Venom: The Last Dance

Written & Directed by: Kelly Marcel

Last Dance starts where the previous film finished with Eddie and his symbiote alter ego, Venom (Tom Hardy), in a bar in Mexico. Framed for the murder of Detective Mulligan, they decide they need to head to New York to clear their name. However, their plans are interrupted by a Xenophage, a Symbiote killer sent by Venom’s creator, Knull (Andy Serkis), to capture Venom and reclaim the Codex, a device which will free him. This sets Eddie and Venom on a road trip across California, which includes a run in with Martin Moon (Rhys Ifans), a new age alien enthusiast, and his family. And makes him a target for army general, Rex Strickland(Chiwetel Ejiofor). All before ending up in a battle to save Venom and possibly all of humanity.

My expectations for this were pretty low. The other two films, had not done much for me. But to its credit, The Last Dance was better than I’d expected.

The story, for what it’s worth, is an absolute mess. It introduces characters who seem to have no real point. Juno Temple’s Dr. Teddy Payne a prime example. But what the franchise does have is the Eddie/Venom “buddy” dynamic. Hardy gets this absolutely right, nobody does bedraggled as well, as he wearily drags himself across California and Nevada. But Venom offers him a cheerleading alter ego, providing plenty of life advice. This provides lots of laugh out loud fun, whether it’s Venom’s appetite, or some fun that includes a slot machine, a tuxedo and a dance! Ryhs Ifans’s Moon family (Alanna Ubach, Hala Finlay, Dash McCloud) are also a fun distraction. But it is Eddie’s and Venom’s relationship that allows the film to paper over its many cracks.

I had low expectations for The Last Dance and it met them. Its paper thin plot and characters that serve no purpose make it a bit rubbish. But what it has is Tom Hardy. And it’s his “buddy” relationship with his own alter ego that lets this film get away with a lot. He has so much fun with the role you can’t help but enjoy it. It’s rubbish, but entertaining rubbish.