If a genie granted me three wishes, reviewing a good movie this year would be one of them.
Unfortunately, the lamp is vacant.
“Venom: The Last Dance” is the final installment in the “Venom” trilogy. Fans of the character may be upset, but it really is for the best. Like any other series, these sequels do more harm than they’re worth, literally.
While “The Last Dance” was a box office flop, this is no “Morbius.”
Tom Hardy portrays a convincing Eddie Brock and Venom, with both his real and voice acting being genuinely pretty good. This talent falls victim to poor writing similar to “Joker: Folie à Deux,” in the sense that there’s so much potential with such little execution.
Part of its issue is the PG-13 rating. Characters like Venom or Deadpool need the extra edge of a real R rating to make the most of themselves. Imagine your entire identity is built around being a bloodthirsty, murderous symbiote, but your Nana is in the corner hollering “Watch your language, young man!” after every kill.
There is some great gore and violence, but it isn’t so much performed by the main characters.
Point is: Venom isn’t very cool performing at the middle school talent show.
Know thy audience. It’s not just teenage boys watching these movies, but also 30-something adult men who liked the comics as kids. They could handle some action and mature language.
On the topic of action, it’s one thing this film actually does quite well. Okay, maybe the action is only good in the beginning and the end, but those are the only parts people remember anyway, right?
Yes, the middle is an absolute slog, but the scenes that ramp up to it do so in a creative way. The trailer demonstrated a lot, but the full cut had some surprises, too. Venom’s abilities make him unique in the franchise, and this movie highlights them well.
“Venom: The Last Dance” has the weakest story of the trilogy, but Marvel fans will enjoy the comic lore retold through a new medium. The scenes themselves are enough to keep you hooked, but the more you pay attention, the less fun it becomes.
The film is definitely not bad, but there isn’t a lot of room for praise either. If you’re craving movie theater popcorn, go grab a ticket. Otherwise, there’s really nothing to miss.
