Venom Movie Review

Released: 5th October 2018 (UK and US)

Length: 112 Minutes

Certificate: 15

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, Jenny Slate and Reid Scott

In a film landscape brimming with superheroes, looking at the other side of the conflict can create some unique diversions. After Sony’s plans for the future of Spider-Man fell through in 2014, they’re having another shot at the series with Venom; it’s looking to join the likes of Logan and Deadpool in the more adult-oriented superhero sub-genre. But this alternative entry trudges along, offering thrills too sparse to make an impression.

Taking place in San Francisco to distance itself from previous flicks, Venom follows Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), a down-on-his-luck journalist who uncovers a corporate conspiracy. Behind the scenes, wealthy businessman Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) has discovered a collection of alien symbiotes that must bond with a human host to survive. Upon slipping into the company to dig up the dirt, Brock is exposed by accident and soon finds himself with a violent, very hungry monster living inside him. Right from the get-go, Venom is in a rush; through the course of twenty minutes, Eddie loses his job and his fiancé Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) before the film hurls us into the main thread with the alien creature. It’s a violent first-act swerve that throws much of the plot and character development out the window. Tonally, Venom is incredibly inconsistent, playing some moments for laughs and attempting to bring some more serious aspects; the two are often being placed back-to-back to very jarring results. Even more damning than the film’s inconsistent tone is its wasted potential; with such a half-baked, rushed effort to get the audience invested in Eddie Brock as a character, there’s no time for any psychological deep dives. The film could have taken the time to show the gradual breakdown of Brock’s character, the transformation into something less than human; here, the protagonist is just going through the motions, rarely questioning what is happening to him. The film barrels along without any real thought or substance, with the final act again resorting to the same final battle scene we’ve seen many times before.

The cast of Venom may be small, but the film isn’t exactly banking on quality over quantity. Tom Hardy gives his best charisma to the character but that’s all there is to it. We really don’t learn anything about Eddie Brock apart from the fact he’s a journalist and likes to challenge authority and this same lazy characterisation permeates the entire film. It’s his interactions with the creature itself (also voiced by Hardy with heavy edits) that are arguably the best aspect of the film; while there isn’t any real conflict between the two personas, we do get a couple of good laughs here and there to spice things up. The other characters surrounding Venom are incredibly thin and underused Michelle Williams is just there with little to say or do and hardly does much throughout the proceedings, while her new partner Dr Dan Lewis (Reid Scott) is equally Riz Ahmed’s villain has no motivation or backstory behind him whatsoever. Most disappointing of all though is Jenny Slate’s Dr Dora Skirth, a scientist under Carlton Drake with a sense of ethics; she’s gets Brock where he needs to be then is written out of the plot straight afterwards. Having her play a bigger role to deepen the corporate narrative would have worked wonders for the weak plot.

Venom is a case of technical details doing the bare minimum without going the extra mile. The visual effects are quite good for the most part and they represent the biological symbiote well, particularly the transformation sequences; yet despite these admirable efforts, the effects on Venom in the action scenes beg for more creativity; very rarely are there any inventive uses of Venom’s slimy, shapeshifting frame outside of a few quick flourishes in the action scenes. For all the promises pledged by the its 15 rating, Venom really doesn’t have a lot to show; in the United States it was bumped down to a PG-13 rating and across the pond the only reason it was bumped up above 12A was because of the swearing and nothing more. Yet again, the film can’t fulfil the potential of the Venom character, this time for body horror. The fight scenes are well shot, that much is true, but there’s little to no bloody carnage (pardon the pun) to be found here. Venom mostly just hurls his human adversaries around the periphery and much of the moments that would be gory are cut off or edited out. It’s a prime example of a film unwilling to let its main character deliver the merciless rampages you won’t see in typical superhero films. With a tagline like: “The world has enough superheroes”, this is a huge let-down. The music is loud and pumping, tailoring itself to the more unhinged nature of the character; a decent fit, even if the soundtrack doesn’t have any memorable notes.

When compared to other more uninhibited films it aspires to be, Venom falls well short in both potential and overall quality. Sony may be banking on making another franchise here, but it’s clear once again that they just don’t know what they’re doing with Marvel’s franchise, be it the friendly neighbourhood webslinger at its centre or his most well-known antagonists. Take my advice and stick to Spider-Man Homecoming or the recently released Spider-Man game for PlayStation 4.

Rating: 2/5 Stars (Disappointing)