'Venom: The Last Dance' Divides Critics

         On October 25, 2024, 'Venom: The Last Dance' was released by Columbia Pictures, receiving a mixed reception from critics with a score of 40% on Rotten Tomatoes. In the film, "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." The ensemble cast includes Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alanna Ubach, and Rhys Ifans. But what did the critics say?

        Alonso Duralde of The Film Verdict says, "Narrative cinema rarely cares this little about actual narrative, transforming what’s supposed to be the concluding chapter of an ongoing saga into little more than pure sensation — blobs of color, bursts of sound." 

        Mike Massie of Gone With The Twins writes, "Why are all these random concepts drummed up on a whim, with no background, no rules, and no reasons? With such pitiful writing, it’s impossible to take any of the scenarios seriously." Adding, "It begins by introducing a random new villain with random allies, foiled by random betrayers, who create a random way of imprisoning that villain for what is supposed to be eternity. But, of course, they also devise a random way for him to escape, which means that he must pursue a random way of tracking down that ludicrously contrived loophole. None of this is explained with any sensible justifications; it’s the most generic of fantasy setups, hoping that by narrating it with an ominous voice and forbidding imagery (murky creatures scurrying through inky environs), audiences will just accept it as the way it is. It’s the absolute laziest and most pathetic way to kick off a premise. It is, however, right in line with the last couple of Venom features, so it’s far from unexpected. Skipping past some of the multiverse nonsense, Eddie again strikes up his exhausting schtick with the invasive symbiotic goo, like a more divided, less cohesive, less amusing version of Jim Carrey’s Stanley Ipkiss as he fights the comically anarchic forces of the Mask. And it’s still painfully unfunny."

       Kate Sánchez of But Why Tho? A Geek Community was more impressed, stating, "While Venom: The Last Dance may be weaker than its predecessors (of which 2018’s Venom is the best), it’s still a good time, and you can tell leading man-turned-writer Tom Hardy is having one too." Concluding, "Hardy may not have embodied the villain we all expected through his run as the character, but he has brought chaotic fun and care to the character. It works, from leaning into fan service and the very funniest of AO3 shipping moments to the creativity of creating two completely different personalities portrayed by the same actor."

       Giovanni Lago of Next Best Picture notes, "We’ll miss watching Tom Hardy rock Hawaiian shirts, ride motorcycles, and argue with himself as Eddie Brock, but definitely not enough to have to sit through another one of these films again."

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash