Venom: The Last Dance Delivers an Absurdly Entertaining Final Showdown That Might Break your Heart

The final installment in Tom Hardy’s beloved Venom franchise is upon us. While this may be the last Venom film, it might not be the last time we see Hardy’s portrayal of the character. Despite the series coming to a seemingly emotional close, the connection between Hardy and Venom remains strong. In the film, Venom sacrifices himself for the greater good, but, as with most superhero films, is it ever really the end?

This third installment could very well be the best of the series. It combines stunning visual effects and intense action, pushing its PG-13 rating to the limit, while maintaining the witty and endearing chemistry between Hardy and Venom that fans love. Venom: The Last Dance ramps up the excitement with added action and humor. While it doesn’t stay completely true to its source material, it’s a fun ride that flows naturally from the two previous films.

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Picking up from the last film, Eddie and Venom are on the run in Mexico, quickly realizing that they are far from safe. Not only is the military after them, but Knull and his symbiotic creatures are hunting them as well. Knull is after the Codex, an ancient artifact created when a symbiote and host fuse their lifeforce, which he needs to escape from the prison his symbiote family placed him in. If Knull gets the Codex and is freed, he vows to destroy all living things in the universe.

Unfortunately, every time Eddie fully transforms into Venom, Knull’s Xenophages, who look like something out of A Quiet Place, can track them, attempting to retrieve the Codex by killing one of them. As if that weren’t enough, Eddie and Venom also have the military closing in, adding another layer of danger to their desperate situation.

The secretive military organization is led by Symbiote wrangler Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and scientists Dr. Payne (Juno Temple) and Dr. Sadie (Clark Backo). While the film tries to give these new characters some depth, their story doesn’t quite measure up to the carefree Venom antics. The subplot may offer clues for future films, but it feels more like a tease in The Last Dance than a significant plot driver.

As the tension escalates, the symbiotes are released from the research facility, bonding with scientists in a last-ditch effort to help Eddie and Venom fight Knull’s Xenophages. Unfortunately, most of these symbiote-bonded characters are picked off, but one survivor remains, hinting at a possible role in future stories.

Familiar Faces

Familiar characters return, including Patrick Mulligan, now bonded with a green symbiote. While captured in the secret facility by Dr. Payne, Mulligan warns the team about the looming threat of Knull, the ancient symbiote god who plans to destroy Earth. Since Eddie and Venom hold the Codex—the key to freeing Knull—if either of them dies, Knull will be unleashed. Unfortunately, Mulligan, who makes an attempt to help Venom, is ultimately consumed by a Xenophage. Though his screen time is limited and mostly confined to being behind specimen glass, it was still nice to see him return, even if it was short-lived.

Comedic Relief

The film is packed with comedic moments, including when Venom hilariously latches onto other animals, like a fish, and other wild experiences, such as a memorable sequence where Venom transforms into a horse—a true rollercoaster ride, especially if you experience it in 4DX. Eddie and Venom’s “relationship issues” remain central to the movie, providing plenty of laughs, including a fun reunion with Mrs. Chen. In one particularly memorable scene, Venom even engages in a hilarious dance-off in a Vegas hotel suite with Mrs. Chen. How they learned the choreography is anyone’s guess, but moments like these remind us why we love Venom. There’s also a quirky, alien-obsessed hippie family that picks up Eddie, completely unaware that he’s harboring an alien—a comedic yet heartwarming moment that adds to the film’s charm towards the end.

A Bittersweet Farewell

At its heart, the film feels like a breakup between Eddie and Venom. As Eddie walks alone through New York City in the end, without his symbiote companion, the audience is hit with a wave of nostalgia and sadness. What started as a tension-filled partnership has grown into something deeper, and their final moments together are emotionally charged. Venom’s last words to Eddie, It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later, leave a glimmer of hope that this might not be the end for their relationship after all.

Venom continues to stand out as a unique superhero—chaotic, rough around the edges, and surprisingly relatable for an alien. These lighthearted moments balance the film’s high stakes and remind us what makes the character so endearing.

The Future of Venom

The post-credit scenes, which include two in this film, hint at what’s to come. In one, Knull ominously declares that, with Venom fallen, he will now come for the universe. Andy Serkis’s chilling voice performance as Knull brings a terrifying presence to the film, despite the character only being teased with brief appearances throughout. We barely see more than his terrifying teeth and hair, adding to the mystery. His portrayal hints at a much larger story waiting to unfold in the Venom universe. For now, Knull remains enigmatic, with much of his character still underdeveloped, but this sets the stage for potential future confrontations.

While the film may have some narrative inconsistencies, it is nonetheless entertaining and allows Venom to stand on its own without necessarily needing Spider-Man to support it. Eddie and Venom will surely be missed, but something is telling us, they won’t be gone for too long. Get tickets now.