Venom: Last Dance movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Venom: Last Dance

This alien-buddy sequel is now playing in theaters.

RATING: PG-13

LENGTH: 1 hour 49 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B

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IN A NUTSHELL:

Venom has long been one of Marvel’s most complex and entertaining characters. This film attempts to close the trilogy of the story between Tom Hardy’s character and his symbiote “Venom”. They’re on the run, being hunted by both of their worlds.

Marvel knows how to work magic, but this franchise has been tricky for them. Most people really enjoyed and were intrigued by the first Venom movie. The second one was problematic. And here we are with the finale. It’s receiving mixed reviews, so my advice is to lower your expectations and then you might have fun with it. Come on, Marvel…

The film was directed by Kelly Marcel, who also served as one of the producers. She and Tom Hardy co-wrote the story together! It feels like a bromance road trip for one last hug. If you’re a fan, you’ll get some closure and fan service. If you never liked this franchise, feel free to skip it.

THINGS I LIKED:

Playing double-duty, Tom Hardy returns to his role as Eddie Brock and the voice of Venom. He also worked as one of the producers of the film.
The rest of the cast did a great job and includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Stephen Graham, Cristo Fernandez, and Alanna Ubach.
Dash McCloud is totally adorable.
Thankfully, the movie is self-aware so that you don’t take anything too seriously.
There’s a cute scene where some people sing the David Bowie song “Space Oddity” with some sweet conversations afterward that give you all the feels.
Fun soundtrack.
At the very end of the film, we see a bunch of sentimental clips from each of the Venom movies in the franchise. Sweet.
As always in Marvel movies, keep watching during the closing credits for another short clip that reveals this isn’t really the last dance.
There are a lot of action sequences, as well as heartfelt moments.
The special effects are good, although there is a lot of CGI.
The movie poster looks pretty doggone cool.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Tom Hardy’s character has become a mumbling, defeated man
Venom’s banter is relegated to campy one-liners. In other words, most of the humor doesn’t land.
The movie tried too hard to be funny with the Dancing Queen number, but I still liked it. I thought it was funny when Eddie asked, “When did you two practice this?”
Just so you know, you can NOT get that close to Area 51. Military cars will prevent you from driving within miles in every direction.
The telling of the story is a bit messy. For example, sometimes, we’re propelled into a new scenario without much transition.
There are some annoying plot holes.
The action sequences are a swirling jumble of blur.
Some characters appear in Act 3. They’re fun but seem super random and a blatant attempt to manipulate our tear ducts and funny bones.
We get a new villain but don’t learn enough about him to care about his character.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Lots of violence
We see some human blood and alien gore.
Venom and some of the other symbiotes might be way too scary for young kids.
We see a man urinate on a wall and on someone’s shoe
Some profanity, including 1 F-bomb.
Lots of destruction.
People are in dangerous situations.

THEMES:

Friendship
Support
The value of life
Aliens
Sacrifice

FUNNY LINES:

“I got stuck with a superhero who can’t fly.” – Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy)
“Delicious! You take me to all the finest places.” – Venom (Tom Hardy)
“Be honest with me. How fast do you think you can get that thing to go without killing it?” – Eddie Brock “Only one way to find out!” – Venom
“We are living the dream, my friend.” – Eddie Brock “You mean it?” – Venom “No!” – Eddie Brock
“Told you we can fly!” – Venom “How does Tom Cruise do this?” – Eddie Brock
“You’re not going to like this.” – Venom “No, I can absolutely guarantee you I’m not going to.” – Eddie Brock
“That was some Special Forces shxx!” – Eddie Brock

INTERESTING LINES:

“We always knew it was impossible that we were alone in the universe. And it’s our job to make sure that remains a secret.” – Dr. Payne (Juno Temple)
“Eddie, my home has found us.” – Venom (Tom Hardy)
“The symbiotes didn’t come here by accident. They were running.” – Dr. Payne “From what?” – military soldier
“I’m with you til the end.” – Venom (to Eddie)
“There comes a time in every man’s life where you have to make a sacrifice.”