Venom (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
As part of the Marvel Comic Universe, this October of 2018 brings us 'Venom' (directed by Ruben Fleischer). When we last saw this character, he was a villain & a minor player in 2007's Spider-Man 3 and Topher Grace played him. Fast forward 11 yrs. and you get a BIG jump up in actorly talent ... Tom Hardy. But how would this magnetic, but strikingly UN-superhero-ish thespian mesh with the mayhemic sensibilities of a comic book flick? My feelings later. The plot begins with a spaceship containing alien specimens crashing onto east Malaysia. One of the samples, an alien symbiote, escapes, while the others are shipped to San Francisco for testing by the Life Foundation & its billionaire, Lex Luthor-like CEO, Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed).
Meanwhile, intrepid investigative reporter Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) discovers incriminating info about Drake on a computer belonging to his lawyer fiancee, Anne (Michelle Williams), and tries to use it against Drake during an interview. This poorly thought-out choice costs him his job ... and his relationship. Later, Drake's asst., Dr. Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate) feels guilt about what's going on at the Life Foundation {unethical scientific experiments} & sneaks Eddie onto the premises {he wants revenge against the man who has ruined his life as he knows it}. There, things get out of hand, Eddie get too close to the gooey symbiote, & becomes the host for it! This symbiote gives Eddie a violent, though sometimes darkly humorous alter-ego ... Venom. And in no time, Eddie must rely on his newfound, unruly superpowers to save the world from the shadowy Drake, who wants his alien creature back, and will stop at nothing to get it. Lunacy ensues.
On the positive side of things, 'Venom' moves briskly, only lasts 100 minutes, is fairly good-natured, & contains a committed performance by Tom Hardy. Having said that, this film contains material that deserved an R-rated cinematic experience, rather than the tamer, cartoonish PG-13 one we got. The script is messy. The editing is choppy. There are plot holes. And for a Marvel Comic flick, due to these aforementioned flaws, the whole thing comes across as uninspired, rather than epic. I kinda dug the look of Venom; menacing, interesting creature visual effects. But once again, here's a superhero movie that offers a lackluster, convoluted, what-the-hell-is-going-on climactic battle btwn. two mighty foes.
Tom Hardy tries his DAMNEDEST to make something entertaining & interesting, here. Hardy is one cool cat. He's compulsively watchable. And he does his very best to make the awkward dialogues, scene transitions & plot incidentals go down smoothly. One more thing, he plays the comic buffoon well, too; necessary in all the humorous Jekyll & Hyde/Frick-&-Frack scenes that he must play-out with his symbiote. As for the other actors, Jenny Slate is fine, Michelle Williams' Anne is underwritten, & Riz Ahmed's soft-spoken psycho-villain isn't imposing enough. So yeah, I love Hardy, I had some laughs, but little in this movie is scary {probably should have been}, or artistically inspired. 'Venom' is not deserving of the derision & scorn it has received from critics. But while not every superhero actioner has to be as momentous as The Avengers, 'Venom' feels a bit like an afterthought.
Meanwhile, intrepid investigative reporter Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) discovers incriminating info about Drake on a computer belonging to his lawyer fiancee, Anne (Michelle Williams), and tries to use it against Drake during an interview. This poorly thought-out choice costs him his job ... and his relationship. Later, Drake's asst., Dr. Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate) feels guilt about what's going on at the Life Foundation {unethical scientific experiments} & sneaks Eddie onto the premises {he wants revenge against the man who has ruined his life as he knows it}. There, things get out of hand, Eddie get too close to the gooey symbiote, & becomes the host for it! This symbiote gives Eddie a violent, though sometimes darkly humorous alter-ego ... Venom. And in no time, Eddie must rely on his newfound, unruly superpowers to save the world from the shadowy Drake, who wants his alien creature back, and will stop at nothing to get it. Lunacy ensues.
On the positive side of things, 'Venom' moves briskly, only lasts 100 minutes, is fairly good-natured, & contains a committed performance by Tom Hardy. Having said that, this film contains material that deserved an R-rated cinematic experience, rather than the tamer, cartoonish PG-13 one we got. The script is messy. The editing is choppy. There are plot holes. And for a Marvel Comic flick, due to these aforementioned flaws, the whole thing comes across as uninspired, rather than epic. I kinda dug the look of Venom; menacing, interesting creature visual effects. But once again, here's a superhero movie that offers a lackluster, convoluted, what-the-hell-is-going-on climactic battle btwn. two mighty foes.
Tom Hardy tries his DAMNEDEST to make something entertaining & interesting, here. Hardy is one cool cat. He's compulsively watchable. And he does his very best to make the awkward dialogues, scene transitions & plot incidentals go down smoothly. One more thing, he plays the comic buffoon well, too; necessary in all the humorous Jekyll & Hyde/Frick-&-Frack scenes that he must play-out with his symbiote. As for the other actors, Jenny Slate is fine, Michelle Williams' Anne is underwritten, & Riz Ahmed's soft-spoken psycho-villain isn't imposing enough. So yeah, I love Hardy, I had some laughs, but little in this movie is scary {probably should have been}, or artistically inspired. 'Venom' is not deserving of the derision & scorn it has received from critics. But while not every superhero actioner has to be as momentous as The Avengers, 'Venom' feels a bit like an afterthought.