It’s the franchise that critics love to hate and audiences love to love. VENOM: THE LAST DANCE hits cinemas around the world today and, like its two predecessors, VENOM and VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE, most critics are dumping on it while series fans are gobbling it up like… well, like Venom does with bad guys.

Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy, THE BIKERIDERS) and his symbiote sidekick, Venom, are chilling in Mexico when they learn that Eddie is wanted by authorities in the US for the murder of former police detective Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham, ROCKETMAN). Now on the run (who knew that Mexico had CCTV cameras with facial recognition capabilities everywhere?), the pair hitches a ride back to the US on the outside of an airplane when they are attacked by a dragon-like symbiote that was sent to Earth by the evil Krull (Andy Serkis, THE BATMAN) to find and kill Venom and the other symbiotes that turned against him. Venom explains to Eddie that they are carrying a codex that is keeping Krull from fulfilling his ambition of spreading darkness throughout the universe. As long as Venom remains inside Eddie, the codex remains hidden from view. Eddie and Venom land in a Nevada desert where they are met by hippie and alien enthusiast Martin Moon (Rhys Ifans, THE KING’S MAN) and his family who are travelling to Area 51 in New Mexico to look for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Meanwhile, far beneath the surface of Area 51, a team of scientists led by Dr. Teddy Payne (Juno Temple, MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL) is examining the other symbiotes that Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor, MARY MAGDALENE) and his team of special ops soldiers have captured.

The first two VENOM films were simply irreverent romps with no morality message or reflection on current events for audiences to mull over. They were popcorn entertainment meant to give audiences a few hours of mindless fun. VENOM: THE LAST DANCE is more of the same so I’m not sure what these hating critics were expecting. It’s not in the league of AVENGERS: ENDGAME or BLACK PANTHER but it’s a darn sight better than a lot of other MARVEL films we’ve seen. At least it doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’s a lean 109 minutes and that’s worth a star right there.

In this film, the relationship between Eddie and Venom has matured. In VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE, they were like Oscar and Felix. Now they’re more like another famous movie couple, and one scene involving a horse leaping over a canyon indeed pays homage to the closing scene of THELMA & LOUISE. Eddie and Venom are like an old couple now. Sure, they argue but they care deeply for each other and know that they are inseparable. This development in their relationship gives the film some emotional heft that the previous two films don’t have and it’s all the better for it.

In addition to the hilarious horse scene, there are some perfectly aimed one-liners, including a couple taking jabs at MARVEL (this seems to be something that the SONY-produced MARVEL films love to do), and one brilliant one pointed at Tom Hardy himself, although Eddie does get to deliver a good zinger back in Hardy’s defence.

While the appearance of bodega owner Mrs. Chen (Peggy Lu) is a welcome callback, unfortunately, the film’s funny banter and light-hearted scenes aren’t enough to sustain the laughter for very long. The story eventually devolves into your bog-standard, save-the-world, fight scene with lots of CGI action and pyrotechnics on display. It is a comic book film, after all, so it is mandatory, but at least first-time director Kelly Marcel (she wrote the other two VENOM films along with SAVING MR. BANKS and FIFTY SHADES OF GREY) was able to inject some humour into the action with the addition of the happy-clappy Moon family.

VENOM: THE LAST DANCE is playing in cinemas now. Ignore the critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. If you enjoyed the first two VENOM films, you’ll enjoy this one too.

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