Look, the superhero genre is in a weird spot right now. We’ve had big swings and even bigger misses lately. But then there’s Eddie Brock. Or rather, there’s Tom Hardy talking to himself in a Mexican bar, and somehow, that’s exactly what people wanted. Venom: The Last Dance hit theaters in late 2024, and honestly, it’s kind of a miracle these movies exist at all. They shouldn’t work. They’re messy, the CGI is often a chaotic soup of black goo, and the plots usually feel like they were written on the back of a cocktail napkin.
Yet, here we are. This third installment basically doubled down on the "odd couple" bromance that turned the first two movies into surprise hits. If you went in expecting a Shakespearean tragedy, you were in the wrong room. But if you wanted to see a symbiote horse or a high-stakes road trip involving a family of UFO enthusiasts, this was your peak cinema for 2024.
What Actually Happens in the New Venom Movie 2024?
The story picks up right where we left off—sorta. Eddie and Venom are fugitives. Not just from the law, but from their own worlds. On one side, you’ve got a secret government group called Imperium, led by Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Rex Strickland, who’s hunting symbiotes at Area 51. On the other side, you’ve got Knull.
Knull is a big deal in the comics. He’s the literal god of the symbiotes, and he’s been trapped in a void for ages. He sends these terrifying "Xenophages"—think giant, indestructible space dogs—to Earth to find a "Codex." Apparently, because Venom revived Eddie in the first movie, they created this biological key that can free Knull.
It’s a classic "run for your life" setup. The movie spends a lot of time on the road, including a strangely heartwarming sequence with Rhys Ifans playing a hippie dad looking for aliens.
That Ending (Yes, It’s Heavy)
People were genuinely surprised by the emotional weight of the finale. To keep the Codex away from Knull and save the universe, Venom has to make a choice. He merges with the Xenophages and drags them into a literal acid bath at Area 51.
Strictland triggers a grenade, everything goes boom, and Venom... well, he dies. Or at least, this version of him does. Eddie wakes up in a hospital, his record is cleared, and he ends up in New York looking at the Statue of Liberty, just like they always planned. It’s a bittersweet ending for a franchise that usually prides itself on being a "wacko" comedy.
The Knull Factor and the Post-Credits
If you sat through the credits (and in 2024, who doesn't?), you saw that Knull isn't going anywhere. Andy Serkis plays him with this ominous, growling intensity. Even though the Codex was destroyed, Knull wakes up and basically promises to burn the world down.
There’s also a second stinger. A lone cockroach crawls near a piece of symbiote goo left in a broken vial. This is a classic comic book movie trope, but it basically tells us that while the "Last Dance" might be over for this specific trilogy, the symbiote itself is never truly gone.
Why the Critics and Fans Can’t Agree
The reviews for the new Venom movie 2024 were, to put it mildly, a mixed bag. On Rotten Tomatoes, it sat somewhere in the high 30s with critics, while the audience score was way higher. Critics hated the "convoluted" plot and the "senseless" action.
But fans? They love the chaos.
There’s something authentic about Tom Hardy’s performance. He’s clearly having the time of his life playing both roles. Kelly Marcel, who wrote the first two and stepped up to direct this one, understands that the heart of the movie isn't the save-the-world stakes. It's the fact that Eddie and Venom actually care about each other.
Box Office Reality
Financially, the movie did well, though it didn't quite reach the heights of the first film's $850 million global haul. It pulled in over $470 million worldwide. In a year where big-budget movies were struggling, that’s a massive win for Sony. It proved that despite "superhero fatigue," there is still a massive appetite for characters that don't take themselves too seriously.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore after watching, here are the best ways to follow up:
- Read the "King in Black" Comic Run: If Knull piqued your interest, this is the definitive source material by Donny Cates. It explains why he’s so much scarier than the movie let on.
- Watch for the MCU Connection: Remember that tiny piece of Venom left in the bar at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home? That’s still a hanging thread. It’s the most likely way we’ll see a version of Venom interact with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
- Check Out Kelly Marcel’s Other Work: She’s been the creative engine behind this trilogy from the start. Seeing her transition from writer to director gives you a lot of context for why the tone of these movies is so specific.
The "Last Dance" feels like a genuine goodbye from Tom Hardy. He’s been vocal about this being his final solo outing. While the door is always left slightly ajar in the multiverse, this felt like a definitive wrap-up for the Eddie Brock we've known since 2018. It wasn't perfect, but it was loud, weird, and surprisingly full of heart.
