We’ve come to the end of the road as the final installment of Tom Hardy’s symbiote trilogy is here. Venom: The Last Dance comes to us in the form of Kelly Marcel’s directorial debut, with her previously serving as a writer on the first two films. We follow Eddie Brock and Venom as they are on the run after the events of Let There Be Carnage and they are getting it from both sides. The police are after Brock for the murder of Detective Mulligan while Venom is dodging a mysterious enemy all while they are tasked with a difficult decision. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, and Stephen Graham star alongside Hardy, further creating a cast who all bring something different to the table. While the new additions all had some level of importance to the story, it’s Ejiofor whose casting stood out as he exuded relentlessness and determination within his character, Rex Strickland.
Initially, excitement simply wasn’t there given the trailer was all over the place, starting with Venom attaching to a slew of animals from a horse to a frog. With that being said, there are a few aspects where The Last Dance missed its mark. The opening sequence introduced Knull (Ifans) in a quick recap detailing a small bit of his backstory and what his intentions are. The move was lackluster taking into consideration how Knull takes on the role of the God of Darkness, so diluting his origin story took away from how powerful he really is. The third trailer teased his appearance, which came as a surprise, even to the creators of the villain, Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman, who found out with the rest of the world. All in all, this is one of those rare occasions where the “hero” and villain don’t meet face- to- face, and that’s okay.
This angle worked exceptionally well in the sense that it allowed the film to focus on Brock and Venom’s relationship and gave us lighthearted moments of the two choosing each other. Had there been a full film of constant fighting, the end may not have been built up the way that it ultimately was. Further expanding on the not- so- great opening act, they touch on the end credit scene from Spider-Man: No Way Home where we finally get a tie in with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. The desire to see the two on screen together is abysmalbismal as the scene briefly mention the multiverse then drop the topic, which would make sense with Hardy hinting that this is the end of the road for him. While attending an event in Mexico, Hardy sheds light on the chances Venom will ever meet Spidey. “Will we ever meet Spider-Man? There are always possibilities. But I cannot possibly say anything, because this is the last movie.”
By no means is Venom: The Last Dance a perfect comic book flick and it doesn’t try to be (but it is indeed the best of the three). In an interview with Black Girl Nerds during the press tour, Hardy calls it “…so deliciously wicked and full of fun and joyful.”
It’s an entertaining flick that has a ton of laughs and some cheesy dialogue that somehow just works. I think we all gave up on getting that dark version of Venom that we were hoping to see on screen when the first film was released (we deserved that after what Topher Grace put us through). After that, it was clear this quirky, comedic depiction was here to stay and we would have to accept it as something different than what we know him to be. Regardless of how much you come to love or hate this movie, one thing is for certain: Hardy gave a great performance in a genre typically out of his normal range. We are used to a different side of the London-born actor, but he reached in his bag and gave us a bit more personality.
It can be noted as a safe assumption that Hardy carried the Venom films, as I’m personally not sure we would have even given them a chance had he not been attached to the projects. He poured himself into this finale and it shows, although this may not be the end for the symbiote as it seems to set up Knull for the future. As the movie comes to the final minutes, you find that you’ve grown to become emotionally invested in the bond between Brock and Venom. You watch the final flashbacks with tears welling up in your eyes seeing the story come to a close after 6 years. Venom: The Last Dance is an outrageously fun and beautiful conclusion to a trilogy that we did not expect to go far. With so many random additions to the project, there’s almost a subtle undertone that whispers, “Alright, let’s wrap this up and have fun while we do it”.
Venom: The Last Dance is in theaters on October 25th.