Venom: The Last Dance. 2024
Written and Directed by Kelly Marcel.
Starring Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Peggy Lu, Rhys Ifans, Alanna Ubach, Stephen Graham, Clark Backo, Cristo Fernández, Reid Scott, Dash McCloud, Jack Brady, Ivo Nandi, Fflyn Edwards, Elizabeth Cook, Martin McDougall, Jared Abrahamson, and Andy Serkis.
SYNOPSIS:
Eddie and Venom, on the run, face pursuit from both worlds. As circumstances tighten, they’re compelled to make a heart-wrenching choice that could mark the end of their symbiotic partnership.
Venom: The Last Dance is the agonizing death rattle for what might be the most irritating series of superhero movies within the past 25 years, but it does contain one tolerable, even slightly amusing, stretch that suggests maybe they could be entertaining if the filmmakers knew what to do with them.
Stranded in the Nevada desert and searching for sanctuary in New York of all places, Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and symbiote Venom wind up hitching a ride from a hippie father (Rhys Ifans) and his mostly unenthused family as he drags them on vacation to see if they can spot any aliens before Area 51 is decommissioned in three days. Their young son turns out to be somewhat afraid of aliens and hopes he doesn’t see when, whereas their daughter is so embarrassed she has no idea how social services hasn’t taken them away from dad yet. The dynamic that there is an alien hidden within Eddie provides ample opportunity to have some clever fun, and writer/director Kelly Marcel (Tom Hardy also receives a story credit) wisely temporarily leans into that while the RV speeds down the road with everyone (including Venom) singing David Bowie’s Ground Control.
Naturally, this family ends up in danger at some point due to their association with the hunted Eddie. Venom also gets a sweet moment to show that there are some good aliens and that he is the Lethal Protector. Unsurprisingly, Martin quickly regrets ever becoming fascinated with searching for aliens. The point is that when these movies are not bogged down with story and simply play to the strengths of characters interacting, goofing around (Venom getting addicted to slot machines), and bonding (it’s touching how much Eddie is determined to make sure Venom sees the Statue of Liberty), that can sometimes be infectious.
After an opening that sees the heraldic duo leaving the multi-verse while trashing the concept, Venom: The Last Dance becomes a different kind of overstuffed and generic mess, one that brings to mind the worst and emptiest of what this genre was offering back in the early 2000s (although I guess that’s par for the course with these Sony Marvel movies.) Inside Area 51, Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Strickland oversees a secret underground area collaborating with scientist Teddy Paine (Juno Temple), not given any characterization, with Kelly Marcel resorting to a flashback intended to be traumatic and convey some semblance of survivor’s guilt, but is more random and ridiculously funny that anything. Anyway, she wants to learn and study them. Meanwhile, Strickland is your standard meathead looking to destroy them, especially Venom, who now has a mysterious cube inside his body that a greater evil can have aliens steal to release him from imprisonment.
Kill Venom, and there is no more threat. However, this big baddie isn’t exactly intimidating or given much character, either, resembling a bargain-bin Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII (he would probably get rid of that platinum hair color if he saw how stupid this guy looks.) Venom: The Last Dance is also a trilogy capper where that aspect doesn’t necessarily feel resolved, which begs the question of the point of introducing a villain that the film does nothing with, even though this is the finale. The logical, scary answer is that Sony’s Marvel division is trying to create their ultimate Thanos-like villain. Do I want them to fail? No, I want these movies to be good; I like superhero movies. Will they fail? The chances are about as high as one getting annoyed by this movie 15 minutes into it.
The third act of Venom: The Last Dance descends into a hideous onslaught of CGI battles while also aiming to pull on the heartstrings. It’s corny and mildly affecting, but it also feels forced and insincere, as if the real reason this is the last dance is that Tom Hardy doesn’t want to do these movies anymore or that maybe Sony has a different vision for the future. Can’t this also be the last dance for Sony Marvel, period?
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
Originally published October 26, 2024. Updated October 27, 2024.
