When it comes to summing up a movie, sometimes the perfect line just leaps out. And for Venom: The Last Dance, the concluding chapter of this unexpected franchise, it’s painfully clear: This film is an embarrassingly messy end, and nothing can save “The Last Dance” from being a critical misstep.
Full disclosure, the Venom movies have never been personal favorites. Ignoring the strange situation of Sony developing a Spider-Man character film without Spider-Man himself, seemingly just to retain character rights from Marvel, the initial Venom movie in 2018 was merely adequate, reminiscent of early 2000s comic book adaptations. Its 2021 sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, however, was a frustrating example of squandered potential and questionable creative choices. Both films were somewhat redeemed by Tom Hardy’s wildly committed performance – portraying both journalist Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote Venom – which offered a certain chaotic charm. But in “The Last Dance,” Hardy appears noticeably weary, causing jokes to fall flat, and the previously quirky and endearing dynamic between Eddie and Venom now feels tiresome and immature.
For what is advertised as the grand finale for this iteration of the character (at least until studio executives reconsider), the film is profoundly underwhelming. Hardy’s apparent exhaustion might stem from the impression that he had to film multiple versions of this movie simultaneously. It’s been a long time since a film’s “fix it in post!” strategy has been so glaringly obvious.
Writer-director Kelly Marcel, who also wrote Let There Be Carnage and makes her directorial debut here, seems to cram an excessive amount of plot into a single film, resulting in abrupt edits and inconsistencies. Minor characters with minimal prior screen time suddenly become central in the finale, with Marcel struggling to make the audience care about their fates. Other characters are hinted at being significant but ultimately remain insignificant. And one mysterious, unnamed character is revealed in the credits to be a returning figure from the previous films with a dramatically altered backstory – a detail completely absent from this movie’s narrative. The editing is so jarring that it feels like the movie is barely held together.
Venom and Eddie Brock in Venom: The Last Dance, looking confused and concerned.
The Tangled Plot of “The Last Dance”
The convoluted plot kicks off immediately in the opening scene with the introduction of Knull, an ancient dark god who created the symbiote race, including Venom’s lineage. They imprisoned him on a remote, stormy planet but inadvertently left within themselves the key to his release. This key was unintentionally activated by Eddie/Venom in the previous film, and Knull now sends his Xenophage minions to retrieve it. This exposition is delivered through Knull directly addressing the audience, the first of many awkwardly placed explanations throughout the movie. Expect numerous scenes of military personnel and scientists, supposedly long-time colleagues, randomly explaining their entire job roles and histories to each other.
For fans anticipating a grand display of Knull, the “King in Black,” prepare to significantly lower expectations. Forget any crossover rumors you might have encountered.
New Characters and Familiar Faces
Among the new characters are Chiwetel Ejiofor as General Strickland, a pompous military liaison for a clandestine division tasked with capturing Earth’s symbiotes, and Juno Temple as Dr. Teddy Payne, a morally ambiguous scientist leading the study of these alien entities. Both are eager to capture Venom for their own purposes. Meanwhile, Eddie and Venom are on a road trip from Mexico to New York, fugitives attempting to clear Eddie’s name after being wrongly accused of involvement in the death of a police detective infected by Carnage in the previous movie. Along their journey, they encounter Rhys Ifans as Martin Moon, a hippie traveling across the country with his family to Area 51, hoping to fulfill his lifelong dream of seeing an alien.
Eddie Brock and Venom facing an unseen threat in Venom: The Last Dance, illuminated by blue light.
Pacing Issues and Fleeting Moments of Enjoyment
The movie also throws in a multitude of new symbiotes, dance sequences, a Venom-horse hybrid, a slightly altered version of the post-credit scene from Spider-Man: No Way Home, and much more. It’s overwhelming. Marcel’s erratic pacing exacerbates the chaos, with rushed key plot points interspersed with lengthy, incongruous scenes, like an extended family sing-along to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” Ironically, this bizarre sequence is arguably the most emotionally resonant moment in the film, as Eddie reflects on the normalcy he has sacrificed for his symbiotic existence. Similarly, the film’s climax features a reasonably well-executed battle sequence that might please fans of recent Venom comic books.
These sporadic enjoyable moments in “Venom: The Last Dance” only underscore the film’s overall clumsiness. You don’t need to dissect it frame-by-frame to notice glaring plot holes and character inconsistencies. While most of the cast delivers acceptable performances, even Hardy, despite moments of seeming disinterest, the material is simply weak. Ifans, in particular, seems misplaced in a narrative that doesn’t serve his character’s arc. And when Marcel attempts an emotionally charged scene meant to encapsulate Eddie and Venom’s journey so far, set to Maroon 5’s saccharine “Memories,” it feels so artificial it becomes unintentionally comical. It might be the biggest laugh the movie provides in its 100-plus minute runtime.
A Grand Finale That Falters
Initially, leaving the theater, there was a faint hope that “Venom: The Last Dance” was at least better than Let There Be Carnage, a film that set a very low bar. And perhaps it clears that minimal hurdle. However, upon further reflection, it’s clear that this supposed grand finale is an even grander failure. This critical and commercial disappointment is reflected in its box office performance, marking the lowest opening weekend in the trilogy by a significant margin. Coupled with the creative and commercial failures of Morbius and Madame Web, and with the underwhelming anticipation for Kraven the Hunter, and no other major projects in development, this could signify the beginning of the end for Sony’s Spider-Man-less Spider-Man universe.
Venom: The Last Dance is currently showing in cinemas, having been released on October 25th.
| Venom: The Last Dance Review |
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| Against expectations, Venom: The Last Dance emerges as the weakest entry in Sony’s symbiote comic book trilogy, plagued by a seemingly uninspired Tom Hardy and a haphazard, visibly patched-together production by writer-director Kelly Marcel. A few sparks of enjoyment are insufficient to rescue this film from the abyss, even with the introduction of the villain Knull. |
