As a fan of comic book movies, I typically strive to maintain a positive perspective in the midst of online criticism. However, my anticipation for the release of Venom: The Last Dance was very low. This film marks the third and, supposedly, final chapter of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. Despite my appreciation for the anit-hero from the comics, these movies have failed to capture my interest. The 2018 original started on a sour note that belongs in the territory of bad 2000s superhero movies, while its forgettable 2021 sequel, Let There Be Carnage, can barely be called an improvement, even if Andy Serkis directed it. But it’s undeniable that these films have a dedicated fan base (for some reason) and have made a significant amount of money at the box office, so perhaps my opinion is not the prevailing one.

It’s also bad enough that this universe continues to struggle to get a critical hit with each entry, with this sandwich between the universally panned Madame Web (which I refuse to watch) and the upcoming dud Kraven the Hunter. Given my disappointment with the first two, I didn’t have high expectations for this sequel. I was hoping to finally have some fun and end things on a high note. However, while it’s fair to say this is probably the best of the three, it’s not saying much when it’s just another unwatchable superhero flick.

What’s the Story: Following their brief trip to another multiverse, former journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his symbiote Venom are back in Mexico, where they are on the run after Brock is accused of murdering detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham) and set out to New York City to clear his name. With the government, led by General Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor), hot on their heels and an army of Xenophages released by Knull (Serkis) threatening to overrun the city, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Knull seeks to recover the “Codex,” which is the key to escaping his imprisonment, adding another layer of intensity to their mission.

Essentially, Venom: The Last Dance is a sci-fi road movie that sees our protagonists not get killed and the usual gimmicks that come with them since the beginning. If that appeals to you, this sequel could be to your liking. For me, it couldn’t get there for being another goofy, by-the-numbers comic book movie. Series screenwriter Kelly Marcel made her directorial debut, and there’s not much she could’ve done to make this story more stakes-driven. More or less, it has characters going from one location to the next that come across as messy, with mostly dull action sequences that didn’t excite me. I found myself forgetting their original destination was to New York. Considering this was written during last year’s Writer’s Strike, it might be evident.

There was only one reason I paid to see all three: Tom Hardy. He has always remained the main key factor in this franchise. Whether you think he was an excellent fit to play Eddie Brock is up in the air, but you have to give credit for sticking out this long and getting over the most extended hangover of his life. He seems to have fun with his performance again, along with voicing his best friend, Venom. The commitment is there, and you can tell he loves these characters. But even though I still like Eddie, Venom has become more annoying now than he was before. Those who complained about Thor getting dumber over the last few years will say the same thing here when he’s not as violent as I thought he would be.

Everyone knows it’s Hardy’s movie, which is never a complaint. But everybody else is wasted. Whenever it focuses on other characters that aren’t Eddie and Venom, it’s never interesting, longing for them to return on-screen. At least this didn’t bring back Michelle Williams and her obvious fake wigs. Why bring in someone like Ejiofor (one of many actors to play more than one Marvel character) to be a generic soldier? The same goes with Juno Temple as Dr. Teddy Payne, whose arc about following what her twin brother wanted to do was insignificant to remember when it ended. I felt sorry for them when they were announced as part of this. When Eddie runs into this hippie family (Rhys Ifans, Alanna Ubach), they take him to Las Vegas while on the road to visit Area 51. Their moments, while pointless and staying too long to have them in peril later on, were pretty humanizing for characters you won’t care about.

The jokes were lazier this time, the kind that had my audience laughing, while I was more annoyed that this is what people like now. Anyone who was ironically excited about the Venom horse sequence should have their expectations lowered since it wasn’t amazing. One moment didn’t get me to laugh audibly, but it was funny when Eddie walked through the revolving doors of the Paris Las Vegas casino only to walk out a split second. Aside from that, my face was stone cold.

The biggest failure the film has on its shoulders is its villain. Knull had such wasted potential since I’ve heard he was a big deal in the comics. But his appearances were utterly pointless, especially the opening exposition scene that had us believe he would destroy Venom. All he does is sit in his chair in a dark location and speak to his threatening monsters without looking up. If this was their plan to set up a fourth movie for him to be Sony’s universe answer to Thanos, they had better quit while they were ahead.

They didn’t commit so much when Venom was part of the McGuffin (Codex) and couldn’t change in full form since the monsters would track him. It made sense the first time to save Eddie, but it was idiotic to show up fully to dance with Mrs. Chen (Peggy Lu) to a remix of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” in a penthouse suite.

Everything was moving so fast to where it was already in the crazy third act, and it involves other alien symbiotes that not only an excuse for pretty terrible CGI but go into a plot hole about how there has to be a bond between the human and symbiote. The point is just references for the comics. The climax follows a predictable line that tries to make you feel some emotion about Eddie and Venom’s relationship. The bromance between the two is probably the strongest of the three. But in reality, I couldn’t care less about what would happen to them, especially when it ends on a montage set to possibly the worst song to use.

Much like its previous entries, Venom: The Last Dance leaves more to be desired. You got Tom Hardy’s saving grace performance and some brief, fun moments within the Eddie/Venom bonding. However, it proves this trilogy has no real winners when they’re around a lousy script and lackluster action to follow suit. Everything about all three movies demonstrates they’re successful at the box office, but it doesn’t mean they’re great for fans. These movies are why the superhero genre is falling on hard times.

Grade: D+