What is Venom: The Last Dance?
Venom: The Last Dance is the third and probably final entry into the Sony’s only successful Spider-Man spin-off franchise, centered on Spider-Man’s rival, Venom. The film stars Tom Hardy in the dual role of Eddie Brock and Venom, who is an alien co-existing with Eddie in a symbiotic relationship. The film is set approximately one year since the events of 2018’s Venom.
That’s a pretty compressed timeline given that six real years have passed. Do they make any attempt to have Tom Hardy look like he did in Venom?
None whatsoever. He is noticeably older, which would not matter in the least if they didn’t try that ridiculous “one year later” plot point.
What is Venom: The Last Dance about?
It is nominally a film about friendship, but it’s mostly about fan service and Tom Hardy’s love of dogs.
Wait, is there a Venom DOG in this movie?!
Sadly no, even though there is perfect opportunity for such a thing, and the movie does include a Venom horse, Venom fish, and Venom frog. The Venom dog is a HUGE missed opportunity.
At any point in this film does Venom leave an airplane crippled mid-flight, suggesting he caused hundreds of people to die in an air disaster that is never mentioned again?
What an interesting and specific question! Yes, that exact scenario DOES happen! It seems like it should be the setup for a story in which Venom does a lot of collateral damage while trying to be good, which is why people see him as a villain despite his best efforts to be a hero, but the events of this film happen in a moral vacuum. There is no judgment on anyone or anything except the people running a dogfighting ring and the science lady who suggests that assuming aliens are automatically out to kill us is maybe not the best approach to fostering intergalactic understanding.
Some of the aliens are out to kill us, though, right?
Oh, yeah for sure.
Why is Rhys Ifans in this movie? Is he connecting Venom to the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man movies?
Nope! He’s playing a brand-new character, a kooky dad hoping to see aliens around Area 51. He performs his role with the elan of a person used to cashing checks from Sony for bad superhero movies.
I was hoping this film would finally bring Tom Hardy’s Venom into the MCU. You know, since he appeared in the post-credits scene for Spider-Man: No Way Home. All I want is to see Tom Hardy as Venom and Tom Holland as Spidey fight.
Expect less and never be disappointed.
But surely there is some connective tissue? People love Tom Hardy as Venom. They can’t waste that on these non-Spider-Man Spider-Man movies!
I cannot stress enough how “no expectations” you should have of this film.
But then what was the point of all this? Why make three Venom movies and have Tom Hardy cameo in the MCU only to never connect the two? What have we been doing all this time?!
The point of anything is simply progression, to flow forward on the river of time and gain experience and wisdom from our happenings and circumstances. We can never go back, we can only move forward, hopefully becoming better and stronger individuals as we do. Living is learning, time is a flat circle, Venom movies are a fleeting moment amongst the constellation of our lives.
But that’s bullsh-t!
I never said it wasn’t.
Venom: The Last Dance will play exclusively in theaters from October 25, 2024.
