Some trilogies are made up of three films that have one overarching narrative while others feature standalone stories with ongoing character arcs. “Venom” fits the latter.
This time around, Eddie (Tom Hardy) and his alien symbiote Venom are fugitives because of events in the last film. Spending time in Mexico, the two are considering what to do next and decide on going to New York City where there’s an official who could help clear Eddie’s name.
Unfortunately, the duo are being hunted by another alien force seeking the pair out because they could play a role in releasing a powerful-but-imprisoned super being. The U.S. government, which wants to study the symbiotes on Earth, is also after the duo.
The “Venom” trilogy is a bizarre series, in that it took a character quite famously known for being not just an anti-hero, but also a chief antagonist for Spider-Man, and placed him a completely stand-alone universe with a heavy dose of comedy. The results have been, well, mixed.
Making these films into essentially action comedies where the central focus is the relationship between Eddie and Venom, which is played as basically an old married couple from a sitcom, offers some fun entertainment. It’s a unique and zany bit that produces laughs and weirdly provides somewhat of an emotional core.
However, the problem is… everything else. In the first and second movies, all of the other stuff surrounding the main relationship, the government agencies, alien researchers and other symbiote activities were never really compelling. That’s true again in this third and seemingly final installment.
Last time around it was the conflict with the symbiote Carnage. This time it’s another alien working for a different alien, and the military is involved because of that situation. All of it comes across like filler, a slapped together alien menace story to give Venom something to fight.
So, sure, it’s somewhat of a good time to see Eddie and Venom arguing, bonding and bantering, but it doesn’t quite hold up an entire movie. And when the rest of the film is filled with characters an audience doesn’t feel much for and the plot is a generic evil alien narrative with a large dose of science-babble, it’s hard to be fully invested.
Hardy does deserve some credit for how much he commits to the Venom protagonists, giving Eddie and the symbiote powerful personalities that pop off the screen. He’s created a memorable duo, though one wishes the character had been taken in more interesting directions over the course of this trilogy. Still, Hardy’s Eddie and Venom remain the bright spot here.
The supporting cast of characters leaves a lot to be desired, though. Chiwetel Ejiofor’s stern general Rex Strickland is a rather stock character, as is Juno Temple’s scientist figure Teddy Payne. Both have such plain motivations and little personality. Plus, they barely interact with our protagonists.
Rhys Ifans is a bit better as hippie who meets Eddie while traveling with his family. While the character is almost entirely there for comic relief, it’s a wacky bit that does add some amusement.
“The Last Dance” ends a trilogy that never really found traction in terms of true quality, as the films always seemed underwritten. However, they each offered some entertainment value and a likable relationship to follow between Eddie and Venom. As a result, these films offer experiences that fall somewhere in the middle, and the latest is no different, 2.5 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
Nice review. To be honest, I’ve never been a “big fan” of the Venom movies. Loved Hardy in the role (as least he commits to the role throughout), but it always felt too messy and choppy. The Last Dance certainly felt like from beginning to end. It had a lot of nonsensical moments that, while some I did find to be amusing, still fell flat. A fragmented story and uninteresting characters, leaves a lot to be desired in The Last Dance, conclusion this supposed trilogy on a whimper than a bang.
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