By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
With three horrendous disasters in a row now, it’s almost like Sony Pictures is actively trying to destroy Marvel films. “Venom: The Last Dance” is the third and thankfully the final film of a trilogy that has gone from good to bad to ugly. It is a frenetic jumble of scenes with little to no coherence and a promising story premise that is undercut by poor execution and terrible writing.
Hiding out in a Mexican bar, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his parasitic companion Venom are on the run from the authorities concerning the murder of Detective Mulligan (Stephen Graham) in the last film. Leading the pursuit is Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a soldier type equipped with the weaponry to subdue the symbiote, and Dr. Payne (Juno Temple), a scientist studying the symbiote entities. Unfortunately for Eddie, these are not the only people hunting him.
Knull (Andy Serkis) is an all-powerful being, who is the symbiotes’ creator and also their current prisoner. Retrieving the Codex, which Venom possesses, is the only way Knull can break free and continue his lust for planet killing. He sends an invincible creature called the Xenophage to retrieve this Codex and kill anyone who stands in its way. As the chase intensifies, a trail of carnage and mayhem is left in their wake and will bring the odd friendship between Eddie and Venom to a decision point with life altering consequences.
All three films of this trilogy have had a different director, so it’s easy to see why continuity has been an issue. Kelly Marcel has had a writing credit on all three projects, but this is her first time in the director’s chair, and it should be her last. She makes no attempt to develop these characters, particularly the villain, who has a rich backstory in the comics. It is clear that her objective with filming the scenes was to highlight and build the scenes around the action sequence or comedic repartee of those scenes rather than focusing on making them contribute to the story. The result is a discordant jumble of scenes that try to razzle and dazzle, and instead end up like a flat pile of slop that bores the audience to tears.
Without any connection to the characters or story, entertainment must be achieved via other means. Unfortunately, while the action sequences are frequent and explosive, they tend to feel obligatory with an overuse of CGI and repetitive fight choreography. There’s even an oddly timed dance number that will have viewers simply shaking their head in disgusted annoyance. For those who have enjoyed the funny banter between Eddie and Venom over the previous two movies, that is where the best writing can be found here and is the only saving grace of a dreadful production. The rest of the dialogue is excruciatingly painful in an over-explanative kind of way, leaving a usually talented cast unable to elevate the quality.
Tom Hardy is a highly talented, Oscar nominated actor (“The Revenant”), who has certainly made this character his own over the trilogy. He still brings the comedic line delivery and pratfalls to this performance, but there is simply nothing there that enriches this character. His portrayal fails to enhance the character’s depth, falling into stagnant ambivalence. Hopefully, he returns to form in his next upcoming movie called “Havoc,” which has been mired in reshoots.
Juno Temple (“Ted Lasso”) and Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave”) have talents that are completely mitigated by the weak writing and lack of character development. Both of their characters end up being completely forgettable with no care for what happens to them. Cristo Fernandez, who was also in “Ted Lasso,” has an amusing cameo in both the beginning and end of the film.
After “Morbius” in 2022 and “Madame Web” earlier this year, you wouldn’t think it possible for Sony Pictures to present an equally revolting film as a part of their failing Sony Spider-Man Universe (SSU), but that’s exactly what they do. “Venom: The Last Stand” is an unremarkable conclusion to this trilogy, going out with an irrelevant whimper. The sad part is, Sony isn’t finished, their next SSU film releases in December and is called “Kraven the Hunter,” good luck.
This movie earns:
