It’s hard to figure out what exactly Sony Pictures is attempting to do with their Marvel adjacent, Spidey themed slate. With Spider-Man himself loaned back to Marvel, Sony persists with building out their own cinematic universe based around villains and supporting characters. Some of them are so obscure, even hardcore comic book fans are left scratching their heads. At one point Sony was developing El Muerto, a superpowered luchador, and The Hypno Hustler, a 70’s disco themed baddie. Aside from the animated Spider-Verse films, none of these Spider-less movies have set the world on fire. The closest thing Sony has to a hit is the Venom series focused around one of Marvel’s most popular anti-heroes.
Venom: The Last Dance is the final entry in the trilogy starring Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, an investigative journalist who is bonded with a symbiote from outer space. Together, they become Venom, a super-powered vigilante that enjoys consuming the brains of his enemies. Following the aftermath of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Brock is a fugitive from justice hiding out in Mexico. Meanwhile, in some dark corner of the universe resides Knull (voiced by Andy Serkis), the god of the symbiotes, who was imprisoned eons ago by his very own creations. Knull is searching for an orb of energy called the Codex, which has the power to free him. Of course, only Venom is in possession of such a thing. To retrieve the Codex, Knull has sent out gruesome creatures called Xenophages, who hunt down symbiotes and devour their prey like wood chippers.
With growing awareness of the symbiotes, the government has established a research facility underneath Area 51 where they’ve captured several of the alien creatures, along with Det. Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham), who had been infected at the end of the second film. In charge of the project are Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a hard-ass military commander and Teddy Paine (Juno Temple), a scientist with more sympathetic feelings towards the extra-terrestrials.
The Venom films don’t rank highly when compared to the best of the best of the superhero genre. Think Iron Man or The Dark Knight. However, the franchise isn’t without its charms in spite of separating the lead character from his archenemy. The weight of the symbiote world rests solely on the broad shoulders of Tom Hardy, who taps into a level of physical comedy not seen in his usual roles. From dunking himself into a lobster tank to awkwardly shuffling through the desert in tattered Birkenstocks, Hardy proves nothing is off the table. The zaniness continues in The Last Dance with Venom ballroom dancing with his old friend Mrs. Chen (Peggy Lu) to Abba, feverishly playing slots, and partaking in an acoustic rendition of David Bowie’s “Major Tom.”
Last Dance marks the directorial debut of Kelly Marcel, one of the credited screenwriters for all three Venom movies. Marcel equates herself well with the CGI-heavy action scenes. The most memorable and most frenetic of which sees Eddie Brock washed away by rapids while hunted by a special forces unit. Separated from his human host, the Venom symbiote tries to catch up by latching onto various animals including a fish, an iguana, and a bullfrog. There’s also a Venomized horse that has already popped up in the comics following fan response to its debut in the teaser trailer. The story itself flails about like the titular character’s tendrils. Juno Temple’s scientist is given a wild backstory for someone with such little screen time, which seems to suggest she may appear in a future spinoff. She and her brother were struck by a bolt of lightning that killed the latter and left the former without the use of her right arm. Rhys Ifans also appears in a supporting role, but he is not a variant of Curt Connors aka the Lizard as suspected by some confused comic fans. Instead, Ifans plays Martin, a tried-and-true hippie on a road trip with his family in a Volkswagen van to see Area 51 ala Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in Paul.
While Venom spends most of the movie battling soldiers and xenophages, the ultimate puppet master, Knull, doesn’t have a huge role in this final installment. Mainstream audiences likely never heard of him, but comic book fans know Knull as a cosmic level threat. Created by Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman, Knull has gone toe-to-toe with Thor and the Silver Surfer. He’s also the creator of the Necrosword seen in Thor: Love and Thunder and decapitated the Celestial that would eventually become Knowhere in the Guardians of the Galaxy series. It’s obvious Sony is planning to use Knull in a similar manner to Thanos in the MCU, but his appearance here is as confusing as the Vulture randomly showing up in Morbius. Does this mean he crosses over to the 616 universe or is he meant to fight Kraven and whoever else is leftover? It feels like Sony is the symbiote doing wacky things and hoping their host (Marvel) just goes along with it.
After Morbius and Madame Web bombed at the box office, Sony desperately needs a hit to steer the ship away from the iceberg. Instead, we get Venom: The Last Dance, a halfway decent endeavor reminiscent of the mid to late-90’s attempts at superhero movies. This latest sequel is downright silly, but can be a fun ride if you don’t put too much thought into it.
Film Value: 6/10
