Venom: The Last Dance

 

Movie Review: Venom: The Last Dance

Another work week has drawn to a close and has ushered in another set of new film offerings. After a three year wait, this week I headed out to see Tom Hardy return in his final(?) appearance as Eddie Brock in Venom: The Last Dance.  

My standard comic book disclaimer applies, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I’ve enjoyed the last two films to varying degrees and went in just hoping this one wasn’t a total disaster.  On that account, Venom: The Last Dance pretty much delivers. It’s nothing mind-blowing or earth shattering by any means. It’s pretty much more of the same old same old with everyone involved not trying to reinvent the wheel.

The beginning of the film is a bit long in the tooth setting up everything and getting all the players in place, so it takes too long getting to the point and letting us know where the film is heading. However, at least there is a point and a direction that actually gets established. Yeah, I’m looking at you Joker: Folie a Poo. 

Anywho, once all the setup is done, the rest of the film is enjoyable.

Hardy is again fun to watch as he plays against himself. There are the expected Venom moments/tropes we expect to see. The humor is solid. The soundtrack brings joy. Fast-paced action sequences are nicely juxtaposed with the emotional, character moments. 

The Bromance between Eddie and Venom is the star attraction.

The biggest downside of VLD are characters and events that are never developed/explained or give much of a payoff.  I was really hoping for more on Spidey among other things. It’s also predictable and suffers from the same issues many films, especially comic book films have these days. Too much emphasis on setting up for the next phase of the Whatever-verse to the detriment of the current film. A shadowy villain who is nothing more than a generic plot point which weakens the threat factor.

Venom: The Last Dance is also a lot like life. It’s a loud, messy, random hot mess. The film is dumb, fun, emotional, and an entertaining ride for what it is, a popcorn movie that’s a fine way to spend a couple of hours outside of the house.  If you’ve watched and enjoyed the first two films, it’s worth catching a matinee and seeing on the big screen, otherwise, waiting for home viewing is just fine.  If you do head to the theater, there’s a mid-credit sequence and an end credit sequence to catch.  

I’m giving Venom: The Last Dance a 6.5 - 7.

Joker: Folie a Deux

No.

Just no.

Apologies, but this is one of the rare, “I can’t even rate this” movies.

When The Joker came out in 2019, while there were a number of aspects of the film that I liked and/or was intrigued by, overall, I didn’t like the film. So much so that until this week it was a “one and done” viewing for me. Despite that, with Joker: Folie a Deux hitting the theaters this weekend I felt almost obligated to see it nonetheless and begrudgingly went to the theater to check it out.

:Sigh:

Even with an open mind and a smidgeon of hope that J2 would make my venturing out in 105-degree heat worthwhile, it didn’t take me long to regret my decision.

Once again, I found myself feeling that Joker: Folie a Deux has some positives going for it, yet it falls flat. With a resounding thud.

Beautiful cinematography/visuals. Good music. A great cast. Loved seeing Catherine Keener, Steve Coogan, and Brendan Gleeson (beautiful pipes on this man) joining the cast along with returning cast members. Lady Gaga sings her butt off as well, but otherwise seems like a pointless add-on through no fault of her own.

Which brings me to the issue with the entire film.

What’s the point?

Seriously.

Two hours and 18 minutes of my life. $2.34 out of pocket for my ticket (damn my opting for the XD upgrade on my freebie). And what I believe to have been a relatively short nap; the head bashing during a fantasy vignette woke me up (yes, I actually fell asleep, and I never sleep at the movies) later, and the first thing I said when the credits rolled was, “what the hell did I just watch? And why? What was the point of that bull$#@!”!?

Joker: Folie a Deux doesn’t really have a storyline. At least none that’s discernible let alone even mildly engaging. The entire film plays out as nothing more than a piss poor attempt at a money grab from people who really didn't want to do the movie and a long ass ad promoting the Warner Bros. property catalogue.

Or maybe like so much of the Joker films, it’s just me. Either way, I can’t recommend this one. I'll be doing a The Dark Knight palate cleanse this weekend for sure.

#JokerFolieADeux