Venom: The Last Dance is the continuing story of a reluctant hero and his alien symbiote best friend. After the events of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Eddie Brock/Venom (Tom Hardy) are on the run. The police believe they are responsible for the death of officer Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham), so Brock flees to New York City. Venom’s fight with Carnage has also attracted the attention of military scientists. General Rex Stickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and Dr. Teddy Paine (Juno Temple) have been monitoring symbiote activity on Earth, seeking to harness their power. If that weren’t enough, Venom informs Eddie that another powerful entity is hunting them: Knull. Knull created the symbiotes, but his cruelty led to them rising up and imprisoning him. With various forces hot on their trail, Eddie/Venom must figure out a plan to achieve safety and peace.
What works in Venom: The Last Dance is the goldilocks mix of action, heart, and humor. Writer/director Kelly Marcel (who penned the previous two entries) finds the perfect blend with this third outing. The material never takes itself too seriously, constantly poking fun. At the same time, the fight sequences and chases look fantastic. Marcel stages most of these sequences in clever locations with bright lighting, so audiences can fully enjoy all of Venom’s ridiculous fighting style. Finally, Tom Hardy continues to give 110% as both Eddie and Venom. Often, audiences may forget that he’s voicing both characters (one of which is solely CGI). He showcases a range of drama and comedy that would be reductive to dismiss, just because of the genre and premise. All in all, Venom: The Last Dance is a lot of silly, engaging fun.
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Audiences who don’t enjoy absurdity in both their comedy and violence are unlikely to enjoy Venom: The Last Dance. The Venom movies are a lot. The premise of an immature parasitic extra-terrestrial that bonds with a human to bite people’s heads off is a quite a bit…to swallow. If anything, The Last Dance tries to find what people enjoyed about the first two films and accentuate those characteristics. It fully succeeds in this regard, but for those who weren’t previously enamored with this character won’t be won over here. Finally, the script is purposely convenient. Marcel doesn’t care about logic or continuity. She cares about entertaining. People who get bothered by plot holes or a lack of realism should probably seek out other options.
Venom: The Last Dance is a fun and worthy entry into the pantheon of superhero/comic-book films. Hardy’s incredible dedication to the role pays off, as he works very hard to create a solid (and perhaps underappreciated) product. Full of laughs and well-choregraphed action, Venom: The Last Dance is a great ride. Highly recommended.
Recommended if you enjoyed: Deadpool and Wolverine, Aquaman,
Venom: The Last Dance is now available to stream on most digital platforms.
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