Venom: The Last Dance Is a Bittersweet Farewell – Review

Is Venom: The Last Dance the Best in the Trilogy?

The heart of the Venom series lies within the banter and bond between Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and the titular symbiote. This is more true than ever in the third (and allegedly final) entry in the franchise, Venom: The Last Dance. The film’s marketing has been emphasizing this as a conclusion to the series. Now, having seen it, that seems to be the case…at least for now.

The story picks up with Eddie and Venom as fugitives on the run. San Francisco was no longer a viable location for them, so they decided to make their way to New York City. The pair are being hunted not just by the United States military but also by giant alien creatures who work for the mysterious Knull, a big baddie who can only be freed by a key part of the bond between Eddie and Venom.

A Road Trip Movie.

As part of the plot, Venom is most visible to his enemies when in full form, meaning when he and Eddie are fully bonded as the Lethal Protector. This requires the film to limit when Venom is in full symbiote mode, which slightly handcuffs the movie. This also means we get a lot more of Tom Hardy as Eddie and, luckily, his physical performance has never been better. Eddie’s bond with Venom has drained him, and Hardy is perpetually sweaty and disheveled in the role. Hardy’s jerky movements when Venom is controlling Eddie are like a marionette with tangled strings. These movements consistently deliver comedic moments.

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Without getting into spoiler territory, while we are limited in how much Venom we get here, plenty of symbiote action will make the most hardcore of Venom fans very happy. Despite this, the film sometimes feels like it is building to something really big but never quite gets there. I was actually surprised when the movie ended somewhat abruptly. Director Kelly Marcel has worked as a writer and producer on the prior Venom films. This third Venom film marks her directorial debut. Parts of the film are a bit messy, but no more so than we are already accustomed to in this particular franchise.

Familiar Marvel faces but new characters.

Some new characters are introduced here. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Rex Strickland, a generically mean soldier trying to capture Eddie. Juno Temple appears as Dr. Teddy Payne, a scientist to who the film unsuccessfully tries to give a backstory, and it just doesn’t land. None of these new characters really make an impact. There is a slight exception with Rhys Ifans, who plays Martin. Martin is a free-spirited man on a trip with his family to try and find their own alien interactions at Area 51. It’s interesting casting to use Ifans and Ejiofor here, as both have had decent roles in prior Marvel and MCU films. The ‘Venom series has a somewhat dotted line to the MCU. However, none of that really comes into play. Expectations should be managed.

Verdict

I give ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ 3 out of 5 stars. It might actually be the best film in the Venom trilogy, but the bar isn’t very high to begin with. The movie expects that the audience is very nostalgic for the previous Venom films. This is an interesting notion for a franchise that is only six years old. At times, it’s handcuffed by its own plot. It introduces bland and uninteresting new characters. However, it still manages to find success through Hardy’s performance and the fascinating relationship between Eddie and Venom.

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