THE STORY – After the events of “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” (2021), Eddie Brock and the symbiote Venom go on the run when they are hunted by both of their worlds.
THE CAST – Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach & Stephen Graham
THE TEAM – Kelly Marcel (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 110 Minutes
It is wild to think after years of fumbling to ride off the success of everyone’s favorite web crawler, the godfather of Sony’s non “Spider-Man” experiment is coming to a close. When the first “Venom” film came out in 2018, the adoration from the character’s rich comic history alone helped a so-so film become a massive success at the box office. Then, when the sequel came out with continued financial success, it remained stagnant in quality. Yet something fascinating transpired during “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” which dramatically changed the perception and tone of the franchise. A self-serious superhero cash-in morphed into a somewhat meta buddy comedy. Tom Hardy’s proclivity in using funny voices (in this case, every voice) led to people rocking with the unlucky couple. Whether it’s unironic or not, there’s genuine fun to be had from these two self-aware silly films. So it’s curious to see as the character’s identity finally feels like it found its footing, the head-chopping symbiote is ready to ride off into the sunset with a third and presumably final film. “Venom: The Last Dance” attempts to cap off a chapter of Sony comic films in grand fashion. Whenever you hear the phrase “The Last Dance” it’s usually synonymous with going out on an absolute high note. Instead, “Venom: The Last Dance” ends exactly as you think it would by undoing some of the breezy goodwill the franchise had somewhat generated in exchange for a generic and unmemorable conclusion.
After audiences witness an introduction tailored to the atmosphere and exposition of a fantasy RPG for the PlayStation 2, we are instantly thrown back into the chaos with everyone’s favorite bickering symbiotic “couple.” Eddie Brock and Venom (both played by Tom Hardy) are feeling the brunt of the previous film’s ending, drinking heavily, drenched in sweat, and exhaustedly exclaiming to the heavens, “I’m tired of this multiverse shit!” There’s nothing unsubtle regarding the film’s commentary on the frustration brought on by the state of superhero films currently being programmed by studios. It’s maybe one of the few nudge-and-wink moments by debut director and franchise screenwriter Kelly Marcel that comes off smoothly. Soon, Eddie and Venom end up on the run from both authorities and symbiote hunters, embarking on a cross-country adventure. Of course, it doesn’t go as expected as they encounter many detours, whether meeting a random UFO-obsessed family or going to Vegas to indulge in Venom’s newly brewing gambling addiction. Besides watching the two be trusted into more comical situations, which allows us more time to indulge in Hardy’s eccentricities, nothing else about “Venom: The Last Dance” is memorable, funny, or satisfying as a send-off.
Hardy, as always, is the gooey soul of this franchise that makes any minute of this goofiness watchable. His dedication to the character and duality of the pairing is more than admirable. There’s a sincerity to his performance that bleeds into the film, especially towards the final set piece, which hilariously and desperately tries to tug at the heartstrings. Hardy fully embraces the wacko nature of what comics can be and has plenty of moments that elicit a chuckle or two, no matter how stupid the punchline may be. He goes big as much as he can, doubling down on the physical comedy of it all, which only comes effortless to him at this point. Despite what the film and Sony may be telling audiences, it’s an enjoyable routine that hasn’t run past its mileage.
Everyone else in the cast, which features a slew of popular actors, is more than misused in every manner. Say whatever you want about “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” but at least a performer like Woody Harrelson was implemented in all the right ways. Here, audiences are forced to watch Juno Temple (she is a scientist) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (he is a soldier…Could it be anymore obvious they’re just doing this for the paycheck?) play some of the most one-dimensional characters, who are just action figures waiting to interact with the show’s real star. Stephen Graham also returns for no other reason than to tie into the previous film, and the involvement of Rhys Ifans as a UFO-seeking patriarch makes you think the plot is somehow an interconnected web to his previous involvement in the “Spider-Man” franchise. Temple’s character also has similar physical trademarks, making the line blur between a red herring to a key jangling easter egg or just a backstory for someone who’s incredibly uninteresting.
It’s shocking how much Marcel focuses the story of “The Last Dance” around characters who contribute so little to the film besides being pieces on a board to move the plot forward. Any time the film moves away from Eddie and Venom, the impending feeling of desperation kicks in until Hardy finally returns on screen. Even so, the need to have the story stray away from its established comedic nature to build dramatic tension for there to be stakes fails miserably. “The Last Dance” wants to be much more than it’s designed to be. Everything from an Andy Serkis-voiced villain called “Knull” to the comedically ridiculous McGuffin contained inside Eddie and Venom, which is used to prevent us from seeing Venom in full form for a majority of the film, are all just either poorly executed or half-hearted studio filmmaking choices we grew past long ago. The ending of “Venom: The Last Dance” is equal parts disorienting in its hilarity and how it miscalculates viewers’ attachment to this story.
The final needle drop into an emotion-bating montage might be an all-timer for something so bad it’s good. If you think about it, that falls in line with not just the franchise but all of these Sony Marvel films as a whole. Is it a baffling way to end this series? Yes, but there probably isn’t a better way to go out, considering what came before. And if you happen to leave before two end-credit scenes that do nothing but set up another potential Sony project that probably won’t come to fruition, just know you didn’t miss much. We’ll miss watching Tom Hardy rock Hawaiian shirts, ride motorcycles, and argue with himself as Eddie Brock, but definitely not enough to have to sit through another one of these films again.