The best thing Sony did with the “Spider-Man” IP was finally put a nail in the coffin of their only successful post-MCU franchise. The “Venom” movies were never good, but they were fun enough to garner casual moviegoers. As much as it disgraced its comic book origins, audiences fell in love with the film’s fun interpretation of the Marvel villain-turned-hero, along with the absurd bromance established between him and protagonist Eddie Brock. As a closeted enjoyer of these movies, I’ll admit I was interested in seeing the conclusion of Eddie and Venom’s story (more so their bromance), but “Venom: The Last Dance” truly serves as a reminder as to why this franchise is better off dead.
The film follows Eddie Brock and Venom on the run following the damage they caused at the end of the previous movie. Along with being pursued by law enforcement, they are hunted by militaristic forces and mysterious alien creatures determined to capture Venom.
Giving credit where credit is due, the action in the movie was fun to watch. It was interesting seeing the different ways the film utilized its environments as playgrounds for these characters to essentially butt heads and throw each other around. The different organisms Venom attached himself to also helped give fights more variety and allow for exciting body horror transformations.
Tom Hardy delivers a solid performance as both Eddie and Venom, as can be expected. With what the film has to work with, Eddie is admittedly less interesting compared to previous entries, but Hardy manages to make it engaging enough for audiences to care about him and Venom. However, Hardy was the only actor in the film I found myself engaged with, the rest of the cast being rather forgettable.
The plot is too messy. It loses track of what to prioritize in the narrative and often forgets what is truly at stake. It adds a subplot involving an alien-obsessed hippie couple and their uninterested children attempting to breathe a sense of humanity into the film, only to contribute nothing and further confuse itself in what story it wants to tell. What does the movie want me to worry about? The militaristic forces? These mysterious alien creatures? This random hippie family that ultimately has no notable payoff in the movie? Your guess would be as good as mine.
In addition to the messy narrative, the absence of Michelle Williams’ character, Anne Weying, is noticeable and disappointing. For how significant of a role she played in previous entries and in Eddie’s life, it would’ve been nice to have a farewell to the character, and it only felt strange and unsatisfying having her absent from the film. Although it would become awkward to somehow incorporate her into Eddie and Venom’s adventure, it wouldn’t have hurt for her to appear at least once, especially considering the movie’s forced inclusion of the fan-favorite Mrs. Chen.
And I have no clue as to what occurred during post-production, but the entire narrative flow brought together in editing doesn’t help fix the movie’s messiness either. It feels as if it further contributes to its troubled cohesiveness. It’s missing a sense of rhythm. Scenes feel like they just happen rather than driving the narrative further. It’s like they’ve been purposelessly put together without a plan. I felt detached from the emotional response the film desperately sought from me.
Without giving away spoilers, in the film’s emotional final sequence, the only tears streaming down my eyes were ones resulting from my obnoxious, belly-aching laughter in the theater. You know you have failed as a movie when what was supposedly a tear-jerking moment had the entire audience laughing. To Mark Sanger, editor of “Venom: The Last Dance,” I would like to personally thank you for ending this “epic,” grand finale of a film like a 13-year-old’s corny TikTok edit.
If you love yourself, skip this one.
1.5/5
