Tom Hardy’s new movie The Bikeriders is finally fixing a rotten streak for the celebrated actor. The 46-year-old actor has appeared in some of the most popular and acclaimed films of the last 15 years and continues to be one of the biggest names in Hollywood. However, after the massive success of his hit blockbusters such as Inception (2010), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and Dunkirk (2017), his most recent movies have not fared as well among critics. Hardy has solidified himself as the face of the modern Venom franchise, which includes two of his highest-grossing movies.

Hardy will star in The Bikeriders alongside Oscar-nominated actor Austin Butler in what appears to be one of his first critically acclaimed films in quite a while. The Bikeriders was dropped by Disney before eventually finding another home at Focus Features. The film, which was written and directed by Jeff Nichols (Mud, Midnight Special, Loving), will also star Michael Shannon, Jodie Comer, Norman Reedus, and Mike Faist. The Bikeriders, which premiered back at the 50th Telluride Film Festival in August 2023 and was originally slated for theatrical release on December 1 of that year, currently has a release date of June 21, 2024.

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The Bikeriders Is Tom Hardy’s First Fresh Movie On Rotten Tomatoes Since 2017

Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk was Hardy’s last fresh movie

It’s surprising that Hardy, who had a hot streak of critically acclaimed movies during the first half of the 2010s, has not starred in a Rotten Tomatoes Certified Fresh movie since Christophe Nolan’s Oscar-winning Dunkirk. While The Bikeriders is not receiving the same high level of praise that Dunkirk did, which won Oscars in only technical categories such as editing and mixing, it is still Hardy’s highest-rated movie in an astounding seven years. The most evident reason for this massive gap is the various delays that have happened in Hollywood with the 2023 WGA and SAG strikes as well as the pandemic.

The Bikeriders was also slated for a 2023 release and was completed far before its current release date of June 21, 2024, adding another delay to the Hardy film. It’s also surprising how few movie roles Hardy has taken on in recent years despite the inevitable delays that all of Hollywood were forced to endure. Between Dunkirk and The Bikeriders, Hardy has only starred in three movies, two of which were the Venom films. His only other movie during that time period was the 2020 crime biopic Capone, which was highly-anticipated before receiving scathing reviews and earning just a 40% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

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Why The Bikeriders’ Reviews Are So Good

It currently has an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes

The Bikeriders currently has an impressive 83% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 36 reviews, a metric that is subject to change once the movie is widely released nationwide in theaters this summer. Peter Debruge of Variety wrote of The Bikeriders, “It goes a long way to humanize figures who’ve been long misrepresented on film, while giving audiences privileged access to this inner world.” Robbie Collin of the Daily Telegraph wrote, “Nichols’s film is less interested in telling a story than pinning down a particular time, place and attitude – and does so with such pungent precision, you can all but smell it.”

While The Bikeriders has been mostly praised, a few, but not many, critics have commented on some of the film’s apparent flaws. Kevin Maher of Times (UK) wrote in his review of The Bikeriders, “And yet it’s also largely incurious, and rarely delves beneath the macho posturing of its “bad boy” protagonists, preferring to celebrate their leather-clad camaraderie and the many raw-knuckle donnybrooks that fill their lazy, booze-addled days.” Some critics have also criticized the lack of emotional depth in The Bikeriders despite featuring a constant display of visually striking images and sharp, dedicated direction from Jeff Nichols.

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Tom Hardy Had An Incredible Rotten Tomatoes Streak – Before Venom

Hardy only had 2 Rotten movies from 2018 to 2017

Hardy had an impeccable hot streak on Rotten Tomatoes for nearly a decade straight. From 2008, when he really started to break out in leading roles in films such as Bronson, to 2017, when Dunkirk was released, he only had two “Rotten” movies. Hardy could seemingly do no wrong from 2008 to 2017, despite the two misfires This Means War (2010) and Child 44 (2015). Anticipation for 2018’s Venom would not have been higher until it was released and mostly ripped apart by critics. Despite the poor critical reception, Hardy’s Venom films have high audience scores on RT and are massive box office successes.

Hardy looks to flip the script with The Bikeriders, which could hopefully inspire another impressive hot streak. The Bikeriders is currently rated higher than 2015’s The Revenant on Rotten Tomatoes, which received a score of 78%. This is promising news considering that The Revenant took home 3 Academy Awards in 2016 and was nominated for Best Picture of the Year. Hardy did appear in three episodes of the critically acclaimed television series Peaky Blinders in 2017 and 2022, which has a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score and is widely considered one of the best dramatic television series of the 21st century.

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Tom Hardy’s Rotten Tomatoes Turnaround Probably Won’t Last

Venom 3 will likely receive the same critical fate as its predecessors

The Bikeriders should maintain its status as Hardy’s first critically acclaimed movie since Dunkirk, but it’d be surprising if Venom 3 starts a new hot streak for the acclaimed actor. Although Venom 3 should perform in the same ballpark as Venom (2018) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) at the global box office, it would be very surprising if it ended up being a better film than the first two movies. If the Venom franchise has proven anything, it’s that Hardy is enough of a pull and Venom is a compelling enough character to generate a huge audience.

Making Venom: The Last Dance a critical success might not be the main priority for the Sony cash cow. Hardy has numerous projects that are rumored to be in development but two known projects of his are currently in production sound promising. The Gareth Evans (The Raid: Redemption) directed action thriller Havoc stars Hardy as a police detective fighting his way through a criminal underworld. Hardy will also reprise his role as Max Rockatansky in the upcoming Mad Max: The Wasteland from George Miller, which should be an instant classic. Even if Venom 3 can’t maintain the acclaim of The Bikeriders, there’s plenty more on the horizon for Hardy.