We’re less than a year away from the final film of the Tom Hardy trilogy, Venom. The series burst onto the scene in 2018 and was a surprise hit despite being lambasted by film critics. However, the character itself was an important component of the Spider-Man since he was introduced in 1988. The only other time that Venom made a live-action appearance was in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3; a film that received mixed reaction by fans and critics.
Nevertheless, the Venom franchise has been rather successful. It’s been confirmed by Hardy that The Last Dance will indeed be his final time playing the anti-hero. The series as a whole has been loaded with tons of potential, but Venom has yet to truly capture the spirit of the character that was so brilliant explored in the comics. It’s quite possible that Venom: The Last Dance goes out with a bang, but there’s legitimate concern that the Sony spin-off won’t live up to the lofty expectations that were set early on.
The Film’s Dedication To Having The Early 2000’s Spider-Man Style
One of the big reasons that Venom isn’t the great superhero story that it could’ve been is due to the lack of style and risk. Let’s ignore the fact that the character was first created because of Spider-Man; this is a unique character that could’ve gotten around that issue if they explored the alien symbiote angle better. This could’ve been traced back to the comics where the symbiote is first traced back to the planet Klyntar where the host of being merge with hosts.
Even if Sony didn’t want to go that far, there’s so much fascinating lore around Venom that it’s a shame that it feels like a generic superhero film. This could’ve been something cool where Venom forcefully takes over Eddie’s body against his will and commits horrific crimes throughout New York City. However, Sony seems afraid to put Venom in the villain category. I know that he’s an anti-hero later in the comics, but that was after his long history of fighting Spider-Man was explored.
We’re three films deep and it’s doubtful that the film won’t subvert expectations. This isn’t about particularly copying the Spider-Man lore. This is about the series not experimenting with such a unique character in a way that he could’ve stood out as something special. Tom Hardy is doing a great job as the character, it’s just a shame that the material hasn’t given him something to skin his teeth into.
A Satisfying Conclusion
There’s still no word on the last villain for Venom. It’s been heavily that Toxin could fill that spot, but Sony has yet to confirm such a name. The problem with this Venom franchise is that it doesn’t have a defined purpose. It sounds like Venom will be dealing with another villain who wants to get rid of him. It’s like “The End of the World” problem that these superhero films rely on so much; It’s a generic plot that we’ve seen countless of times and done in similar ways.
The trilogy should’ve done more to not only explore the character of Venom, but Eddie Brock as well. This is where challenging his morals really could’ve helped. Eddie Brock is infused with an alien that eats people, why not have his character try to find a solution to his problem? Eddie and Venom seem to be stuck in a misguided bromance. They fight and argue until danger appears and they everything is good in the end.
There needed to be personal journey that carried the series throughout it’s entire run. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man had insecurities that affected his life as a superhero. Even Eddie Brock’s jealously and hatred for Peter Parker is the reason he ultimately became the famed villain. There’s really nothing that attaches you to Eddie Brock as a character. Sure, he has his challenges dealing with Venom, but there’s nothing much to him beyond his two-dimensional traits that doesn’t allow him to develop much.
Will Venom Ever Meet Spider-Man?
Unless Tom Holland makes a surprise appearance as Venom’s antagonist then this is unlikely. It’s a shame too because Andrew Garfield has stated in the past that he would love to play Spider-Man again. Why not put Venom inside of Andrew Garfield’s universe and have a big blow-off being these two? Venom needs Spider-Man; which is the main reason this franchise just hasn’t worked out. His original purpose was to kill the masked vigilante at any and all costs.
His character growth is also based on his unbridled hatred for Spider-Man. This was Sony’s chance to correct the wrong that Spider-Man 3 made when it forced the villain into a crowded film. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that will happen. It’s quite possible that Venom: The Last Dance turns out to be a great film that stands out as one of the best superhero movies ever made. Based on the last two entries, that seems unlikely though.
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