It’s been a weird six years if you’re a Venom fan. The lethal protector has become quite the sordid figure in comic book films. Tom Hardy has brought a new kind of energy to Spidey’s symbiotic nemesis. This energy has enamoured Hardy’s bizarre double act to audiences across the world, even if the films have been less than optimal in quality. Can this now trilogy end on a high note with Venom: The Last Dance? That is the world-ending question.
We are Venom!
If you enjoyed Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage, then Venom: The Last Dance will be right up your alien alley. Venom (Tom Hardy) and Eddie (Tom Hardy) are back and are on a hell of a road trip as they try and survive the world-ending machinations of Knull (Andy Serkis) the god of symbiotes. To do that they have to lay low because if they don’t they may end up as sacrificial lambs. That is easier said than done as they are mercilessly hunted down by the government which is hoping to carol the remaining symbiotes on Earth.
The stakes have never been higher, the destruction of Earth, the return of an entity older than the universe and honestly, a lot of it is white noise. Knull is a non-entity, even though Serkis gives his best forboding baddie performance. Instead, it’s one xenophage (alien bounty hunter) that is constantly hunting Eddie and Venom. It has a decent design but that’s about it. The government forces after our intrepid heroes are equally as dull, with dialogue and backgrounds that need another couple of drafts. These characters can feel stilted, which is disappointing when you have Juno Temple and Chiwetel Ejiofor leading the charge.
I wish I could have seen her, Eddie
Now this brings me to what makes this film still something to watch and enjoy. The human moments, the bizarre and bonkers human moments. Watching Eddie and Venom banter back and forth is still so much fun. They are an incredible double act. Hardy is putting a lot into this role. Giving the story an emotional pathos I honestly didn’t think the film deserved.
There is also a family in the film that meets up with Eddie and they add further depth to what Eddie has lost after meeting Venom. He’s in this over-the-top and nonsensical world of alien bounty hunters and gods from before the universe and Hardy is giving this heartfelt performance about being afraid of losing the last person he loves in his life.
Venom: The Last Dance has a lot going against it: an inconsistent plot, unbelievably stilted dialogue, and a completely underutilised villain. However, with Eddie Brock and Venom at its centre, this film is still a lot of fun. One that ends on a note that fans will be happy with.
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