Venom (2018) Review
7:41 AM
The world has enough superheroes.
This review contains spoilers.
This review contains spoilers.
Ruben Fleischer's Venom is one of the silliest films I have seen in a long time. It moves at a rushed pace with abrupt character developments and surprises. It may be extremely dumb but it is also lots of fun. If it isn't taken too seriously, Venom is rather entertaining - for good and bad reasons. I hoped Venom would be the super-villain film that everybody has been waiting for but the character unsurprisingly becomes heroic in the final act - the 'anti-hero' tagline featured across the marketing campaign already gave that away. How can Tom Hardy's Eddie/Venom possibly go against Tom Holland's Spider-Man now the character has seen the light?
It is almost essential for every major actor to land a role in a comic book adaptation to prolong their career. Venom sees Tom Hardy, known for his acclaimed performances, revisit the lucrative genre. Although the role size has increased, it is unfortunate that Hardy's performance as Bane in Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises is more impressive than his portrayal of Eddie Brock. To Hardy's credit, he delivers a committed performance that includes many embarrassing moments that will haunt his career; from bathing in a lobster tank to eating food from the trash. He definitely doesn't phone it in but he clearly misjudged the effect this role would have on his credibility. Hardy does give Eddie Brock a distinct personality; he's a little jittery and geeky. Hardy alters his performance as Eddie becomes more powerful and confident. Luckily, the character doesn't become arrogant and unlikable by the end of the film (Tony Stark). Hardy's voicework as Venom differentiates the two characters well and injects (a little too much) comedy into the film. Tom Hardy certainly makes the biggest impression and delivers the film's best performance, but is unfortunately surrounded by cringe-worthy dialogue, absurd moments and an overly comedic alter-ego.
Venom has some genuinely shocking and surprising moments. It is these scenes that make the film exciting and enjoyable. Until the beginning of the third act, Michelle Williams is underused and I wondered what attracted her to this role. However, in arguably the film's best scene, Venom's symbiote attaches himself to Williams's Anne and she becomes She-Venom. I'm sure comic book fans will go crazy over this scene. It was a surprising but ultra cool moment. Fleischer and the scriptwriters' treatment of the supporting characters is pretty brutal. Jenny Slate's Dr Dora Skirth is too nice to a fault. Dora no longer wants to partake in Carlton Drake's (Ahmed) immoral experiments. Her rebellion leads to an ugly fate; I did not expect Dora to be killed off - luckily Fleischer leaves her savage death scene to the audience's imagination. Carlton Drake's testing procedure is cold-blooded and cruel; he exploits the vulnerable. The audience gasped when Drake's first subject is viciously killed by the symbiote and Drake bluntly calls for the next one. One of Drake's future subjects is a homeless woman that Eddie knows (Fleischer sets this up with one prior interaction) and their 'friendship' is the reason the symbiote escapes. I was not on board with this as it was lazily set up and made Eddie appear dumb and careless. Finally, Woody Harrelson does not show up until the mid-credit scene but is revealed to be Cletus Kasady with hints of 'Carnage'. Harrelson gives the same performance he always does - his curly haired wig does not disguise that. If it wasn't for these unexpected moments, Venom would suffer.
The screenplay, written by Rosenberg, Pinkner, Marcel and Beall, moves at a rapid pace. Venom's runtime is on the shorter side of the superhero spectrum and although it is refreshing to have a lighter comic book film, it did not feel complete. Tom Hardy has even stated that 40 minutes of the film was left on the editing room floor. Venom feels rushed. The first act establishes the protagonist, including a moving moment between Eddie and a local shop worker. Eddie is clearly a kind and generous man who is inquisitive and determined. Eddie's curiosity does get him and his loved ones in trouble though when he hacks his wife's computer to research the Life Foundation. During the first act, Riot makes his way to Venom, attaching himself to the elderly, the young and eventually Riz Ahmed. This was somewhat stirring to watch and did give the film a wider scope. Simultaneously, Eddie becomes Venom and there are some cringe-worthy scenes as he gets used to his new double-life. Venom does explore mental illness; Anne and her new boyfriend believe that Eddie has a mental disorder. It is good to see this acknowledged as the film's comedic tone could be interpreted as distasteful. I don't think the writers pose a convincing explanation for why Venom becomes an [anti]hero; apparently, both Eddie and Venom are losers and that is a suitable justification - 'Martha' vibes. In 2017 it was rumoured that Life would be unveiled as a Venom prequel and it is obvious that Amy Pascal definitely had those discussions. I really wish it had been. If Venom's plot took some more time to develop characters and plot points, it could have been a genuinely good film. Instead, it resides in the 'dumb but fun' league.
Technology has allowed for some terrific visual effects in recent blockbusters. Sadly, this isn't the case for Venom. The visual effects are poor, by today's standards. At no point does Venom seem like a real character - he is a cartoony, shiny computer creation. The same can be said for Riot. Sony, Pascal and Fleischer need to vastly improve the character's realisation if they want Venom to star alongside Spider-Man and other MCU characters. The third act battle is too short and too CGI heavy; it is difficult to tell what is going on. This finale is comparable to Michael Bay's Transformers action. However, Eddie's/Venom's first battle is visually impressive - it is cool to see the character's powers and skills debut. While Venom may enjoy climbing tall buildings, it is apparent Eddie doesn't when he refuses to jump. Venom calls Eddie a "p***y" and it is the film's funniest moment. Sony spent over $100 million on Venom - did the majority of that go towards Hardy's salary?
Venom may be very very VERY silly but I had lots of fun watching it. If a comedy about an awkward introvert developing a sadistic alter-ego sounds appealing then Venom is the film for you. Its tone is all over the place, the story is rushed and the visual effects are poor. Tom Hardy undeniably commits to the role but he sacrifices his integrity. If Hardy had been paired with a better script, director and the 40 minutes worth of additional footage, this could have been another career-defining role for him. The array of surprising and cool moments are redeeming - prepare to freeze when She-Venom joins Hardy in the forest. Another dumb superh-, I mean anti-hero movie.
Venom has some genuinely shocking and surprising moments. It is these scenes that make the film exciting and enjoyable. Until the beginning of the third act, Michelle Williams is underused and I wondered what attracted her to this role. However, in arguably the film's best scene, Venom's symbiote attaches himself to Williams's Anne and she becomes She-Venom. I'm sure comic book fans will go crazy over this scene. It was a surprising but ultra cool moment. Fleischer and the scriptwriters' treatment of the supporting characters is pretty brutal. Jenny Slate's Dr Dora Skirth is too nice to a fault. Dora no longer wants to partake in Carlton Drake's (Ahmed) immoral experiments. Her rebellion leads to an ugly fate; I did not expect Dora to be killed off - luckily Fleischer leaves her savage death scene to the audience's imagination. Carlton Drake's testing procedure is cold-blooded and cruel; he exploits the vulnerable. The audience gasped when Drake's first subject is viciously killed by the symbiote and Drake bluntly calls for the next one. One of Drake's future subjects is a homeless woman that Eddie knows (Fleischer sets this up with one prior interaction) and their 'friendship' is the reason the symbiote escapes. I was not on board with this as it was lazily set up and made Eddie appear dumb and careless. Finally, Woody Harrelson does not show up until the mid-credit scene but is revealed to be Cletus Kasady with hints of 'Carnage'. Harrelson gives the same performance he always does - his curly haired wig does not disguise that. If it wasn't for these unexpected moments, Venom would suffer.
The screenplay, written by Rosenberg, Pinkner, Marcel and Beall, moves at a rapid pace. Venom's runtime is on the shorter side of the superhero spectrum and although it is refreshing to have a lighter comic book film, it did not feel complete. Tom Hardy has even stated that 40 minutes of the film was left on the editing room floor. Venom feels rushed. The first act establishes the protagonist, including a moving moment between Eddie and a local shop worker. Eddie is clearly a kind and generous man who is inquisitive and determined. Eddie's curiosity does get him and his loved ones in trouble though when he hacks his wife's computer to research the Life Foundation. During the first act, Riot makes his way to Venom, attaching himself to the elderly, the young and eventually Riz Ahmed. This was somewhat stirring to watch and did give the film a wider scope. Simultaneously, Eddie becomes Venom and there are some cringe-worthy scenes as he gets used to his new double-life. Venom does explore mental illness; Anne and her new boyfriend believe that Eddie has a mental disorder. It is good to see this acknowledged as the film's comedic tone could be interpreted as distasteful. I don't think the writers pose a convincing explanation for why Venom becomes an [anti]hero; apparently, both Eddie and Venom are losers and that is a suitable justification - 'Martha' vibes. In 2017 it was rumoured that Life would be unveiled as a Venom prequel and it is obvious that Amy Pascal definitely had those discussions. I really wish it had been. If Venom's plot took some more time to develop characters and plot points, it could have been a genuinely good film. Instead, it resides in the 'dumb but fun' league.
Technology has allowed for some terrific visual effects in recent blockbusters. Sadly, this isn't the case for Venom. The visual effects are poor, by today's standards. At no point does Venom seem like a real character - he is a cartoony, shiny computer creation. The same can be said for Riot. Sony, Pascal and Fleischer need to vastly improve the character's realisation if they want Venom to star alongside Spider-Man and other MCU characters. The third act battle is too short and too CGI heavy; it is difficult to tell what is going on. This finale is comparable to Michael Bay's Transformers action. However, Eddie's/Venom's first battle is visually impressive - it is cool to see the character's powers and skills debut. While Venom may enjoy climbing tall buildings, it is apparent Eddie doesn't when he refuses to jump. Venom calls Eddie a "p***y" and it is the film's funniest moment. Sony spent over $100 million on Venom - did the majority of that go towards Hardy's salary?
Venom may be very very VERY silly but I had lots of fun watching it. If a comedy about an awkward introvert developing a sadistic alter-ego sounds appealing then Venom is the film for you. Its tone is all over the place, the story is rushed and the visual effects are poor. Tom Hardy undeniably commits to the role but he sacrifices his integrity. If Hardy had been paired with a better script, director and the 40 minutes worth of additional footage, this could have been another career-defining role for him. The array of surprising and cool moments are redeeming - prepare to freeze when She-Venom joins Hardy in the forest. Another dumb superh-, I mean anti-hero movie.
46
/100
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