Movie Review: Venom (2018)

It has been a long time since I have really followed Venom in the comics. That really goes for pretty much all comic books, these days I get my superheroes on the big screen rather than the printed page. With that said, there is likely a good portion of you out there that have now discounted anything that I have to say about a Venom movie. So be it. Even without an extensive knowledge, I still have some thoughts of this as a movie, with, perhaps, a bit of what I do know tossed in. Now, would it surprise you to know that I actually liked the movie? Granted, it could be because my expectations were on the low side, or it may be that I don’t expect greatness from every movie.



Originally slated to be an R-rated extravaganza, coming on the heels of Deadpool’s success, Venom was poised to be something pretty darn big. Sadly, somewhere, someone got cold feet and what we got was a cut down PG-13, studio-interfered with theatrical feature. Surprisingly, the result is still fun. Flawed but fun.

Venom was directed by Ruben Fleischer, who made a name or himself back in 2009 with the horror-comedy Zombieland. He has not been seen on the big screen since 2013’s Gangster Squad, but when you look at the Venom character, he seems like the right guy for the project. Even with the less than great final product, I stand by that.

The one thing I miss from Venom is a Spider-man presence, but I can get over that, it’s not like you were going t be able to do the Secret Wars origin anyway. The reworked origin was a suitable replacement, and even managed to bring another character in for a bit of a cameo. So, all things considered, they were able to introduce the symbiote and Eddie Brock in a way that makes sense away from the Spider-verse.

Plenty of people have pointed at the inconsistencies, the glossed over opportunities for horror, the lack of Spider-man, the need for blood and bad language, the need for an R rating. I think the biggest thing it needed is a hands off studio that had faith in its material. If that had happened we may have had a better movie, still, I liked it.

For me, Venom was a fun little piece of escapism. No, it is not likely to be one I am going to remember in the long run, but there are countless movies I’ve liked that I cannot remember any details of.

I liked this take on Eddie Brock. Sure, the characterization is put a little on fast forward, the origin of Venom and the symbiotes and their reason for being here gets a little bit of the short end of the stick. The story as a whole is a bit thin. To be honest the story is not what made me like it. What really brought me in was Tom Hardy and Venom itself. Tom Hardy brought some life to it, character even. Bring in Venom and you have some great moments of violence, some inventive chases, and some actually funny humor.

Frankly, I am not sure what else to say. I haven’t said much and I don’t really have much to say, so I will end the pain here and hope that you come back for something a bit more interesting. I hope.

Recommended.