VENOM

The story picks up right where “VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE” left off. Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), a former reporter turned fugitive, is hiding in Mexico after being wanted for questioning in the tragic death of Detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham). Unwilling to spend his life on the run, Eddie devises a plan to travel to New York and blackmail a judge to clear his name.

Meanwhile, on Klyntar, Elder God Knull (Andy Serkis) remains eternally imprisoned by the symbiote children he created. He senses the formation of the Codex, which resulted from Venom bonding with Eddie to save his life after a fatal injury inflicted by Riot.

Knull is an eldritch god of darkness and the creator of the symbiotes, including Venom and Carnage. Knull originated as a primordial being that existed in a void before the creation of the universe, awakening when the Celestials introduced light into his domain. Rejecting their offer to oversee their creations, he waged war against the Celestials, seeking to extinguish all light. Knull possesses immense strength, durability, and regenerative abilities, making him nearly immortal. He can manipulate darkness to create weapons and living creatures known as “Living Abyss,” and wields a powerful weapon called All-Black the Necrosword, which he created from a symbiote.

Knull commands his pack of Xenophages — creatures capable of creating portals to travel anywhere in the universe — to search for this Codex and bring it to him, as he needs it to unlock his prison. Knull vows to annihilate every living planet and destroy the symbiote offspring who betrayed him once he escapes.

First introduced in the comic series Venom: The Hunted in 1996, the Xenophage possesses several unique abilities that make them formidable adversaries. They can shapeshift to disguise themselves, allowing them to lure their prey effectively. Additionally, they have a neurotoxin breath that paralyzes symbiotes, enhancing the flavor of their meal. Xenophages are expert hunters capable of traveling through space without external weapons, relying on their natural adaptations to track and stalk symbiotes. They can detect symbiotes from great distances and have no pain receptors, making them resilient in combat. In the comics, one notable Xenophage named Phage wreaked havoc in New York City before being defeated by Venom.

Hundreds of feet beneath the surface of the soon-to-be-decommissioned Area 51 lies Imperium, a top-secret U.S. facility known to only a handful of people. Dr. Teddy Paine (Juno Temple), a scientist haunted by her brother’s death from a lightning strike, is notified by Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) that they have recovered Mulligan, who was left for dead by another symbiote. They manage to save Mulligan’s life by bonding him with one of the symbiotes previously captured by Imperium.

The symbiote bonded with Mulligan reveals to Paine, Strickland, and Sadie (Clark Backo) that symbiotes have come to Earth seeking sanctuary, as Knull’s creatures relentlessly hunt them. When these symbiotes are found, Knull will kill them all.

The symbiote bonded with Mulligan eventually reveals its true form and warns Paine, Strickland, and Sadie (Clark Backo) that Venom carries the key to Knull’s freedom. If Knull obtains it, it will mean the end of everything. The symbiote explains that the key will cease to exist only if either Venom or Eddie dies.

Written and directed by Kelly Marcel from a story she developed with Tom Hardy, “VENOM: THE LAST DANCE” is the third installment in the series following “VENOM” (2018) and “VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE” (2021). The film is based on the Marvel Comics character Venom, created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane.

The film offers nothing new or exciting, with pacing so sluggish that it repeatedly introduces new supporting characters seemingly just to fill time. This approach transforms what should have been an action comedy like its predecessors into something more akin to a meandering road trip movie, losing the captivating energy that made the first two films successful.

Tom Hardy appears visibly exhausted throughout most of the film, giving the impression that he’s grown weary of the franchise and is eager to wrap up his involvement as quickly as possible.

While Marcel apparently attempts to move away from the bickering bromance between Eddie and Venom by introducing new elements, this proves to be a misstep. The core dynamic between Eddie and Venom was always the series’ strength – not the unnecessary additions of a UFO-obsessed family or alien symbiote-obessessed scientists.

Despite its relatively short 92-minute runtime, the film somehow feels much longer, yet paradoxically rushes through crucial plot points. For instance, when a symbiote reveals that Venom holds the key to Knull’s freedom and claims that either Brock or Venom must die to prevent this, the characters accept this information without question after witnessing just one Xenophage – a development that feels forced and unconvincing.

I would have given this film 2 stars for destroying everything that was built in the first two films. However, the final scene takes cringe to another level with Maroon 5’s “Memories” (which I hate) playing over a montage of clips from the first two films – instantly dropping my rating to 1 star. Hell, no.

“VENOM: THE LAST DANCE” premiered in New York City on October 21, 2024, followed by its theatrical release in the United States on October 25. The film has grossed over $475 million worldwide against a production budget of $120 million.