Venom: The Last Dance (2024) Movie Review

Synopsis:

Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his symbiote host Venom are on the run. He’s hunted by General Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and symbiote leader Knull (voiced by Andy Serkis). Together, they must make a choice that could be their last.

Review:

Acting as a conclusion to this series, Venom: The Last Dance is as average as fans should expect.

It has muddled CGI, an average script, and ideas left unexplored. Take the film’s introduction of the symbiote leader Knull as an example.

As with many villains, he’s introduced through predictable and formulaic exposition.

Though he could’ve been an interesting physical threat, his lack of screentime doesn’t allow for that.

Instead, he’s saved for a handful of scenes. One of which is a clear setup for an appearance in another Marvel film.

Considering how this film concludes, it’s uncertain where Sony could use Knull going forward.

As a whole, he was a missed opportunity that the studio failed to take advantage of.

Yet another missed opportunity is how director Kelly Marcel concludes the series. As a conclusion, this film doesn’t hit enough serious notes.

Instead, it focuses on the unfunny “comedy” between Eddie and Venom.

Almost every time Venom speaks, he acts juvenile. Though this was the case in the previous films, The Last Dance overdoes it.

Due to this approach, a serious moment between Venom and Eddie during the conclusion doesn’t have a meaningful effect.

Though Tom Hardy does the best he can, even he seems to have grown tired of the character. This is down to the film’s average script more than anything else.

Instead of focusing on Eddie for the film’s duration, it focuses on less interesting characters.

Among those are Chiwetel Ejiofor’s General Rex Strickland and Juno Temple’s Dr. Teddy Paine.

Aside from being a US Army General, little gets revealed about General Strickland.

Though Chiwetel is a good actor, this role prevents him from showcasing his skills.

This also applies to Juno Temple’s character. Beyond being a scientist and losing her brother, the film reveals little else about her.

These moments with her brother are through awkward and out-of-place flashbacks.

Teddy’s brother’s so irrelevant, that the film doesn’t even bother to give him a name.

This film also decides to focus on a family that Eddie meets on his journey to New York. Portraying the father of the family, Martin Moon is actor Rhys Ifans.

Certain Marvel fans may recognize him from The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). For context, he portrayed Dr. Curt Conners, who became the Lizard.

As an actor, Rhys is competent in this film. Despite that, the character he plays is paper thin. This leads to a scene with his family and Eddie in a camper van.

Instead of attempting to explore this family, they sing David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”

As with many other scenes, it puts the plot and pacing at a standstill.

There’s also an absurd scene where the family enters Area 51 without any challenge. What’s supposed to be a top-secret facility is devoid of any security.

How this scene made it into the film without anyone questioning it is beyond comprehension. In areas such as visuals, The Last Dance has a few creative moments.

These involve action sequences that include many different symbiotes.

Although these can be creative, they’re often difficult to track. This is due to the frantic editing and inconsistent CGI.

In dark scenes, the Venom symbiote can look good. This allows the studio to hide unfinished effects. Whenever the film focuses on Venom in the daylight, the CGI suffers from a lack of detail.

This film’s other visuals have a very muted tone throughout.

Where the film’s visuals improve is when Eddie gets to Las Vegas. Its many casinos and city lights get captured to a serviceable degree.

As with Dan Deacon’s original score, The Last Dance is average at best.

It lacks a distinct presence in most scenes, with the film’s licensed tracks compensating for it.

As the last Venom film, more of an effort could've focused on improving the score.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Venom: The Last Dance is the trilogy’s weakest installment.

Its attempts at serious moments are undercut by off-putting comedy and underdeveloped characters.

This film also fails to explore the symbiotes’ leader Knull as anything more than a cameo.

Instead, Sony thought hinting at another appearance from him would be more meaningful.

Considering Sony’s track record with Marvel, Knull’s future may be in trouble. In areas such as visual effects, The Last Dance also suffers.

In darker scenes, they’re serviceable, though they look tacky in brighter scenes. This film’s action, despite some creative moments, is also hampered by this.

This film’s other visuals offer some good moments when Eddie enters Las Vegas. Though these are good, the film has little else going for it in that respect.

Dan Deacon’s original score also disappoints. This may have been because the studio didn’t give him enough time to make an impact.

Instead, the film uses several licensed tracks to compensate for the underwhelming score.

As a whole, Venom: The Last Dance is proof that Sony should rethink their creative plans.

Even for the most enthusiastic Venom fans, it’s a dance that fails to find its footing.

Sam’s Action Reaction score:

Characters - 5/10

Story - 5/10

Action - 6/10

CGI and visuals - 6/10

Soundtrack - 6/10

Overall score: 5.6 out of 10