Running Time: 110 minutes
This feature from Sony Pictures opens exclusively at cinemas and on IMAX screens on October 25th.
Back in 2018, it seemed like the Marvel superhero film franchise was wrapping up. Avengers: Infinity War had been a big hit and audiences were waiting for a big final act for many of the studio’s characters. Venom, a villain from the Spider-Man universe, appeared and garnered some unexpected attention. It wasn’t well received by critics, but became a massive success, grossing approximately 8 times its production budget at the box office.
The story revolved around reporter Edde Brock (Tom Hardy), who discovers that a bio-engineering company is experimenting with symbiotic beings found in a comet that had crashed to the Earth. Brock accidentally ended up becoming a host, sharing his body with the impulsive, violent alien organism known as Venom. This reviewer didn’t mind the original film. It was zippy, action-packed and ultimately emphasized dark comedy (including entertaining physical and verbal fights between the two) over its more serious comic-book counterparts.
In Venom: The Last Dance, the third and potentially final film in the series, Brock/Venom is a fugitive from the law. After spending time away in the Marvel multiverse, the leads return home, only to discover that they are not only still wanted, but have been blamed for the death of an old associate. The lead and parasite find themselves being pursued by government agents Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and scientist Dr. Payne (Juno Temple), who are working out of the soon-to-be-decommissioned Area 51 in Roswell. Additionally, Knull (Andy Serkis), a powerful, evil deity who created the symbiotes and wants nothing more than to free himself and destroy the universe, is hunting them. Specifically, he needs an element that only Brock and Venom possess and sends his monstrous minions to find the pair.
Pacing certainly isn’t an issue here, as once again, the story moves at a rapid pace. Perhaps too quickly, in fact. The backstory of several new characters, including Strickland and Dr. Payne feels rushed and doesn’t make as strong an impression as hoped for. Knull is certainly a fearsome antagonist, but he doesn’t interact with the leads. The heroes are simply being chased by a seemingly unkillable monster. It’s a disturbing beast that is threatening because of its regenerative qualities, but the movie doesn’t spend any significant time with the big foe.
Thankfully, Hardy has the Brock/Venom character down, which means he is able to make the most of the central strained and parasitic relationship. There are significant laughs as the actor contorts his body and performs loud, bickering disagreements between Brock and Venom while sharing the same body). Venom, while dangerous, is almost child-like in its impulses, leading to several bluntly funny statements. And the nature of the symbiotic nature of Venom allows for some outrageous action and mimicry in several sequences.
Among new characters, those who do stand out are a hippie family led by patriarch Martin (Rhys Ifans). Ifans is extremely funny as a man eager to see Area 51, perhaps even an alien, and share his life philosophy with anyone he meets. The character gets a few of the film’s best lines. In fact, all of the unexpected interactions between Brock/Venom and the tourists work well.
The movie does try to juggle in a bit more seriousness. Brock looks weathered and beaten in this chapter, more aware of how his life has changed for the worse since being inexorably tied to Venom. The realization that Knull’s beasts will never stop hunting them as long as both are alive adds a bit of drama to the proceedings. All the emoting feels out-of-place surrounded by the film’s more outrageous moments, but at least the finale finds an appropriate balance.
This isn’t a fantastic picture. It’s all over-the-place tonally, but the main relationship and the lead’s interactions with a few new characters are enjoyable to watch. And some of the action is creatively rendered. Venom: The Last Dance isn’t an Avengers-esque superhero finale, but it has enough quirks and amusing eccentricities to earn it a modest recommendation.
NOTE: Viewers would be well advised to wait until the very end of the credits, as there are a pair of scenes adding more story details.