Venom: The Last Dance - and The Final Fumble
In Venom: The Last Dance, what started as a dark anti-hero origin tale seems to have reached a breaking point. The latest installment aims to balance the chaotic charm of Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) with his head-devouring alter-ego, Venom, but ultimately falls into a web of predictability, clunky dialogue, and a bizarre attempt at heroism that just doesn’t add up.
The Story Struggle: A Villain or a Hero? One of the movie’s biggest issues is its muddled message. Venom, in the comics, is a ruthless villain. Yet, in this adaptation, we’re meant to root for him as some kind of anti-hero—but how can we, when his survival requires consuming live human heads? This selective “heroism” simply doesn’t make sense, and it leaves the audience struggling to find any moral anchor in Venom’s story.
Characters Left in the Shadows: The casting had real potential, featuring some recognizable talent who could have elevated the movie—but poor writing reduced their characters to mere exposition tools. They spit out lines to explain plot points without genuine dialogue, which ends up feeling forced. It was hard to watch talented actors be limited by redundant dialogue, especially when we know they’re capable of so much more.
Knull: A Villain That Misses the Mark: The movie introduces Null, a new villain whose sole purpose seems to be delivering lines that play off his name (like “the end is Knull”). He threatens the symbiotes, but it’s never clear why. The lack of motivation here makes his character feel shallow, setting off a series of events that ultimately lead nowhere. It’s hard to take Null seriously when he’s barely given any depth.
Some Bright Spots (Sort Of): If there’s one highlight, it’s watching Tom Hardy in his natural, suit-clad, sarcastic self. His dynamic with Venom—the bickering, the disagreements—offers a few fleeting moments of enjoyment, adding a splash of humor to an otherwise bland plot.
Rushed and Pointless: With all its chaos, Venom: The Last Dance felt like it was in a hurry to wrap up. New characters pop up with no real purpose, and plot points appear and disappear without a satisfying explanation. And as the credits rolled, the post-credits scenes only added to the letdown, delivering nothing meaningful for those who stuck around.
In short, Venom: The Last Dance misses the mark. A movie that should have provided an exciting evolution for Eddie Brock and Venom ends up feeling like a muddled, unnecessary addition to the franchise. While some loyal fans may enjoy Venom’s snarky one-liners, even they may find it hard to look past the shallow story and wasted potential.
