Review: ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ doesn’t find its rhythm

The wonderful thing about comic books is the number of iterations one character can have is endless. The story’s reception is irrelevant to the possibilities that exist. They can die and be resurrected to embark on new adventures. The characters themselves can transform into something new, potentially appealing to a different audience. The narrative settings can change time and space, completely altering traditional character arcs and concepts. Fresh creators can bring their own flavour to long-standing franchises, perhaps modernizing them or breathing new life into stale lines. The other great transition seen a lot lately is from page to film. Venom: The Last Dance is the concluding chapter in the symbiote trilogy.

Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is a wanted fugitive, accused of killing Detective Mulligan (Stephen Graham) when they faced Carnage and his criminal pals. However, Eddie and Venom’s travel plans are sidetracked by a giant, immortal monster sent by a powerful prisoner to hunt the pair and retrieve a special key only they possess. When they land in Nevada, the only logical place for them to end up is Area 51, where Dr. Teddy Paine (Juno Temple) is collecting and studying symbiotes, and their relationship with their hosts. However, even though General Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) has been doing the scientific dirty work in apprehending the aliens, he doesn’t agree with the doctor’s research and is ready to take matters into his own hands to save the planet.

In spite of the initial tension, Eddie and Venom are now best friends, and neither can imagine their life without the other. Eddie has grown used to the strange looks when he appears to be speaking to himself and brushing off the questions when people ask to whom he’s speaking. Venom has learned to control some of his baser instincts, frequently waiting for Eddie’s permission before taking over their body or eating bad guys. They’ve also learned to work together collectively with Eddie embracing Venom’s strength, as well as the many benefits of his tentacles — though Venom can still be kind of pushy when he’s trying to get Eddie to lighten up. Case in point, a lively dance number with Mrs. Chen (Peggy Lu).

Unfortunately, this film has a lot of ups and downs. The high points are fun, comical and often violent, ranging from amusing one-liners to well-deserved beat downs — everyone agrees dog fighting is not okay. However, there are major lulls in which the jokes fall flat and Eddie’s constant trepidation is annoying — you’d think he’d be a little more daring after a year of sharing his body with an alien. Moreover, the presence of other symbiotes create significant expectations for the big showdown at the end, but they’re only partially realized. Even the post-credit scenes are uninspired, wasting the potential and talents of Temple and Cristo Fernández as the Ted Lasso alum both appear in the picture.

While the film does wrap up Eddie and Venom’s odd couple bromance, fans may find themselves wanting more once all the dust settles.

Director: Kelly Marcel
Starring: Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Juno Temple