“We are Venom!” – a line that once held a sliver of intrigue now echoes with the weariness of a joke that’s long overstayed its welcome. I could pen a lengthy essay on movies deserving of sequels that never materialized, and equally on those sequels that regrettably did. We crave a Dredd follow-up, still hold out hope for Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 continuation, and acknowledge the True Lies sequel that should have been. Then there are franchises like Jaws and Taken – initial brilliance followed by diminishing returns, a path eerily mirrored by the Venom series. A movie that arguably shouldn’t have existed in the first place spawned sequels, a cinematic trajectory that feels more like punishment than entertainment. The original Venom felt like another Marvel character, trapped in Sony’s grasp, destined for mediocrity. Let There Be Carnage doubled down on the disappointment. And now we have Venom: The Last Dance.
In full transparency, a fellow critic whose judgment I respect didn’t share my profound dislike for this third installment. He, like myself, found the previous Venom films underwhelming. Perhaps I stand alone in my utter lack of enthusiasm for Venom: The Last Dance. Time, and box office numbers, will tell. However, I suspect my pre-existing antipathy for the first two films may have unfortunately clouded my viewing of this latest chapter. I yearned to be proven wrong, to experience a surprising turnaround akin to Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, a film that revitalized its franchise in its third outing. But alas, Venom appears to be a franchise determined to beat a dead horse, repeatedly, across three films.
This critique comes from a genuine admirer of Tom Hardy. His rugged charisma and anti-heroic screen presence are undeniable. He excels in gritty, intense roles. Yet, within the Venom universe, he feels miscast, reduced to a caricature. He’s a puppet reciting stale jokes and predictable physical comedy routines. The humor, once mildly diverting, has long since lost its appeal after two prior films. For instance, Venom’s penchant for cursing, particularly the word “shit,” was initially played for laughs in the first film and persists in The Last Dance. But is it still funny? The comedic well has run dry.
Despite being a Sony production, Venom is ostensibly a Marvel movie, and what is a Marvel movie without action? In Venom: The Last Dance, the action sequences are as forgettable as the convoluted plot. If the narrative and action were garments, they would be perfectly matched in their blandness. The action feels obligatory, lacking any spark or originality. It’s as if the filmmakers adhered to a rigid formula, ensuring an explosion or set piece every fifteen minutes, regardless of narrative necessity or organic progression.
One particularly egregious scene involves Venom clinging to the exterior of a passenger airliner at cruising altitude while Eddie Brock screams in terror. Venom, in his typical fashion, mocks Eddie’s fear before an alien adversary attacks. After dispatching the alien by throwing it into an engine (a questionable solution in itself), Venom and Eddie simply… abandon the plummeting aircraft mid-flight. The fate of the hundreds of passengers left to grapple with a damaged, spiraling plane is conveniently ignored. Presumably, they’ll be fine.
Venom: The Last Dance mechanically ticks the boxes of a generic Marvel-adjacent movie, courtesy of Sony. Following the cinematic misfire that was Madame Web, this is marginally better. However, if Madame Web represents the benchmark for improvement, then the upcoming Kraven the Hunter film has a depressingly low bar to clear. Venom: The Last Dance is as unremarkable as its Sony-produced Marvel counterparts. It never transcends mediocrity, and after three attempts, one might expect a modicum of effort to break free from this creative inertia.
Another significant flaw is the film’s pacing. It ambles aimlessly for the majority of its runtime, only to abruptly lurch into a rushed and unsatisfying final act. As the credits roll, one is left wondering if that was indeed the climax, as the narrative resolution feels perfunctory and unearned. Despite its mercifully short duration, the film’s hurried pace undermines what is supposedly the concluding chapter of Eddie and Venom’s adventures. It ends before it ever truly begins.
Similar to the original Venom, the villains in The Last Dance are paper-thin and utterly forgettable. In the first film, Venom faced a generic megalomaniac driven by predictable lust for power. The sequel offered a slight improvement with Carnage, a serial killer imbued with symbiote abilities, presenting a more compelling antagonist. However, The Last Dance appears to regress to the tired superhero trope of escalating threats. Mimicking The Avengers formula, the film introduces a universe-ending menace lurking in the shadows (presumably setting up future installments that hopefully will not happen), while dispatching waves of generic minions (much like the Chitauri) to pad out the runtime and prolong the narrative.
Perhaps the most damning indictment of Venom: The Last Dance is its sheer insignificance. It is profoundly forgettable. The plot feels truncated, and the central relationship between Eddie and Venom, the supposed heart of the franchise, is relegated to fleeting moments of superficial sentimentality amidst a barrage of tired gags and forced banter. The action sequences are paint-by-numbers, often dissolving into a chaotic mess of indistinguishable CGI. Attempts at injecting drama through contrived backstories fall flat and feel utterly misplaced within the film’s overall tone. The human characters are stock comic book movie archetypes, mechanically performing their expected roles.
I confess to feeling utterly apathetic towards the entirety of Venom: The Last Dance. More concerningly, the film itself seems to lack any desire to engage the audience, to elicit any emotional investment. It is comprehensively insignificant, rendering it impossible to genuinely care about the proceedings. If you found enjoyment in the previous Venom films, a perspective I struggle to comprehend, then perhaps you might unearth some merit here. Personally, I simply longed for it to conclude. Even now, hours after viewing, that sentiment persists. Venom: The Last Dance occupies the absolute center of cinematic mediocrity. If “meh” were to be immortalized in a biopic, this film would be its definitive representation.
Rated PG-13 For: intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images and strong language
Runtime: 109 minutes
After Credits Scene: Yes. It’s nothing important but yes.
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Comedy
Starring: Tom Hardy, Juno Temple, Stephen Graham, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Directed By: Kelly Marcel
Out of 10
Story: 5 / Acting: 6 / Directing: 6 / Visuals: 5.5
OVERALL: 5/10
Buy to Own: No.
Check out the trailer below:
