★★★.5

starring: tom hardy, juno temple, stephen graham, and Chiwetel Ejiofor​

REVIEWER: lyall carter

In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, and Eddie and Venom are on the run.

From the outset, I’ve gotta admit; I was never really a fan of the first two instalments in the Venom franchise. The narrative drive, especially of the first instalment, was convoluted and even some of the dialogue was just awful. Released in the same year as Deadpool 2, Black Panther, and Ant-Man and the Wasp, Venom didn’t really know what kind of movie it wanted to be - super dark, comedic, or kinda light weight - a bit of all of the previously mentioned comic-book movie releases of that year. This robbed the movie of any real drive or momentum. But, this is a memory of long ago in light of Venom: The Last Dance. While in the light of other superhero films Venom: The Last Dance stumbles a wee bit, it’s still the best film of the trilogy allowing Hardy to shine in the role in a thoroughly entertaining popcorn flick.

In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on Venom and Eddie's last dance.

Narratively, Venom: The Last Dance is very simple: the baddies are after the Codex which only exists, on the top of Venom’s spine, while both Eddie and Venom are alive. Cue bloody chaos. The dialogue doesn’t feel super forced here with exposition flowing and space for Eddie and Venom to spar and bounce off one another to great comedic effect. The addition of a family on a search to discover an alien, adds some real vulnerability and heart smack bang in the middle of the film. 

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The action is bloodied and frenzied but, unlike in other instalments, doesn't take itself too seriously, with the action feeling less grounded reality and more comic book films of the 90's vibes.

While in the light of other superhero films Venom: The Last Dance stumbles a wee bit, it’s still the best film of the trilogy allowing Hardy to shine in the role in a thoroughly entertaining popcorn flick.

★★★.5