Venom 3 First Reactions Are All Saying The Same Thing

The Venom trilogy has been a bit of an outlier among superhero cinema in the era dominated by the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While everyone else is trying to be as epic as possible, star Tom Hardy and his various collaborators have embraced a sense of not taking things too seriously. And, so far, at least, that unique approach has led to major success, with both the 2018 original and the 2021 sequel "Let There Be Carnage" raking in bigger-than-expected box office returns for Sony.

So, does finale "Venom: The Last Dance" stick the landing? Critics are already giving their opinions on the superhero waltz, and they're mostly in agreement that it's guilty pleasure fun. Joseph Deckelmeier of Screen Rant said, "It's a fun popcorn movie that reminds me of the early 2000's comic book movies. The action is great & is a tribute to action films from the 80's ... Are there plot holes and some issues with the story? Yes. It's it fun? Also, yes." The Wrap critic Drew Taylor concurred, writing, "It's not perfect but it's super entertaining and there's a giant monster that chews people up and sprays blood out of the back of its head. Pretty nuts."

A key pattern among early reviews is critics noting that "Venom: The Last Dance" is a fun action romp, has a surprising amount of emotion, and ... you probably shouldn't think too hard about it, either. Freelance critic Simon Thompson, who said the set pieces range from "kooky to crazy," advised, "Take it for what it is. Grab some popcorn and go with the flow of this raging road movie."

The Venom movies have never been critical darlings, so it isn't shocking that not everyone enjoyed "Venom: The Last Dance." What is surprising is that lots of those who didn't care for it also say it's the trilogy's best installment. On X (formerly known as Twitter), The Hollywood Handle wrote, "#VenomTheLastDance might not be a great film overall but it still manages to be the best of this trilogy that wasn't really able to accomplish a lot." The outlet added that the film was a "satisfying" ending to a trilogy they didn't really live up to its potential, noting that the relationship between Eddie Brock and Venom was the highlight.

CinemaBlend's Sean O'Connell was perhaps the harshest of the bunch, seemingly admiring the franchise's go-for-broke attitude while also bemoaning what he also saw as missed opportunities. He wrote, "I think #VenomTheLastDance is the best of the three, while still being incredibly bad. It's bizarre, and watchable, because it's willing to try anything. Symbiote fish? Sure. Mrs. Chen dance sequence? Why not. I laughed a few times, but this trilogy accomplished very little."

Decide for yourself if "best of the trilogy" means good or bad, or if that's true at all, when "Venom: The Last Dance" hits theaters on October 25. And to read more about the iconic character, check out the untold truth of Venom.