Venom: The Last Dance is the third instalment of the Venom trilogy. It takes place a year after investigative journalist turned vigilante Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) was “invaded” by a symbiote (an extraterrestrial parasite) to become Venom. Although Eddie’s part of the character is trying to keep a lid on Venom’s antics, the symbiote continues to push the limits.
When we first meet Venom, he is in Mexico – drunk. And he’s being tracked. High ranking US military official Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is on his tail. Presenting an even greater challenge is a horrific force: a giant, lightning fast, reptilian character known as a xenophage. So, Venom is on the run and the stakes are high, namely the future of Earth.
The pretext comes from a creature known as Knull (an unrecognisable Andy Serkis). Knull has been betrayed by his symbiote children and finds himself trapped in a distant universe. He’s trying to find a “get of our jail free” card, known as the Codex. No prizes for guessing who has it. So he lets the xenophages loose.
Writer-director Kelly Marcel, who co-wrote Venom (2018) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021), makes her directorial debut here. She makes a good fist of her dual roles. I appreciated the humour, music and the CGI battle scenes. I thought the relationships were well established and developed as the narrative took shape. The filmmakers appear to have thrown the proverbial kitchen sink at this one, with action aplenty, along with quite a convoluted plot.
Hardy remains the real trooper, guiding the story arc. And he’s darn good at it. Juno Temple comes across as fiercely loyal and sincere as leading research scientist Dr Teddy Payne, working to protect the symbiotes under her care. She is responsible for a secret US military underground laboratory in the Nevada Desert known as Area 51, which is about to be decommissioned. Clark Backo has plenty of get up and go to her role as Payne’s offsider, Sadie. Rhys Ifans is a hoot as a hippie and alien enthusiast on a field trip with his family to visit Area 51.
Even though there are several threads to follow, I found the movie came together nicely, with some decent production values. The song list too is impressive, including some pleasing bangers. A very, very long list of credits rolls at the end, but stick around for a final scene, which hints that the collective may not be at an end.
Alex First
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Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.