No one could have predicted it years ago, but we have somehow gotten three solo outings for Venom in which he never once crosses paths with his sworn enemy/occasional partner Spider-Man. When Tom Hardy was first announced to be starring in the original Venom, most audiences were probably expecting–or fearing–an overly angsty storyline that would end up falling flat on its face with its attempts at self-seriousness. Instead, Venom was goofy. Really goofy.
For those wanting a brooding take on Eddie Brock and his antihero alter-ego, there must have been some disappointment. Yet of all of Sony’s failed launches at their own mini-cinematic universe for Spidey, the Venom series is the only one to achieve financial success. These are funny, gloriously weird movies that fully embrace themselves for what they are. For my money, the first Venom is the best as it’s more action-heavy and has a bit more of a gritty edge to it, but Let There Be Carnage is just as entertaining by fully embracing the bizarre comedy that comes from what is essentially, let’s face it, a love story. Is Venom an LGBT icon for this reason? You be the judge.
This is my way of saying that Venom: The Last Dance, for me at least, is easily the weakest of the trilogy. Don’t get me wrong. It’s still fun and funny, and Hardy continues to be hilarious as both Eddie and his titular partner. Unfortunately, The Last Dance also wants to be serious, at least on some level, but doesn’t raise the stakes enough to justify it. Venom wants your tears this time, people! Does it work? I’m not really sure.
It also lacks a memorable villain. Apologies, Knull fans (who I know are out there, but yeah, I’m someone who had to Google his name, sorry), but he barely shows up here, and if you want to actually see his face, you’re going to want to stay for the credits (though I will say he does look badass when he finally does get revealed). The Last Dance desires to have its symbiotic climatic cake and eat it to, selling itself as a “conclusion” while trying to set up an uncertain franchise future. Where exactly is Sony planning on using Knull if not in a Venom flick? The move feels bullish, and I hate to say it, even arrogant.
So what we are left with is Venom fighting the same monster over and over, as Knull sends his followers to earth to retrieve “the codex” which exists within him and Eddie and can free him from his eternal prison. The bad news for the odd couple is that one of them has to die in order for it to get destroyed. Shit just got real!
This information is given to Eddie by Venom early on (along with the revelation that Eddie can’t fully transform into him without alerting his home world, which you could argue is an excuse to give Hardy more face-time, and/or cut down the effects budget, but I digress), so the rules are never a secret to the audience.
For some reason, though, The Last Dance has an extended side story involving Area 51 being demolished, and several scientists and soldiers researching symbiotic lifeforms in an underground base. This ultimately amounts to them…learning exactly what Venom has already told Eddie, yet the film treats this knowledge as though it’s a new revelation to the plot when they discover it. It comes across as borderline incompetent, and like it or not, this stuff takes up a good chunk of the runtime (also, Chiwetel Ejiofor seems doomed to be typecast as “authority figure who is kind of a dick” anytime he does a comic book movie, but hey, a paycheck’s a paycheck).
This is Venom franchise screenwriter Kelly Marcel’s first time in the director’s chair, which could perhaps be attributed to some of the film’s uneven pacing. Many scenes feel like they go on for slightly too long, with some new faces—including a family of likable hippies headlined Rhys Ifans as the father—coming slightly close to outstaying their welcome. Ultimately, though, this is Eddie and Venom’s show, and when they are the center of attention is unsurprisingly when The Last Dance shines most.
During an opening scene, when taking down a gang of drug dealers, their bickering wouldn’t be out of place in a buddy cop outing (“I refuse to fight dogs,” Venom growls with moral conviction), although many of the action beats that follow, while enjoyable, could be more drawn out. Those tussles in the trailers of Venom brawling on a plane or turning into a horse are much briefer than the marketing would lead you to believe, but at least the climactic battle feels appropriately “big” for the most part, with a number of other symbiotes joining in on the chaos.
And there is plenty of the ridiculousness that makes the Venom films feel so unique compared to others in the genre right now. Occasionally the shenanigans happen simply because a character makes an inexplicably stupid decision for the sake of moving the plot forward, but at the end of the day, this is still a movie in which Venom dances to ABBA. You’ll either love it or you won’t.
Is this end for Marvel’s lovable lethal protector? For better or for worse, the ending wants you to think so, but if you stay for the entirety of the end credits (all 15 minutes of them! No, that’s not an exaggeration), a door is left open for a potential comeback. Personally, I’m hoping the journey’s not over. Even if The Last Dance is kind of a mess, it’s not one I find myself eager to clean up.