Spider-Man’s antagonist gets his own film. Tom Hardy stars as Eddie Brock, who becomes the host for an alien symbiote. Our JP reviews “Venom.” Does he like it or not?
“VENOM”
Columbia Pictures
- Opens: Friday, October 5, 2018
- This film has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for “intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for language.”
- Running Time: 112 minutes
- Directed by Ruben Fleischer
- Produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal
- Screenplay by Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg, Kelly Marcel
- Story by Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg
- Based on Venom by David Michelinie, Todd McFarlane
- Starring Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, Reid Scott
Studio Synopsis:
One of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters takes center stage as Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) becomes the host for the alien symbiote Venom. As a journalist, Eddie has been trying to take down the notorious founder of the Life Foundation, genius Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) – and that obsession ruined his career and his relationship with his girlfriend, Anne Weying (Michelle Williams). Upon investigating one of Drake’s experiments, the alien Venom merges with Eddie’s body, and he suddenly has incredible new superpowers, as well as the chance to do just about whatever he wants. Twisted, dark, unpredictable, and fueled by rage, Venom leaves Eddie wrestling to control dangerous abilities that he also finds empowering and intoxicating. As Eddie and Venom need each other to get what they’re looking for, they become more and more intertwined — where does Eddie end and Venom begin?
J.P.’s Take:
Do I dare make the distinction between Marvel-made hero flicks vs. that of other production houses?
YES! Marvel gave Sony it’s blessing to venture out in bringing the beloved symbiotic superhero “Venom” to life. It did so with slightly better results than previous Marvel sanctioned outings; however, upon watching many of the bloated trailers it didn’t leave me in awe.
When you watch an actual Marvel Studios production you know what to expect. The right amount of drama, comedy, thoughtful dialogue, outlandishly cool action, and fantastic visual effects are showcased. “Venom,” on the other hand, is a bit diluted in execution of what Marvel can produce.
To be fair, “Venom” has its own flare in the sense that it, in fact, does feel like the pages of a comic book. All the classic tropes are there from the iconic set pieces and backdrops to detailed costumes and character speak. You can almost see the thought bubbles forming overhead of the players involved, while each sketched scene is boxed in by panels. What the film itself suffers from, however, is a bit of an identity crisis. “Venom” is heavy handed with the comedy, while dispatching jokes and asides at times it didn’t call for that sentiment. I laughed in places where I didn’t need to laugh.
Although it has the makings of a “hero in the making” story line, it got bogged down with mellow drama. Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is a defiant TV journalist whose last television mishap in New York got him black listed from the station where he worked. Now living in San Francisco with his beautiful fiancée Anne Weying (Michelle Williams), Brock takes on another journalistic investigation of a mad scientist/billionaire named Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed). Brock, being the plucky investigator that he is, decides to go full steam ahead at taking down the controversial geneticist Drake. He makes the bone head decision to break into Drake’s lab, after gaining insight from one its scientists named Dr. Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate). You’d think he’d learn a thing or two from his last flub-up. This, of course, leads to some friction between his fiancée and the second TV station he works for.
I’ve read some of the comics and the scenes that play out here certainly feel lifted from the pages, because of the cheesy acting at times. What’s also weird is the relationship Eddie and Venom now share after being joined. For instance, they buddy up to the point where Eddie is sharing his feelings with an alien. They are supposedly similar in the sense that Venom exclaims that he, too, is a loser such as Eddie and, therefore, it was a match made in heaven. Talk about your odd bro-mance.
So can we really call it a superhero film? In a way, yes it is, considering the type of villain that is portrayed here. The very arrogant brainiac geneticist Carlton Drake is simply hell bent on fusing alien symbiote with a human host, leaving Drake with a bit of God like complex. Even though Drake sounds quite villainous, he certainly doesn’t foresee the many dire predicaments this can create. Nor does he really care, because most mega rich super evil-doers care about are their egos.
So how does this equate to an epic superhero vs. supervillain show down? The two, Eddie Brock and Carlton Drake, don symbiotic identities — one named Venom the other named Riot respectively — to engage in a battle royale like typical adversaries.
I didn’t hate this movie, but in the end it all had a paint by the numbers feel. The second half is overstuffed with shadowy dark sets and gooey sinewy alien bodies that are too indistinguishable to watch. Many of the fight sequences were blurry and jittery at best.
In my humble opinion, there was something amiss that I can’t put my finger on. Even though the first half showed promise, everything else left me unexhilarated. You can bet your bottom dollar that there will be a sequel. I just hope they strengthen the story telling for a future franchise.