I doubt I’m going to incite much uproar when I say I’m not exactly a huge fan of the Venom films. Not only did the films’ success pave the way for even more ill-conceived films like Morbius and Madame Web, but the mere idea of making a story about Venom without establishing Spider-Man first is a tough pill to swallow. I try to not let my “comic book fan” side of my brain play too much with the “film critic” side, but the entire purpose of this character is to be the direct antithesis of Peter Parker. That’s the whole reason he’s called Venom! Because spiders have venom!

2018’s Venom is a huge waste of potential, not doing nearly enough to make the audience care about Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) or his Symbiote companion. Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a slight improvement, though not necessarily because it was “better.” It was just so silly to the point where it was entertaining, and that same argument can be applied to the final film in the trilogy, Venom: The Last Dance. Despite getting off to a strong start and giving us one of the best portrayals of Eddie Brock and Venom yet, the film is still bogged down by a litany of other issues that distract from the positive aspects.

Venom: The Last Dance takes place directly after the end-credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which the film decides to entirely re-shoot for… some reason. Now back in their own universe, Eddie and Venom are still on the run from the law, only to then become the targets of a ruthless secret black ops organization. Not only that, Knull, the shadowy and powerful creator of the Symbiote race, has also sent a small legion of Xenophages after Venom to fulfill his deadly plan.

Venom Themself Doesn’t Miss a Step in ‘Venom: The Last Dance’

I may have my issues with all three Venom films, but one thing that I won’t dispute is Tom Hardy’s dedicated performance as both Eddie Brock and Venom. It’s abundantly clear that Hardy has a lot of love for Venom as a character, and he’s poured that love into the film as co-writer. Venom: The Last Dance further doubles down on making Eddie and Venom more comedic anti-heroes, but this time, it works much more in its favor. Their banter is better than ever and The Last Dance is easily the most effectively funny film in the trilogy. There are even some emotional beats between Eddie and Venom that overall work amidst the absurd scenarios they get up to.

Character-wise, Venom has never been better, and that goes double for the action sequences they get swept up in. The Last Dance has, by far, the best action sequences in the trilogy, starting with a standout fight with some low-life criminals that make excellent use of both Eddie and Venom’s skillsets. Other notable sequences include a thrilling chase scene that sees Venom take control of multiple animals and a final battle full of very creative imagery. As far as visual flair and entertainment value go, Venom: The Last Dance stands much taller than its predecessors.

‘Venom: The Last Dance’ Stumbles with Boring Subplots and Side Characters
Image via Sony Pictures

With the best portrayal of Venom yet and a surprisingly fantastic first fight, it would appear that Venom: The Last Dance is really onto something… and then the military shows up. In addition to Knull, Eddie and Venom are also being pursued by a secretive military organization, led by Symbiote wrangler Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and scientists Dr. Payne (Juno Temple) and Dr. Sadie (Clark Backo). The film makes an admirable attempt to give these brand-new characters some dimension, but their story falls completely flat compared to the carefree Venom shenanigans.

Not only are the three performances (from three more-than-reputable performers) on display here rather underwhelming, but their stories and character arcs could not be less interesting. One of the character’s “quirky” personality trait is just liking Christmas. This boring sub-plot could be forgiven if it was a tiny aspect of the movie, but this bland detour is given almost as much screen time as Eddie and Venom.

Related ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ Director Just Dropped a Major Tease About Knull’s Future Sony apparently has big plans for the King in Black.

Though perhaps one who fares even worse is the film’s technical villain, Knull, who really should have been more like the talented actor who plays him and been kept a secret. Instead, Venom: The Last Dance is yet another superhero film that just couldn’t keep its secrets under lock and key, with Knull being featured prominently in the marketing only to be a clear bid to boost ticket sales. I can’t even really tell you if I liked Knull’s portrayal in Venom: The Last Dance because the film doesn’t give him enough of a chance to make an impression. Could he be a potential compelling big bad and Sony’s own equivalent to Thanos (Josh Brolin)? Perhaps, but his introduction in the third and final Venom film is just that — an introduction (and not a particularly engaging one at that).

Instead, the true villains of Venom: The Last Dance are the Xenophages, who are nothing more than powerful monsters devoid of any personality. Really, the only interesting thing about them is the way they kill their victims, which is surprisingly brutal for a PG-13 film. They simply serve to go after the many characters, such as Martin (Rhys Ifans) and his family of alien chasers who are harmlessly entertaining.

‘Venom: The Last Dance’ Has Tons of Plot Holes and Inconsistencies

Another issue with the Xenophages in Venom: The Last Dance is how inconsistent they are. One minute they are inches away from slaughtering Eddie and Venom, the next they forget about them entirely. That’s despite them still being able to kind of see, as they rip other non-Venomized people to shreds in an instant. It’s one of many examples of the film contradicting its own logic and ideas introduced in the prior films, all of which make for a messy continuity that rivals even that of the X-Men films.

In a weird roundabout way, Venom: The Last Dance being the most inconsistent of the Venom trilogy is the most consistent thing for the Venom franchise. This is a saga that is filled with pros and cons and ups and downs, all to bring a fan-favorite comic book character to the big screen. A character that, over their long comic book history, has hopped back and forth between good and evil, goofy and sinister, and so on.

Is Venom: The Last Dance the best film in the trilogy? I would say so, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have quite a bit of fun while watching it. However, at the end of the day, the Venom film franchise is like that kid on the little league baseball team who gets the “Most Improved” trophy. You see and appreciate how they put the work in to try and be better, but deep down, you know they probably won’t be playing long enough to be remembered in the major leagues.

Venom: The Last Dance premieres in theaters on October 25. Click below for showtimes.

The action may be stellar, but Venom: The Last Dance continues the series’ trend of failing to form a symbiotic relationship with its title character and its narrative.ProsTom Hardy continues to be effortlessly charming as Eddie Brock.Eddie and Venom’s chemistry is impressively dynamic.The film boasts the best action scenes in the entire trilogy. ConsThe military subplot takes up too much time and doesn’t garner any interest.Knull doesn’t make a huge impact as a new potential big bad.There are plenty of plot holes and inconsistencies.

Eddie Brock, balancing life with the alien symbiote Venom, faces a complex struggle with a powerful new adversary threatening their existence and the world. As a turbulent alliance forms between man and symbiote, the duo embarks on a thrilling journey of survival, challenging their limits and ethical boundaries.Release Date October 25, 2024 Director Kelly Marcel

Get Tickets