Venom: The Last Dance – Film Review

Director – Kelly Marcel
Writers – Kelly Marcel, Tom Hardy
Stars – Tom Hardy, Juno Temple, Alanna Ubach

There is a scene near the start of this film that tells you all you’ll need to know about the movie. You see, Venom enjoys eating human brains, in quite a zombie-like fashion. It’s explained in the comics/ movies that he needs Phenylalanine to stay alive but we won’t query it too much beyond that! Venom has a pact with his host Eddie Brock (Hardy) in this symbiotic relationship that he will only eat the brains of ‘bad people’! When Venom does eat the brains of the unsuspecting Mexican gangsters, it takes place in a brief scene which is entirely without gore or blood splatter! You see, the target market of these films is teenage boys, and they’re desperately trying to keep their age rating in the PG-13 spectrum (or 15A in Ireland) to cater for their demographic.

This is the third and (possibly) final instalment of the Venom saga with Tom Hardy playing the main role. The plot involves a menacing creature called Knull (played briefly by Andy Serkis) that has been imprisoned for thousands of years. For a largely unexplained reason, Vemon is the key to his freedom. To that end, Knull sends a variety of creatures to find Venom and kill him! As plots go, this is not the most complicated one but it does include a variety of subplots and other elements. This film has several different symbiotes, which feels like they’re testing the water for many possible spin-off projects!

The best of the side stories involves Martin (Rhys Ifans) and his family, who are heading to Area 51 as they aim to see an Alien. Also, the return of Mrs. Chen (Peggy Lu) will keep some fans happy.

This is not the most challenging film in the world, nor is it aimed at critics. It’s aimed squarely at teenage boys and probably those on the younger side of their teenage years. If you’re a fan of the previous incarnations, you’ll no doubt enjoy this, although it is played slightly more for laughs than the other installations. It’s not smart, demanding or innovative, but if you’re looking for something light to occupy a few hours after a long week at work, it could fill the void.