Kelly Marcel
STARRING
Tom Hardy - Eddie Brock/Venom
Chiwetel Ejiofor - General Rex Strickland
Juno Temple - Dr. Teddy Payne
Clark Backo - Sadie Backo
Rhys Ifans - Martin Moon
Stephen Graham - Detective Mulligan
Peggy Lu - Mrs. Chen
Genre - Action/Adventure/Science Fiction/Aliens/Comic Books
Running Time - 109 Minutes
PLOT
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.
REVIEW
PROS
- Hardy and Hardy. The VENOM films haven’t been the greatest comic book movies ever made, but they’re definitely fun time-wasters and probably the best Sony Spider-Verse films outside of… well, anything Spider-Man. And while VENOM: THE LAST DANCE is my least favorite of the trilogy, at least it remains consistent with one aspect: an engaging dual-performance by Tom Hardy.
Hardy does seem a bit bored and tired in this installment, but maybe that was intentional considering Eddie Brock has gone through a whole lot in three films. His voicework as Venom remains the highlight, sharing hilarious banter and genuine emotional moments with Eddie Brock. While the trilogy hasn’t been the strongest, it’s a shame that Hardy is stepping away from the franchise because he’s probably the main reason to watch any of these movies. He’s charismatic, can handle action pretty well and just manages to bring a level of gravitas a movie like this doesn’t deserve. Hardy carries the film on his back and is the only real reason to watch this movie.
Some of the first act and the entire final act. I’m just gonna be honest - a lot of this movie is a slog to get through. But VENOM 3 starts off where the after credits of 2021’s SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME ends where Eddie is sent out of the MCU and sent back to the Sony universe. Realizing he’s wanted for a crime he didn’t commit [the murder of Detective Mulligan in LET THERE BE CARNAGE], Eddie goes on the run, confronting a number of characters and even an alien threat along the way. The opening where Eddie takes on a gang is fun, due to a cool visual showcase of Venom’s powers. The entire final act is also a whole lot of fun - just a CGI, symbiote action fest where a group of symbiotes possess people and take on an alien threat [and some of the military as well]. I thought the 3rd act was the best part of the film because it felt like a comic book movie for once and there were actual stakes involved. First time director Kelly Marcel handles the scope quite well, even if she can’t maintain the pacing for quieter, character moments in mostly the second act.
Knull. The King and Creator of the Symbiotes has finally made his first-time live-action appearance, with Andy Serkis doing the motion capture and voice for, who is apparently, the next great villain in the Spider-Verse. I love the idea of Knull and using a totally new character as the big threat for the Spider-Man characters is a great move. He could be the new Thanos if done right.
CONS
- Knull. Then again, Knull barely does anything in VENOM 3. He just sits on this throne, sends his army of creatures after Venom and gets upset when things don’t go his way. Considering how well the film is doing at the box office, we’ll probably see more of the guy. Hopefully next time, they actually do something with him and build him up into something super important and threatening. Honestly, Knull felt like an afterthought here.
The supporting characters. The first two VENOM movies had characters that, while not the most fleshed out, actually elevate the material and flesh out Eddie Brock’s world. Anne, Cletus Kasady, Detective Mulligan, Mrs. Chen - these supporting characters added variety to the earlier films and were likable.
VENOM 3 barely has any of that. Chiwetel Ejiofor and Juno Temple are very good actors, but their respective characters [General Strickland and Dr. Payne] could have been played by anyone and it wouldn’t have changed their importance in this film. Strickland is your typical military antagonist who would rather kill the threat rather than reason or understand it. Payne has more of a tragic backstory involving a brother who was murdered after a lightning strike that has crippled one of her arms [she was holding his hand while he was struck], but nothing much really comes from that until the very end when it was too late to care about her or her story.
We also get the returns of both Detective Mulligan [who is still alive, which makes the government look like jerks for framing an innocent man] and Mrs. Chen [who is one of the film’s short highlights in a cool Las Vegas sequence]. While Chen seems like an addition due to fan service, Mulligan’s role is a bit more sinister and a welcome presence. And there’s also the Moon family [Rhys Ifans playing multiple roles in the Spider-Verse], who are interesting UFO conspiracists that help add to the fun of the final act and give both Eddie and Venom some advice. Still, these characters aren’t all that interesting enough to flesh out a feature-length movie, leaving Eddie and Venom to really have themselves to keep the story moving.
The plot itself. Despite being the finale of a trilogy, VENOM 3 feels like the penultimate film to a real finale, considering what’s introduced here. We have Knull starting his villain arc. We have this plot device called the “Codex”, which was created when Venom revived Eddie from death in the first film - a tool Knull needs to escape his world. Everytime the symbiote takes over Eddie, the Codex alerts Knull and his army where it is. It’s a nice plot device that plays well visually, but it doesn’t really go anywhere narratively. Then we have scientists studying different symbiotes to apparently cure people. We also have a traveling family who want to go to Area 51. And a whole bunch of random stuff that takes away from a “final dance” for Eddie and Venom. No mention of Eddie’s ex, Anne. Nothing about Carnage. No mention of the multiverse adventure Eddie took. A lot of the sequences feel repetitive, rinse and repeat. There seems to be a focus in terms of story, but the execution feels a bit unfocused. And I’m gonna be honest - my eyes kept getting heavy while watching a lot of this film. I wish the story was more engaging as the trailers led us to believe.
THE FINAL HOWL
The only reason to watch this movie is Tom Hardy, continuing to be the highlight of these films in his dual role as both Eddie Brock and his symbiote. Plus, Kelly Marcel does a good job with the special effects and action sequences, considering she’s a first-time director. I honestly wasn’t expecting much out of this film and my expectations were pretty much met. Despite the money this movie has made, Eddie and Venom deserved a better send off than this.
SCORE
(4 out of 10)
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