And just like that, the Venom trilogy has come to an end. Yeah, it could have been better but for goofy comic book fun, the series wasn’t a total disappointment . . . even if most print critics hated these movies.
And it looks like Venom: The Last Dance will be no different in spite of the bromance between Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and Venom.
For my part, the film just kinda barely registers in the enjoyment department. It’s rather sillier than the others and, thanks to the constant bickering, is sure to please fans of the series, but it is just another dismal entry in Sony’s bewildering handling of their non-Spider-Man properties.
But we do get a brief dance sequence between Mrs. Chen (Peggy Lu) and Venom and a rather hilariously uncomfortable sing-along with Rhys Ifans and Alanna Ubach’s hippie family as Brock continues his Man on the Lam routine. Those moments are lights in a very dark movie, but they are also the problems with the direction the trilogy has taken: the levity outshines the legitimacy of the property.
Directed by returning screenwriter Kelly Marcel (who’s promotion is a much needed one), Venom: The Last Dance ultimately gets by thanks to the rugged charm of Tom Hardy, who swears he’s done with Venom (and I certainly hope so). There’s no problem with Hardy, but the edits are too haphazard and, yes, the film absolutely gets off to a rocky start when it opens with a grim narration from Andy Serkis who explains the symbiotes and explains why Brock/Venom are the film’s literal MacGuffins.
Once we get back to Earth, Venom: The Last Dance picks up where Let There Be Carnage left off and puts journalist Eddie Brock and his symbiote alter ego (Hardy) on the run from everyone, including none other than Knull (voiced by Andy Serkis). Don’t worry, though. It’s his symbiotes who do all of the hunting. Knull hasn’t been ruined yet by Sony . . .
. . . and these xenophage monsters are cool, chasing Brock/Venom as they hop on and off planes, trains, and automobiles through the Nevada desert, ultimately making their last stand in Area 55. We get some cool set pieces and a whole lot of destruction as Venom makes the ultimate sacrifice (after becoming a horse, a fish, a frog, and . . . well, you get it), but nothing - short of Brock finally getting a pair of shoes - feels of consequence.
With two post-credit sequences, Sony really wants Venom to continue and it probably will . . . but Knull will never be the big and brash baddie he ought to be.
Oh well. Let’s see what Cristo Fernández can do with it.
MPAA Rating: PG-13.
Runtime: 109 mins
Director: Kelly Marcel
Writer: Kelly Marcel; Tom Hardy
Cast: Tom Hardy; Chiwetel Ejiofor; Juno Temple
Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-fi
Tagline: Till Death Do They Part.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Eddie... It is time."
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing
Official Site:
Release Date: October 25, 2024
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
Synopsis: Eddie and Venom, on the run, face pursuit from both worlds. As circumstances tighten, they're compelled to make a heart-wrenching choice that could mark the end of their symbiotic partnership.
