Venom: The Last Dance offers 'mild pleasures' but a 'banal' plot
Tom Hardy is back in the final instalment of this high-octane trilogy

"With the 2018 film Venom, Tom Hardy locked himself into a three-picture deal, giving his time, talents and torso to this saga about a man named Eddie Brock possessed by a fanged, body-snatching alien parasite", which jumps in and out of his body at will, said Amy Nicholson in The New York Times. Venom: The Last Dance brings the trilogy to a close, and it is, "in glimpses", quite interesting: a drama about a drunk who is "unbearably lonely despite being conjoined with a garrulous monster".
In the first film Eddie was an investigative journalist with a fiancé; "here, he's a filthy drifter" who has lost "his career, his woman and his reputation", and been forced to go on the run. There are "mild pleasures" to be had – such as the moment when Eddie/Venom is "suctioned to the fuselage of an airplane" and sighs: "It is so unpleasantly cold." But these are "overwhelmed by a barrage of underdeveloped supporting characters", played by the likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rhys Ifans, and by a "banal" plot about saving the world.
This film "will have most accompanying adults shaking their head in despair within five minutes", said Matthew Bond in The Mail on Sunday. But the army of young Venom fans will enjoy a movie "that remains faithful to its comic-book roots" and is funny enough.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"One of life's great mysteries" is that this "unspeakably stupid" series "has grossed more than $1bn worldwide", said Johnny Oleksinski in the New York Post. This instalment seems likely only to induce a "migraine" in those masochistic enough to buy a ticket. "So long, Venom. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The easy elegance of Cap Ferret
The Week Recommends 'Elemental and otherworldly' destination is loved for its natural beauty
-
Ozzy Osbourne obituary: heavy metal wildman and lovable reality TV dad
In the Spotlight For Osbourne, metal was 'not the music of hell but rather the music of Earth, not a fantasy but a survival guide'
-
Spring greens and chickpea curry recipe
The Week Recommends This mouthwatering curry is quick to throw together
-
Gazer: 'paranoid noir chiller' is a gripping watch
The Week Recommends Ryan J. Sloan's debut film is haunted with 'skin-crawling unease'
-
William Kentridge: The Pull of Gravity – a 'bold' exhibition
The Week Recommends The South African artist brings his distinctive works to Yorkshire Sculpture Park
-
Sarah Dunant shares her favourite books
The Week Recommends The British novelist picks works by Sergeanne Golon, Jill Burke and Natalie Zemon
-
Inter Alia: Rosamund Pike is 'electric' in gut-wrenching legal drama
The Week Recommends Australian playwright Suzie Miller is back with a follow up to her critically-acclaimed hit play Prima Facie
-
Unforgivable: harrowing drama about abuse and rehabilitation
The Week Recommends 'Catastrophic impact' of abuse is explored in 'thought-provoking' series