Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Exposition, explosions in uninspired superhero threequel.
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Venom: The Last Dance
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 10 parent reviews
Based on 21 kid reviews
Kids say the movie features a mix of humor and action, although many reviews point out its significant violence, strong language, and emotional moments, particularly regarding the main character's fate, which may not be suitable for younger viewers. While some find it entertaining and fitting for mature teens, others express disappointment compared to earlier installments, suggesting it is designed for those aged ten and up.
- violence warning
- mixed opinions
- emotional scenes
- suitable for older kids
- disappointment in sequel
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In VENOM: THE LAST DANCE, after briefly being sent to an alternate universe, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) comes home, only to discover that he's wanted for the murder of Detective Mulligan (Stephen Graham). Eddie and Venom decide to head for New York to try to start over. On the way, they're attacked by a huge monster with big teeth. There's a fight, and Eddie plummets into the middle of the Nevada desert. Venom explains that the monster is after their Codex, a kind of energy force that reveals itself when they go "Full Venom." They're attacked by Rex Strickland (Chiwetel Ejiofor) and his team of soldiers, but they escape. Now stranded, they receive help from Martin (Rhys Ifans), a UFO-obsessed traveler and his family, who drops them in Las Vegas. The monster attacks again, and they're brought to a secret facility below Area 51, where Dr. Payne (Juno Temple) is in charge of studying symbiotes. Eddie realizes that there's no escaping—and that it's time for a final showdown.
Is It Any Good?
The third and supposedly final entry in this "superhero" series is more of the same: endless exposition, overreliance on visual effects and explosions, and no real characters or story. Venom: The Last Dance starts badly, with a superbeing issuing some kind of warning (all exposition) that goes in one ear and out the other. Then we meet up with Eddie just after his little cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and he enacts the arbitrary idea for a road trip to New York. (Venom wanting to see "Lady Liberty" somehow becomes a major motif.) The rules for the Codex also seem totally arbitrary, only existing so that either Eddie or Venom will have to die to save the day. Indeed, nearly everything here seems arbitrary, from the government deciding to decommission Area 51 to the very existence of some of the characters. For example, Mulligan (from Venom: Let There Be Carnage) is brought back and turned into a symbiote for basically one reason: to issue the same warning that the first superbeing did. Otherwise, he's not necessary.
It's especially disheartening to see talented actors like Temple and Ejiofor choke on their ridiculous dialogue. They never once talk to one another or listen to one another; it's all explaining or accusing. Truthfully, the entire idea is flawed, given that Venom kills without consequences in order to "fuel up." He was initially created as a supervillain in the comics, and the attempts to turn him into a hero for the movies have been sketchy at best. The ultimate showdown is, predictably, all shooting, explosions, and creatures being tossed around or ripped to pieces, and death doesn't matter. The only saving graces in Venom: The Last Dance are the professional effects and the sporadic laughs we get from Eddie and Venom's bickering. But when it's over, it's hard to care. Like Eddie says after riding an alien horse, "that was horrible."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Venom: The Last Dance's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
How has Venom changed over time, from the comic books to the movies—i.e., from Spider-Man 3 to this Venom series? Did you like this version better? Worse? Why?
How do Eddie and Venom demonstrate teamwork? How does teamwork fit into the rest of the story?
Would you allow something else to take over your body in exchange for superpowers? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 25, 2024
- On DVD or streaming : December 10, 2024
- Cast : Tom Hardy , Juno Temple , Chiwetel Ejiofor
- Director : Kelly Marcel
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Sony Pictures
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Superheroes
- Run time : 109 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : intense sequences of violence and action, bloody images and strong language
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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