Venom: The Last Dance (2024)

Three movies are fighting over one body in Venom: The Last Dance, which is at least on brand. There’s a goofy buddy road trip, a grim government lab thriller at Area 51, and a cosmic setup for a villain named Knull who spends the whole film locked in his prison, waiting for someone to fetch him a key. Tom Hardy is still a blast as Eddie Brock, a man getting backseat-driven by the alien living inside him. When the movie leans into that, it’s fun: Eddie and Venom on the run, hitching a ride with a hippie family of alien fans led by Rhys Ifans, swinging through Las Vegas to see Mrs. Chen. When it cuts back to Chiwetel Ejiofor and Juno Temple explaining symbiotes in a lab, the air goes out. It made $479 million worldwide on a reported $110M to $120M. A 3.7 because Hardy is great company in a movie that keeps changing the subject. $492 says you open the fridge tonight and hear a gravelly voice in your head demanding a snack.

What works: Hardy’s odd-couple banter with Venom is still funny, and the road trip with the alien-loving family has a loose, silly charm.

What doesn’t: The tone lurches between goofy comedy and grim lab drama, and the big villain setup goes nowhere in this movie.

Who it’s for: Fans who have stuck with Eddie and Venom through all three movies and want to see them say goodbye.