Movie #9 of 100: "Venom"

Movie #9 of 100: “Venom”

Overall Thoughts:

After his disastrous turn in “Spiderman 3: The Dance of Peter Parker,” Venom gets significantly better treatment in his own film, with Tom Hardy doing the honors as the cinematic redemption tour hits the road.

The movie does take a while to get going, really emphasizing just how much of a “loser” Hardy’s Eddie Brock character is. He’s self-absorbed, willing to throw anyone under the bus that he needs to in order to get his story, or advance his own career.

That selfishness really comes back to the forefront of your mind as you watch Eddie deal with the symbiote Venom, as the pair need one another just to survive. Venom keeps Eddie alive through confrontations with mercenaries and businessmen alike, and Eddie helps Venom on a journey of self-discovery, and I enjoyed both of those elements of the film.

Ultimately, the movie suffered from several bad elements, including its villain, who was basically Elon Musk with a different haircut. His “ruthlessness” was comically bad, and I never really bought his motives or his flimsy reasoning behind his plan.

The special effects were also a letdown for the most part, and the relationship between Hardy and Michelle Williams was completely devoid of meaning or emotional heft.

All of that being said, it was a somewhat fun movie that had good moments between Venom and Brock, but in the end, that wasn’t enough to really save it.

Favorite Scene:

The highlight of the movie would have to be the scene where Venom explains to Brock why he’s had a change of heart about his feelings toward the Earth, and why he’s decided it’s worth saving. I won’t get into too many details to avoid spoilers, but it was the closest the film ever really came to having a strong emotional impact.

Favorite Performance:

It took a while to realize that Hardy’s voice was the voice of Venom, but that little detail made his character that much more enjoyable. Usually I like to pick another supporting role for my favorite performance but considering the lackluster villain, love interest, and supporting cast, I’m stuck with Hardy by default.  

Stars: 2 out of 5