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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
Are you ready for one Last Dance with Eddie Brock and Venom? This final entry in Marvel Entertainment/ Sony Pictures’ Venom trilogy features Eddie Brock/Venom (Tom Hardy) going on the run from both the dangerous aliens of Venom’s home planet and the law enforcement of Earth. Each seeks the symbiotic pair to answer for crimes they may or may not have committed. Joining the gooey tangle of Venom’s web this time are Juno Temple (The Dark Knight Rises, Horns) as Dr. Teddy Payne, a scientist studying symbiotes; Chiwetel Ejiofor (Four Brothers, Children of Men, The Lion King reimagining) as General Rex Strickland, the man in charge of tracking down Venom; and Rhys Ifan (Little Nicky, The King’s Man, House of the Dragon) as Martin Moon, a family man Eddie encounters along his journey.
A few familiar faces also return. Stephen Graham reprises his role as Detective Mulligan from Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and Peggy Lu returns as Mrs. Chen, a convenience store owner. Finally, stepping up to the director’s chair this go-around is Hardy’s long-time collaborator and series writer, Kelly Marcel. Marcel also co-wrote this entry with Hardy.
A Movie Pulled In Two
Venom: The Last Dance suffers from a few issues, but really, one major problem—this film isn’t sure what it wants to be. The film still features plenty of the goofy almost queer shenanigans between Eddie and Venom, and all of it is delightful. However, this movie also introduces one of Venom’s biggest and most recent villains: Knull. Knull is the god of symbiotes and can be quite a fun character. However, here he is treated as a mostly off-screen threat, and his few scenes feel so jarringly different from everything else in the movie and franchise. It’s an odd introduction to make in a third film of a series that has been relatively lower in stakes.
Also contributing to this weird tonal clash are all the scenes of the military. Again, these scenes with Temple’s Payne and Ejiofor’s Strickland feel like a completely different movie to the scenes of just Eddie. They take on a much more self-serious tone and are tedious to watch. Does Payne’s tragic backstory really add anything to Eddie’s emotional arc and the film as a whole? No, not really, and it just seems to serve as a way to pad out the runtime and make a dull character somewhat sympathetic. This isn’t to rag on Temple’s performance. She does fine albeit with a questionable American accent. The same can be said for Ejiofor; it’s just that anything in this film and franchise thereof does not directly involve Eddie and Venom is so lackluster.
A Goodbye
As alluded to earlier, the highlight of this film is Eddie and Venom. Both Marcel and Hardy understand that these films work best when they just let Hardy act like a weird little freak, and he gets to do plenty of that here. We find the pair at their absolute lowest here, just desperate, with a single goal in mind: live long enough to make it to New York City. As always, Hardy sells Eddie’s tired exasperation and Venom’s comic hyperactivity so well.
Their push and pull are at their absolute peak in this third film, reaching the ultimate form of their queer relationship, making a one-man comedy duo that is just loads of fun to watch as they try to navigate through the American Southwest. This is a fitting setting for The Last Dance as they undergo an almost spiritual journey coming to terms with their lives and perhaps their ending.
Without major spoilers, The Last Dance does give Eddie Brock and Venom a fairly definitive closure. This is a rarity in our superhero and franchise-obsessed culture. It tackles this ending of a relationship head-on, giving the film a surprisingly pensive tone at times. This can come at odds with the juvenile comedy of Hardy but does weirdly work. Hardy possesses a deep passion for these characters, shown in his performance. It’s the glue that holds this mess of a movie together and is worth the price of admission. Where else can you get two weird Tom Hardy voices for the price of one?
Miscellaneous Thoughts
Marcel’s first time as a director does leave quite a bit to be desired. There is nothing really remarkable about director of photography Fabian Wagner’s shot composition and at times the action can be harder to follow than it should be. Occasionally, editor Mark Sanger’s cuts feel poorly thought out. It’s easily the weakest in the trilogy from a directing standpoint.
Marcel and Hardy’s script is also a mess. Yet, this is not a surprise, given the rest of the series. There are times when exposition is given, then immediately given again in a different scene to different characters. Sometimes, it’s done a third time. That is not to mention the MacGuffin that Knull is after is poorly thought out, and the exact mechanics of how it works are unclear. Again, Knull is shoehorned into it all.
Furthermore, the dialogue in The Last Dance is tough to listen to. It’s all very clichéd, and anyone who isn’t Tom Hardy struggles hard with it, but again, Tom Hardy and his unhinged performance are the whole reason to watch this.
The Verdict on Venom: The Last Dance
Is Venom: The Last Dance good? It’s hard to say yes to that question because The Last Dance is a poorly choreographed mess. From a technical standpoint, it’s never more than average and downright sloppy at times. The screenplay is a disaster, constantly overexplaining while also not explaining enough. Despite all of that, there is a weird charm to the film. Tom Hardy as both Eddie Brock and Venom is oddly compelling. You cannot help but want to see them succeed. In short, if you enjoyed Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, then you will be happy with The Last Dance. However, if those films were not your cup of tea, then this one will not be either.
Score: 2.5/5
Venom: The Last Dance is playing in theaters now!
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Sometimes I write things, but mostly I watch movies.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.