The Sony/Marvel cinecomic “Venom: The Last Dance” was released in theaters last October 24, and this is our review.
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| Image Credit: Sony Pictures |
Now in its third adventure in Sony’s Marvel universe, the prankster duo formed by Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and the Venom symbiote this time returns to the cinema directed by Kelly Marcel (screenwriter of the entire trilogy), and with a supporting cast formed by Chiwetel Ejiofor (yes, the Mordo of the MCU), Juno Temple and Stephen Graham. Venom: The Last Dance starts exactly from the conclusion of “The Fury of Carnage“, with a nod to the very brief passage of Eddie Brock/Venom in the MCU, a passage that, in our opinion, is carried out far too quickly.
What comes next is a sort of “road movie with the alien” that can only disappoint those fans eager to finally see the Marvel symbiote at its best. After two films that, without offending anyone, have made the comic book movie genre brought to the fore by Marvel Studios take a lot of steps backward (but this is a problem that Sony Pictures has now stuck on its back), we expected The Last Dance to be a worthy closure to a mini-narrative cycle full of wasted opportunities.
And yet this time the premises were all there, yes they were!
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| Image Credit: Sony Pictures |
The presence of Knull, the creator of the symbiotes seeking revenge for the betrayal of his creations, alone should have paid the price of the ticket, excellent new members added to the cast (Chiwetel Ejiofor and Juno Temple), the presence of many different symbiotes and the promise of a future battle for the salvation of the human race. In our opinion, too many elements are exploited just to make money... it really makes you think that Sony has run out of steam!
But what really didn't work in Venom: The Last Dance?
Well, let's start with Kelly Marcel's direction, here at her debut behind the camera. The director's staging is measured, absolutely devoid of that imprint that a debuting filmmaker would have had to give to be noticed by Hollywood that counts. In her film, in fact, there are no wonders, everything is narrated simplistically, and certain creative choices are not convincing (Marcel is also a co-writer together with Tom Hardy himself). The narrative pace is frenetic, almost confused. Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock seems thrown into a whirlwind of events, sometimes connected to each other in a completely random way.
The presence of a villain of Knull's caliber is not perceived, except indirectly, and this represents a missed opportunity, also because those symbiote hunters placed there in the film give the impression of having come directly from a way of making science fiction films that is now distant. Does the T-1000 from Terminator ring a bell? The saving grace in Venom 3 is the good amount of special effects, the CGI is still massive (even if used more wisely than in Fury of Carnage), but it also has a soundtrack chock-full of songs that sometimes offers a sweet relief to the almost unjustified frenzy recreated during the almost two hours of viewing.
As for the cast, well what can I say. Tom Hardy has fun and is definitely the right face for a comic book character like Venom, even his physicality sometimes distorts the image that a comic book fan has created in his mind of Eddie Brock. The introduction of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Juno Temple brings quality, but to a limited extent and not because of the acting: in fact the two characters are characterized in an almost one-dimensional way.
As happened with the first two films, it still makes you think: What a shame!
In conclusion, Venom 3 must therefore be taken for what it is, a film made to bring the public to the cinema with the simple promise of entertaining them for two hours without commitment. In our opinion, the closure of this trilogy would have deserved more.
PS: at the end of the film there are two post-credits scenes!
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