Venom: The Last Dance

A solid enough send off for this 'Venom' trilogy.

'Venom: The Last Dance' is decently amusing and produces enough entertainment with its plot. I didn't personally find it overly funny, though the person a few seats across from me had an absolute blast - never a bad thing seeing people enjoy themselves!

Tom Hardy remains the key element of these films, they would be far less enjoyable without his presence. There's a nice montage of sorts towards the end, it admittedly didn't 'hit' all that much for me but I imagine it's effective for proper fans of the series. Rhys Ifans and Chiwetel Ejiofor stick out most from the other characters.

First and foremost, it felt like the makers made every poor decision possible when it came to the sound tracks and music. That which is supposed to amplify the intensity of ride simply let it remain bland throughout, even the climax, even the falling action.

With Venom and Eddie having largely ceased their bickering, their bromance has dwindled significantly in this movie. Being the conclusional piece of this hilarious trilogy, it has fallen short of many expectations.

Of course there was some of those promised action as witnessed in the trailers. But was there something which swept me off my feet which was absent from the trailers? Not really.

While the villain's back-story is rather solid, it could have been more centre-stage. Most of the characters that have made appearance in this movie felt weakly woven together; though the plot could not have moved forward without their roles, they barely left any impact. Speaking of the plot, it largely remains uneventful, with the makers just throwing a few name-sake 3D effect villainous creatures at our faces. There is only one major action sequence throughout the film, that it low-key has bottled down to something I would either skim through, or watch at a slightly increased playback speed.

If the unnecessary scenes, and by that I mean, 'adding no humor or value to the plot' scenes were deleted, it could easily boil down to half its current run-time. That being said, there could definitely be leads from where this movie has left loose ends at, but presently, it stays far aloof from being involved in such a gifting.

I feel like the last of the trilogy has not done justice to the previous two movies, it almost feels like watching a different character. The ending in particular came off to me as a tryhard terrific ending, and even if the clips were good, the track choices really did not work out for me.

It is genuinely impressive that Sony managed to make the most mediocre trilogy ever with such an iconic character.

In terms of enjoyment, Eddie and Venom continue to be a delightfully fun duo. In this 3rd movie, they are basically on a road trip and that was relatively entertaining for the most part. The final act of the movie was also a pretty enjoyable CGI action fest with some emotional scenes.

However, the story and script are still as flat as ever. The narrative feels very half baked with it feeling like a chain of things just randomly happening. Pointless characters that don't add much. Jokes being thrown at you just to see which land. Rhys Ifans and Chiwetel Ejiofor characters could have been played by anyone but feels purposely done because they knew fans recognised them from other Marvel projects. The villain Knull looks cool but is just there to be teased for future projects.

Overall, it is better than the second film but just on par with the first. It is a mediocre final entry. Sony continues to disappoint with their universe and We all know Venom is coming back somehow. I do worry for Spiderman 4 and hope Sony don't mess that movie in anyway.

My relationship with the Venom franchise has been rocky. I have a soft spot for the first one, absolutely loathe the second, and now we come to the trilogy's closer, and thankfully, it's an improvement.

Venom: The Last Dance works best when it focuses on Eddie and Venom's story instead of trying to set up the future of the Sonyverse. If you didn't like the previous Venom films, this won't change your mind. It's still messy, but it gets more right than its predecessors.

This is easily the campiest and most mature of the bunch. It takes its time with the characters, letting us sit with them instead of rushing into the next action set piece. Still being PG-13 it manages to cram in a lot more gore than its predecessors. The action is inventive, and the humor hits its mark. It also doesn't shy away from getting personal and emotional. Eddie and Venom's relationship has never felt more genuine. I'll admit-I teared up a few times by the end.

Some may be disappointed by the potrayal of Knull, but personally, I loved it. He feels like an overlooming threat rather than an one-off villain, and the "God of Darkness" gets a Thanos-esque treatment he deserves.

Now, don't get me wrong-the movie is still bad, technically speaking-but it's self-aware about that. Instead of being "bad bad," it chooses to be "fun bad" and entertain you, and I respect that. Not every movie needs to be great; sometimes being fun is enough.

Even with the lows, I have always found a weird sense of comfort with this rendition of Venom. I have found myself caring more for these characters than maybe even the script intended. So I am happy to say that by the end, it does enough to justify this trilogy's existence - and to such an satisfying extent that I'd rather live in a world where the Venom movies exist than one where it doesn't.

The third installment about the symbiotic anti-hero is a mix of bright moments and disappointments. Tom Hardy once again proves why he is the perfect choice for the role of Eddie Brock/Venom, but even his charismatic performance cannot save the unbalanced ensemble. The film starts off promisingly - with dynamic action and witty dialogue between Eddie and his symbiotic companion. Their relationship is still the best the series has to offer. Hardy brilliantly manages both comedic timing and dramatic moments. The visual effects are impressive in places, especially in the action sequences where Venom shows off his abilities. At other times, however, the CGI feels inadequate and more reminiscent of a video game from the last decade. Some fights are well choreographed, others are a chaotic mix of digital effects. The biggest problem is the script, which tries to be too ambitious. It mixes several storylines, introduces new characters and antagonists, but does not give them enough space to develop. The result is a rushed pace and superficial characters. The film's darker tone is a welcome change, but it often clashes with the comedic elements, creating an unbalanced whole. The film seems unsure whether it wants to be a serious drama or a lighthearted entertainment. Venom: The Last Dance is like a roller coaster - it's ups and downs. For fans of the series, it offers enough fun, but it's hard to call it a significant step forward. This film is like an average song on a great album, but as a whole it doesn't leave a strong impression. Fans will find their own, others may be disappointed.