Despite several attempts to start new franchises, the only successful property in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe has been Venom. Yet, with the self-proclaimed “last dance,” that cash cow is running out of milk. Although Venom: The Last Dance doesn’t stoop to the embarrassing lows of this year’s earlier SSMU entry, Madame Web, it is a frustrating experience with just enough shining moments to make you realize how much more fun this should have been.
Venom: The Last Dance Review
Venom: The Last Dance picks up with Eddie Brock and Venom (Hardy) on the run after the events of Let There Be Carnage, as they discover that in addition to the cops, they’re also being hunted by an otherworldly force intent on destroying them both. If you think this sounds like an intriguing set-up for a superhero buddy road movie, you’re not wrong. Unfortunately, that’s not what the film becomes.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about Venom: The Last Dance is the abundance of world-building and exposition. We are introduced to several new characters, worlds, and concepts that would make one think that this is the middle film in a franchise, not the conclusion of a trilogy. It’s convoluted and frankly boring — unless perhaps you’re a diehard fan of the comics. While there are certainly places this property could be taken, the title seems pretty intent that this is the “last dance” we’ll see with the symbiotes, so one has to wonder why they should care about all this new symbiote mythology.
This exposition often comes at the expense of action. Instead of seeing the carnage mayhem, we’re told of all the destruction we can expect. As such, we are stuck playing a waiting game for much of the film, eagerly anticipating the point at which the conflict will reach its promised climax. It goes without saying that it’s not particularly satisfying when it does.
That’s not to mention the plethora of new human characters we are introduced to. It’s a shame how much the talented cast was wasted here. Juno Temple (Ted Lasso) is given what might be the most two-dimensional character we’ve seen in a comic book movie in decades. She has no personality, and the attempt at a backstory is embarrassingly shallow. Chiwetel Ejiofor is much more fun in his role, but it’s a character that could have been played by anyone. And while Rhys Ifans is probably the funniest part of the movie in his (secretive) role, fans will be disappointed by how he is used.
Still, the main reason audiences are probably still invested in the Venom franchise is Tom Hardy’s performance in the lead role, and unfortunately, it feels like even he has grown tired of the character. In a few scenes, he leans into the lunacy of the role and the humor of the situations he is put in, but for the most part — especially when he’s playing the human Eddie Brock — it feels like he’s sleepwalking through the role.
Of course, one wouldn’t expect the motion capture work here to be as impressive as it was in Let There Be Carnage — that one was directed by mocap maestro Andy Serkis, after all — but for the final act of The Last Dance to devolve into a deluge of CGI is disappointing. There are a few fun visual ideas, but the best moments are significantly limited by the film’s obligatory family-friendly PG-13 rating. Most of the visual ideas, though, feel recycled from the past Venom films or even other franchises.
The best parts of this third film in the franchise are those that lean into the absurdity and wackiness of the character and premise. However, it’s disappointing that so many of the best parts were revealed in the trailers. While there are still a few fun surprises, moments like “Venom Horse” that would have been a knockout will be expected by audiences going in.
Is Venom: The Last Dance worth watching?
While one would hope that entrusting the director’s chair for the final Venom film to someone who has been with the franchise since day one as a screenwriter would be a smart move, The Last Dance is a disappointingly dull affair. Even at a mercifully short runtime — a little more than an hour and a half, excluding credits — it’s painfully lacking in momentum. While no one expects greatness from a Venom movie, we’ve come to at least expect a good time, and The Last Dance doesn’t offer even that.
Venom: The Last Dance hits theaters on October 25.
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