When it delves deeply into the inherent absurdity of its crazy, inappropriate buddy antics, Venom: The Last Dance can be an absolute blast. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen nearly as often as it should.

Tom Hardy, now in his third feature film playing both journalist Eddie Brock and his symbiotic alter ego, clearly remains committed to the playfulness the roles require. The fact that this is an actor who is famously dedicated to his craft and has put all his effort into bringing a hilarious, shape-shifting space creature to life is part of the appeal of the role. Hardy usually has a quirky voice up his sleeve, and playing Venom gave him the opportunity to follow that instinct and let his imagination run wild.

But far too often, “Venom: The Last Dance” makes the mistake of straying from what worked in the previous two films, especially the second film in the series and the best of them all, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” from the Year 2021. The film grinds to a halt, no longer being a “Venom” film but boring developments in an underground laboratory far beneath the surface of Area 51. Even more egregious is that it features the significant talents of Juno Temple and Chiwetel Ejiofor down there in a wasted role note.

Returning first-time screenwriter Kelly Marcel spends far too much time away from the scenes that really sing. All we need is Eddie and Venom bickering and joking and fighting their way out of sticky situations (sometimes literally) as they continue to cement their unlikely friendship. The visual effects can be a bit murky here, particularly in the massive action sequences where it looks like inscrutable blobs of multi-colored goo are splattering each other, but the relationship between Eddie and Venom is always clear as they combine bodies in countless imaginative ways split.

What ends up happening, however, is that just as a crazy set piece is really getting going, “Venom: The Last Dance” abruptly cuts to what's happening in the lab. A fight on a plane at 30,000 feet, a wild horseback ride through the desert, a silly dance number in a Las Vegas penthouse – these are the moments we should have time to enjoy, and they always feel too short. The pacing is frustratingly irregular throughout and the tonal fluctuations are unpleasant.

“The Last Dance” begins quite darkly, with a deadly serious exposition from none other than Knull (voiced by Andy Serkis), the Marvel villain who created the symbiotes in the first place. With the grainy, dirty look of a retro video game, Knull explains in a dark, menacing manner that he needs his toothy, crustacean-like minions to find the key that will free him from the Void. This key exists when Eddie and Venom come together – like a red beacon that allows Knull's beastly creatures to hunt the duo. They are literally the McGuffin in their own movie.

They're on the run from every and every realm imaginable, and a part where Eddie keeps losing one or both of his shoes isn't that funny the first time around. However, there are also small joys on their journey. Cristo Fernández – the ever-sunny Dani Rojas from “Ted Lasso” – reprises his role as a Mexican bartender at the end of “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Peggy Lu, the steadfast Ms. Chen, appears in a surprising setting and breathes dizzying life into the picture – but her appearance is a prime example of “The Last Dance” straying too quickly from a good thing. And a spontaneous road trip with a hippie family led by Rhys Ifans and Alanna Ubach leads to an amusing musical interlude.

But all roads lead to Area 51, where Temple's scientists and Ejiofor's military leaders have conflicting ideas about how to deal with the symbiotes in general and Venom in particular: she wants to study them, he wants to destroy them. And that's all there is to these characters. Even actors of their caliber can't do much with what's missing from the page, and when significant developments that are meant to evoke real emotion in us take place, they ring hollow instead.

Lest you think that the film's explosive conclusion means it's really “The Last Dance,” watch the credits – all the way to the end, that is – to get a glimpse of what's in store . Whatever it is, maybe next time Hardy will want to hang up his dancing shoes for good.