Review: Venom - The Last Dance
'Til Death Do They Part
INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film Venom: The Last Dance. Keep in mind this is but one of the many movies I watch every year, and that whatever initial grade I come up for this film could change for better or worse with time. To better keep up to date with both my thoughts on other movies and if my feelings on this film changed, follow me on Letterboxd.
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THE PLOT
Via Letterboxd: Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie’s last dance.
QUICK REVIEW
Back in the spring, I gave a glowing review to Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, fully acknowledging that it was a popcorn flick aimed at a niche audience, not a Scorsese masterpiece. I also admitted to being a superfan of the franchise. So, I get that movies like Venom: The Last Dance aren’t supposed to be on the same level as a Dune: Part Two or a Sing Sing. But even with that understanding, I have to confess that the Venom films just haven't worked for me.
I've struggled to buy into the relationship between Eddie and the anti-hero, Venom. I give Tom Hardy all the credit in the world for going big in his performance, but it just hasn’t connected with me. The humor hasn’t landed either, and the plots and villains haven’t done much for me. Both previous films were the definition of C+ material. Now that I’ve completed the trilogy, I can confidently say the final film in the series is... a masterclass in mediocre and generally forgettable cinema.
Okay, okay; that might sound harsher than I intend it to because I wasn’t completely bored or unentertained either. I didn’t hate it outright, and I’ve seen far worse this year alone. But of the three movies, this one is easily my least favorite. Mainly because whatever life and soul the earlier installments attempted is clearly missing here.
Michelle Williams wisely sat this one out, and the script feels like it's going through the motions. It does nothing new with returning characters, and the new ones are barely fleshed out. Even with the addition to the ensemble of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, and Rhys Ifans.
The pacing is jarring, especially during key story arcs. In fact, it’s so rushed that the climax felt like a fan-made YouTube clip slapped together in five minutes. It felt like the big final scene for this trilogy should have felt more impactful than a mashing of clips.
By the time the credits rolled, I felt like I’d watched a popcorn flick, but without any real joy as I emptied my bucket. The story unfolded in front of me, yet I felt little to no emotional connection. It was just... a movie. It exists.
To be fair, as I already mentioned, I’ve never been a big fan of these films. If you love the Eddie-Venom dynamic, this might work better for you. It’s no Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 grand finale, but it does provide closure for those who've defended the trilogy.
That said, there were a few things I did like. I enjoyed the Area 51 lore, the new symbiotes as monstrous creatures with a hint to the expanded comic lore of their planet, and the subplot involving a hippie alien theorist and his family, whom Eddie befriends. Some action sequences were decent, too.
I know these movies make good money, they have their fans, and Tom Hardy has been passionate about them, but I can’t say I’m going to miss them. They just never clicked with me, and that’s okay. Just like how some people struggle to enjoy the Monsterverse movies I love and defend. But even if I try to be fair, this trilogy ends with a whimper. I really think the fans could’ve had something better than this. I give Venom: The Last Dance a very soft C+. It exists, and I don’t have much of a stronger opinion beyond that.
INITIAL GRADING
