries.Star Trek: Nemesisfollows the Enterprise crew facing off with a Romulan threat led by Shinzon (Hardy), a clone of Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart).
While this might have been Hardy’s big break in Hollywood,Star Trek: Nemesiswas a critical and commercial failure, becoming the lowest-grossingStar Trekmovie to date. It also ended the era of the Enterprise crew leading the films, and tanked the entire franchise for seven years before J.J. Abrams rebooted it.
Hardy is a bright spot in the movie, playing a slimy villain while also taking on qualities ofStewart’s performance as Picard. Their first scene together is the best moment in the entire film. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie is less engaging, with lackluster action, a grim tone, and too many moments borrowed from superiorStar Trekmovies.
Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
Tom Hardy was able to bringtheVenomtrilogyto a close while starring in the main role throughout all three movies. It is a rare feat for an actor, so it’s a shame that the final movie wasn’t more fitting for this farewell.Venom: The Last Dancefinds Eddie Brock (Hardy) and Venom facing aliens from the symbiote homeworld.
As with all of the other entries in this franchise, it is the relationship between Eddie and Venom that is the highlight here. It is especially effective as the duo face some greater hardships together while also finding a kinship more than ever before. Hardy continues to fully commit with an entertaining and funny performance.
The issue is that the storyline does nothing to help out the lead performance and that central relationship. It is a mess of new characters and a growing mythology that leaves too many plot holes and bewildering motivations, bringing the trilogy to an end that is not befitting the potential of the characters.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)
The secondVenommovie delivered the live-action debut of one of Marvel’s most beloved villains, which fans had been waiting for decades to see. The film seesEddie Brock crossing paths with notorious killer Cletus Cassidy (Woody Harrelson) and allowing the criminal to bond with a symbiote, becoming Carnageand wreaking havoc that even Venom is intimidated by.
Tom Hardy has a story writing credit onVenom: Let There Be Carnage.
Venom: Let There Be Carnagerecognizes what worked with the relationship between Eddie and Venom in the first movie and leans into it even more.The film takes on a rom-com vibe, including a memorable section in which Eddie and Venom “break up.“However, the rest of the story is still lacking in big ways.
Harrelson is a fun villain, but Carnage never lives up to the legacy of the character in the comics, often feeling like a meaner and less entertaining Venom. The post-credit scene also proved thatthe Sony Spider-Man moviesdon’t quite understand their role in the big cinematic universe.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Inceptionprovided a strong breakthrough role for Tom Hardy, which led to him reuniting with director Christopher Nolan on an even bigger project.The Dark Knight Risesmarked the final installment ofNolan’s Batman trilogy, ending in epic fashion withBatman coming out of retirement to take on the villainous Bane (Hardy).
Nolan wanted to end things with a bang, which is both good and bad for the movie. There is a thrilling epic feel toThe Dark Knight Rises,but its scale seems so big at times that it no longer feels like a Batman movie.
However, it is also hard not to get swept up in the excitement of it all as the grand story comes to an end. Nolan ups his game as an action director, including the show-stopping opening sequence.Hardy is also one of the highlights of the movie, delivering a chilling and compelling performance in the role of Bane.
Looking back on the trilogy,The Dark Knight Risesis the weakest of the installments. Its overly ambitious plot and abundance of plot holes become more obvious with each rewatch. However, that is certainly not to say it is a bad movie by any means.It is thrilling, emotional, and leaves the franchise with a satisfying conclusion.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Fans have been hoping to one day see Tom Hardy’s Venom cross paths withTom Holland’s Spider-Man. Unfortunately,Spider-Man: No Way Homemay be the closest we will ever come to this. The third MCUSpider-Manmovie makes good on the cliffhanger toSpider-Man: Far From Home, with Spider-Man’s true identity being revealed to the world.
The movie weaves in the multiverse storyline asSpider-Man’s attempts to set things back to normal end up bringing in heroes and villains from across different universes. This leads to the crowd-pleasing team-up of Holland’s Spider-Manalongside Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.
Rather than being some easy fan service, the appearance of the other Spider-Man characters is made a big part of the story and gives each of them something fun to do. Willem Dafoe’s return as Green Goblin is another highlight.While Hardy only appears in a post-credit scene, it is a fun little addition to his multiverse story.
Spider-Man: No Way Homeranks as the best of Holland’s solo MCU movies as well as a high point of the post-Avengers: Endgamerun of the MCU, making the best use of this multiverse story.It is a must-see for any Spider-Man fan.
It had been 30 years since the lastMad Maxmovie whenMad Max: Fury Roadcame along, and it was also the first time the franchise would have another actor other than Mel Gibson in that main role.Fury Roadsees Max becoming the reluctant hero again, teaming with a general who betrays her warlord to free imprisoned women.
It is certainly daunting for an actor to step into such an iconic role, but Tom Hardy becomes Mad Max almost immediately, while also giving his own spin on the character. A man of few words, Max is a determined survivor built out of this lawless wasteland, and Hardy fits that role perfectly.
The New York Times rankedMad Max: Fury Roadas #11 on its list of the 100 greatest movies of the 21st century.
As great as Hardy is,Fury Roadactually belongs more toCharlize Theron’s Furiosaas the true hero of the story. She is a brave and powerful warrior who represents a glimmer of good in this bleak, violent world. She and Max make for a strong duo, butting heads initially and then becoming allies.
Most impressive of all, George Miller returns as director of the franchise and takes the action to amazing new heights. There are some truly mind-blowing sequences in this movie that mesmerize viewers no matter how many times you see it.Mad Max: Fury Roadis not just a great sequel, but one of the best action movies of all time.
