Venom

Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
Written by: Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner, Kelly Marcel, Will Beall
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Marcella Bragio, Riz Ahmed, Reid Scott, Scott Haze, Jenny Slate

There are so many things you could do with $100,000,000 budget that could better the human condition, the least of which is to make an unmemorable-film. And yet, here it is, Venom, a movie in all its overladen visual effects and with its staggeringly mundane clichés.

I’m not trying to say it’s an absolutely terrible movie; it’s just a disappointing one. Yet, I can see that if it hits you just the right way, this incoherent mess of a film could be a fun diversion for a couple of hours.

Venom started out its life as an adversary in the film Spider-Man 3, an outer space parasite that invades his body and turns him evil. Not a bad concept, but it didn’t work well there and it just barely works here. Why you ask? It’s simple. Venom is not really the superhero opera it pretends to be; it’s more a straight out monster mash. Venom is actually an undulating, shape shifting, mean-spirited, homicidal villain that the filmmaker is trying to divine as acceptable by turning the whole thing into a classic buddy film. Now that’s strange to say the least.

Here’s The Storyline

San Francisco based investigative TV reporter Eddie Brock (Hardy), who makes a career of uncovering corruption and unsolved murders, tries to take down Carlton Drake (Ahmed), the brilliant but nefarious founder of the Life Foundation. In failing to do so he loses his job, his girl (Williams), and seemingly his mind.

Months later, following an inside tip; Eddie attempts another run at Drake only to accidentally become the host of an alien symbiote, “Venom”, that gives him a violent super alter-ego.  As the two fight for control of his body, their adversarial bickering leads to partnership and then friendship while they fight to protect the world from another more sinister symbiote.

Tom Hardy is arguable one of our most uniquely talented actors and usually a joy to watch, but here he drowns in special effects overkill, particularly in the latter part of the film. Additionally, Director Fleischer (Zombieland) never seems to be able to hold the whole film together cohesively, he gets lost between moments of absurdity, wisecracking, heavy-handed action, and nastiness. The actor who comes across best in the film is Michelle Williams, who delivers another engaging fully developed character; she can play any part.

My take… If you like films that are heavy on effects you won’t be disappointed by this one, it’s very visual. However, if you’re looking for a film with a cohesive story stick with one of the better superhero movies such as Captain America.