VENOM: THE LAST DANCE Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: Kelly Marcel
Stars: Tom Hardy, Rhys Ifans, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Peggy Lu, Stephen Graham, Alanna Ubach, Andy Serkis, Clark Backo, Cristo Fernandez.
Venom: The Last Dance is the third and possibly final instalment in the trashy comic book series built around Venom, a spin-off character from the Spiderman universe, but this surly anti-hero is one of the lesser characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Former journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is on the run from the authorities after being accused of the murder of journalist and rival Patrick Mulligan. Leading the hunt for Eddie is General Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who is also in charge Imperium, a top-secret operation at the famed Area 51, the mysterious research facility in the Nevada desert which supposedly contains aliens and other extraterrestrial beings, and which holds fascination for alien enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists. Strickland and his team are hunting and capturing other symbiotes to study.
When the film opens, Eddie and the dark shape-shifting symbiote (the extraterrestrial parasite that has inhabited his body) are hiding out in Mexico. But then he learns of a new and far more deadly threat. A xenophage – a fast and frightening alien creature – has been sent to Earth by Knull (an unrecogniseable Andy Serkis, buried under layers of prosthetics and makeup), the creator of the symbiotes, to retrieve something called the Codex which will enable him to escape from his confinement on a distant planet. The Codex can only be destroyed if either Eddie or Venom is killed.
The high stakes pursuit reaches a climax at Area 51 which is in the process of being decommissioned by the government.
Hardy co-wrote the script with regular series writer Kelly Marcel (who wrote the first two films in the series) but the story itself is a little muddled. Marcel makes her feature film directorial debut here. She handles the mindless comic book-like violence and key action set pieces reasonably well but it all makes for a rather muddled and frenetic, special effects heavy mix of action, CGI generated scary creatures and sci-fi. Cinematographer Fabian Wagner (Overlord, etc) shoots the action in that hyperkinetic and chaotic fashion that makes it difficult to follow.
The prickly relationship between Eddie and the symbiotic parasite has provided much of the dark humour that has driven this series. Hardy continues to bring a gruff charm to his role as the beleaguered Eddie, but his mumbled dialogue is often hard to decipher. Rhys Ifans provides another layer of humour to the material with his role as Martin Moon, an aging hippie who has taken his family on a road trip to visit Area 51 before it closes forever. Juno Temple (from tv series Ted Lasso, etc) plays Dr Teddy Payne, a sympathetic research scientist who wants to understand the symbiotes better, which brings her into conflict with Strickland. Ejiofor has a strong presence as Strickland, a somewhat one-dimensional character. And Peggy Lu briefly reprises her role as the sweet Mrs Chen, the convenience store owner who befriends Eddie and Venom and who also provides some comic relief.
The film has a great soundtrack that includes ABBA and Cat Stephens.
But for the supposed finale in the series Venom: The Last Dance is a little underwhelming and doesn’t really provide a definitive conclusion. And a brief post credits sting suggests that any future film in this series will probably head in a new direction.
★★☆
