They got Pusha, Em, and Run The Jewels on the same soundtrack?? This is one I might have to go head and take a listen to. But wait… If that’s the first compliment you can think to give to a movie, then there may be a slight problem with what you put on screen.
Venom is Sony’s next venture into their proposed “Spider-Verse”. Tom Hardy stars as Eddie Brock, an investigative reporter who is digging into the corruption of the science-centric Life Foundation’s founder Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed). When Drake brings symbiotic alien life forms to Earth, Brock ends up being taken over by the Spider-Man Anti-Hero Symbiote, Venom.
This property has been one that Marvel fans have been looking to see on the big screen for almost two decades now (Topher Grace doesn’t count). Some fans will be entertained, others will lump this in with the horrible Tobey McGuire dance scene in Spider-Man 3. This is not a good movie… but it's not THAT bad. There were many pleasurable aspects that showed the bones of a very interesting movie with franchise potential. But there's way too much cliché predictability combined with horrendous writing to let it pass as anything more than a fun (ooo the “f” word) time.
The wasted potential of an amazing ensemble cast (including Michelle Williams as Brock’s love interest Anne, Jenny Slate as the in-over-her-head scientist Dr. Skirth, and the aforementioned Ahmed) is maddening. They were visibly there to collect a check and get the chance to work with each other. The script was put together to just have the supporting actors say words out of their mouths. They were given no depth in dialogue, and were placed in the movie only to further the story of Brock/Venom. This is no more apparent than in Ahmed’s portrayal of the grossly one-dimensional Drake. With Marvel’s recent run of fully-fleshed villains with relatable motivations, Ahmed’s irredeemable, grandiose god-complex having antagonist fits in the mold of an Arnie Mr. Freeze or a Topher Venom (still doesn’t count). All three amazingly gifted actors did the best they could with what was given, but it’s no wonder that Marvel Studios seemed to want Tom Holland as far away from this film as possible.
If you are wondering how in the world a Venom movie could work without the presence of Spider-Man, the dynamic between Hardy’s Brock and Hardy’s voice as Venom is the only possible starting point. Once the symbiote actually appears on screen and interacts with Brock, the movie fully embraces the weirdness of the anti-hero character. Their bond was awkwardly funny and surprisingly endearing, and when they reached their full symbiotic relationship you could see the tone that Venom should embrace and build upon moving forward: buddy cop humor, with fast-paced action and a twinge of horror. Plus, with that post-credit reveal, if Sony does not give the sequel ($80 million fingers crossed for redemption) an R-rating then people are going to have to beg Disney to gobble up another major company.
Venom will be a very divisive film amongst fans (though not Last Jedi divisive). One half feeling nostalgic for the fun of 90s comic book movies. The other half feeling utterly let down by the movie’s one-dimensionality. Both sides of the argument are not wrong (probably the latter more than the former). I am giving Venom 6.5/10 turds…
sorry, had to.