Venom: The Last Dance (2024), the third and final chapter of Sony’s Venom trilogy, delivers a chaotic, campy, and occasionally heartfelt farewell to Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and his alien symbiote, Venom. Directed by Kelly Marcel, who co-wrote the script with Hardy, the film leans hard into the buddy-comedy dynamic that made the series a guilty pleasure, while attempting to tie up loose ends in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU). Despite dazzling action and Hardy’s committed dual performance, the film stumbles with a messy plot, underdeveloped characters, and an overreliance on CGI spectacle, making it a fun but flawed send-off for fans.
Plot and Themes
Following the events of Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) and a brief multiverse jaunt in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Eddie Brock (Hardy) and Venom are fugitives, falsely accused of murder. On the run from a secret military operation led by Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) at Area 55, a symbiote research facility, they’re also hunted by Xenophages, monstrous creatures sent by Knull (voiced by Andy Serkis), the symbiote creator seeking a "codex" within Eddie and Venom to escape his cosmic prison. The road-trip narrative, spanning Mexico to Las Vegas to Area 51, explores themes of partnership, sacrifice, and belonging, but the stakes feel muddled. The script juggles too many subplots—scientists, hippies, military conspiracies—resulting in a disjointed story that prioritizes absurdity over coherence.
Performances
Tom Hardy remains the beating heart of the franchise, delivering a gonzo performance as both the neurotic Eddie and the gleefully unhinged Venom. His chemistry with himself, honed over three films, sells the odd-couple dynamic, balancing humor (Venom’s ABBA dance with Mrs. Chen) with surprising emotional depth (a stargazing moment reflecting on their bond). Supporting actors, including Juno Temple as scientist Dr. Teddy Paine and Ejiofor as Strickland, are underutilized, their characters reduced to plot devices with little depth. Rhys Ifans and Alanna Ubach bring quirky charm as a hippie family, but their subplot feels shoehorned in. Peggy Lu’s Mrs. Chen steals scenes, though her Vegas cameo is fleeting. Knull, despite Serkis’ menacing voice, is a non-presence, relegated to exposition and future SSU setup.
Action and Visuals
The action sequences are a highlight, with inventive symbiote mayhem that outshines the trilogy’s earlier entries. Standouts include a bar fight blending Eddie’s scrappiness with Venom’s tendrils, a thrilling chase involving a “Venom horse,” and a climactic battle royale with colorful symbiotes and Xenophages. The CGI, while improved, can feel overwhelming, especially in the third act’s explosion-heavy chaos. The film’s visual flair—neon-lit Vegas, desolate deserts—embraces a ‘90s sci-fi vibe, but erratic pacing and choppy editing, likely from reshoots, disrupt the flow. The soundtrack, featuring David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” adds campy charm but sometimes feels forced.
Reception and Impact
Venom: The Last Dance has polarized critics, earning a 37% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 53/100 on Metacritic, reflecting its divisive nature. Audiences, however, gave it an 80% Popcornmeter score and a B– CinemaScore, showing fan appreciation despite flaws. The film grossed over $414 million globally, proving the trilogy’s commercial staying power despite Sony’s SSU struggles (Morbius, Madame Web). Critics praise Hardy’s performance and the action but lament the weak script, inconsistent tone, and wasted potential of Knull. Posts on X highlight fans enjoying the “bonkers” tone and emotional ending, though some felt it fell short of expectations. The film’s mid- and post-credits scenes tease SSU expansion, but Hardy’s exit leaves the franchise’s future uncertain.
Final Thoughts
Venom: The Last Dance is a wild, messy ride that thrives when it embraces its weirdo charm—Hardy arguing with Venom, absurd set pieces like a symbiote-possessed horse—but falters when bogged down by generic sci-fi tropes and SSU setup. It’s not the triumphant finale some hoped for, but for fans who love the trilogy’s unapologetic silliness, it’s a satisfying, if uneven, curtain call. If you didn’t vibe with the first two, this won’t convert you. Catch it in theaters for the action and Hardy’s swan song, but don’t expect a masterpiece.
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