Venom: The Last Dance

The third, and apparently final, Venom movie is, like the first two movies in the franchise, a bit of a mess. I'm not the biggest fan of either Venom or Venom: Let There Be Carnage, but Venom: The Last Dance is definitely the least of the three movies. While the film presents some enjoyable moments, such as Venom taking over a horse and fish, and the interactions between Venom and Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), the story doesn't make a lick of sense.

Adapted from some equally bad comic writing, the film starts with an introduction, of sorts, for evil sci-fi villain Knull (Andy Serkis) whose creations turned on him trapping him in a void from which he sends other creatures (think Spawn's Violator on steroids) through portals which he apparently can't use himself... despite, you know, being right next to him.

Other than snarling in his pit and sending out hunters, the villain doesn't play much of a role in the film what being cucked by the symbiotes. What Knull needs to escape is a "codex" that Venom has been carrying around and that his hunters can track. However, in a convenient if inexplicable plot point, it is only visible to the creatures when he and Eddie are in fully combined form allowing a method to Eddie to keep slipping away from them (and excuses for Hardy to show up rather than his CGI alter-ego). Why it isn't visible when Venom takes over another creature (such as the horse) or when he appears in form to physically talk to Eddie face-to-face is never properly explained.

While avoiding the creatures, Eddie is also on the run from police for the events of the last film and a secret government of soldiers and scientist led by Juno Temple who spend their time experimenting on the trapped symbiotes and fighting the good fight against the cliched military enforcers on what's best for business. Chiwetel Ejiofor is given the thankless role of the general hunting Venom whose steady refusal to listen to reason will end exactly how you would expect.

We're also given Rhys Ifans, Alanna Ubach, Hala Finley, and Dash McCloud as a groanworthy hippie family who Eddie comes across while avoiding capture who provide some schmaltz, interest in aliens, and people in need of saving when the going gets rough. Given it's the final film of the franchise, Venom: The Last Dance also feels the need to shoehorn story elements into the film such as finding a way to get Mrs. Chen (Peggy Lu) into the story which, like so much of the scant memorable moments of the script, provides a scene that works on its own but is completely superfluous to the narrative.

Watch the trailer

• Title: Venom: The Last Dance
• IMDb: link