Given how the Marvel stranglehold on entertainment has been loosened as of late, it can be hard for fans to know what to expect from a current Marvel film. It's become clear that having to be an expert across multiple stories and platforms is no longer accetable to many people (as it shouldn't be, people only have so many hours in the day and very few want to devote all their entertainment time and money to the company); and yet, some knowledge is going to be necessary, especially in sequels. But can someone still be entertained, even within these limitations?
Venom: The Last Dance does its best to keep its audience entertained in its little corner of the Marvel Universe, and for the most part, it succeeds. Mostly due to a stellar cast that are working their British-acting-trained butts off with the material, and a director (Kelly Marcel, who co-wrote the first of the series and is sole writer on this and Venom: Let There Be Carnage) who knows the strengths of the series lies with the cast (*cough* Tom Hardy *cough), and to give them the space to flex those chops.
The film opens with a (blessedly) brief semi-origin story of how the symbiotes entrapped their evil creator Null, and how something Venom did offers the opportunity for Null to be released from his prison. Null sends monsters through portals to track it down. Meanwhile, Eddie (Hardy) has been hiding out in Mexico after the events of the last film; but wanted for murder, he decides he needs a better hideout. On the road to New York (which apparently is a better hiding place that middle-of-nowhere Mexico?), he finds himself being chased not only by these monsters, but also Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor), part of a secret government program, to help scientist Teddy Payne (Juno Temple) figure out who the symbiotes are and why they're on Earth.
It's actually more straightforward in explanation and understanding than a lot of Marvel film plots, not requiring too much background information, and it's enough to understand the stakes are all life on Earth. Though at this point, those seem to the be the stakes in every Marvel film, so it's hard to feel the pressure or anxiety. We all know there is a multiverse and the world might be lost but it will also be saved and then imperiled again, so it's useless to waste energy worrying about it. The audience doesn't come to the Venom movies for the story; they for the action, and more to the point, they come for the buddy comedy that is Hardy.
Much was made of that other superhero buddy duo that made a splash this summer, but for the best money, nothing can been Venom. Since the beginning, this has been the heart of the films, and with Marcel at the helm both with writing and directing, it takes centre stage. Yes, this is about Eddie taking stock of what he's, what he'll keep losing, and what sacrifices he needs to make. There are some nice moments with a family of alien chaser lead by Rhys Ifans. But it's the scenes of fast quips and punchy one-lines that give the film its rare moments of sophistication, and plenty of well-earned laughter, that makes it worthwhile.
How Hardy pulls it off is both a miracle and a testament to his work and commitment to the part. Venom is far and away the most thoroughly enjoyable character in the Marvel universe, simply by being a creature that yes, loves to eat people, and is willing to concede that those he eats be the bad guys only. His love of Mrs Chen (Peggy Lu) is the cutest, and so, even though the other actors are working their best, the larger narrative remains mostly dull, at least there is enough Venom to keep the audience entertained.
Venom: The Last Dance is perhaps not as strong as the previous entry, but it keeps its focus on the best parts, and at least at under 2 hours (100 minutes to the credits, though there is both a mid-credit and post-credit scene), it does not overstay its welcome, which is refreshing. That's all the time the story needs.