Venom (2018) - Movie Review

Venom - No Spider-Man to be Found

Rating - 5/10

“We are Venom.”

    Venom is a strange kind of superhero movie, one that has flashes of fun but never really comes together into something great. The film does deliver some decent action sequences, with Venom’s powers used in creative ways during fights and chases, and there is some dark humor sprinkled throughout that actually works. Tom Hardy commits fully to the role, and his bizarre, twitchy performance as Eddie Brock is oddly entertaining, even when the movie around him is not.

    The biggest problem is the story. The plot feels extremely generic, running through all the familiar beats of a comic book origin movie without much personality. It plays things safe when it could have been bold, which is frustrating because Venom is a character who thrives on chaos. The decision to keep the movie PG-13 really hurts it too. Venom’s violent, brutal nature is toned down so much that the character never feels as menacing or dangerous as he should. An R-rating could have allowed the film to lean into the horror and intensity that fans associate with the character.

    There is also the awkward issue of Venom existing without Spider-Man. The movie tries to build a standalone world for him, but it feels incomplete. Venom’s origin story is deeply tied to Spider-Man in the comics, and without that connection, something feels missing. The villain, Carlton Drake, is bland and forgettable, which doesn’t help the already thin narrative.

    Venom is not a total disaster, but it is disappointing. It has some entertaining moments and Hardy’s performance at least makes it watchable, yet it never takes full advantage of the potential in its premise. Instead of being a bold, dark, and unique comic book film, it ends up being another by-the-numbers superhero story that plays it too safe.

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