Venom: The Last Dance - The scoop and digest

After co-writing original and solely penning sequel, Kelly Marcel returns as writer and makes her directorial debut.

Tom Hardy - Eddie Brock/Venom

Chiwetel Ejiofor - General Rex Strickland

Juno Temple - Dr. Teddy Payne/Agony

Rhys Ifans - Martin

Stephen Graham - Patrick Mulligan/Toxin

Summary

Knull, the prime ancestor of all symbiotes and the Slicer of Worlds is imprisoned on planet Klyntar.

Venom holds the key to his freedom, so big bad sends a Xenophage to retrieve the Codex.

After their battle with Carnage, odd couple are still hiding in Mexico, as the police want to question Eddie about the apparent death of Detective Patrick Mulligan.

Beneath the site of the soon to be decommissioned Area 51, General Rex Strickland oversees the Imperium program at Area 55, which analyses symbiotes captured on Earth.

Mulligan bonds with a symbiote sample and Strickland is ordered to bring Venom down.

Basically, if Eddie or Venom die, so does the Codex.

One way or another, bromance ends.

Mid-credits

Knull vows to kill the world and burn everyone.

Post-credits

At the decimated Area 51 location, the bartender flees and a cockroach heads to a broken cannister, similar to the one Strickland used to capture a piece of Venom in Mexico.

Dark forces

Incoherent road trip was an absolute car crash and almost nothing makes sense.

So much pointless stuff happens and banality nearly gave me a headache.

In Vegas, Eddie/Venom have their 'last dance' with Mrs. Chen to a remix of Dancing Queen.

(Sigh).

Graham is spectacularly under-utilized and gives one of his worst performances.

Hardy talking to himself can be funny, but banter largely doesn't land.

The final 20 minutes is basically a generic video game boss fight, climaxing with Venom and Xenophages dissolved by an acid shower.

In New York (against Maroon 5's Memories), Eddie remembers his time with Venom.

Montage is not endearing or touching, just FUCKING CRINGING.

Although Spider-Man doesn't officially appear, Eddie briefly dangling upside down inside a warehouse was pretty cute.