Review of Venom (2018) by Kevin P — 29 Nov 2018

Strengths: The trailer for this movie was a huge success for one major reason. The final shot of Venom. Thatâ(TM)s because it looked fantastic and honestly, most of this movie follows suit. The main character is done with tremendous special effects work, making for one of the more visually stunning superhero characters in film history. Tom Hardy (Eddie Brock/Venom) is pretty fun as the lead, even if he is completely weird. The action scenes are mostly well executed and with the film clocking in under two hours, it never feels long. Once it gets going, it moves along nicely due to some solid pacing. For a PG-13 take, they managed to still deliver some violent scenes. Who canâ(TM)t enjoy Venom just biting the heads off bad guys?

Weaknesses: The plot is super uneven. Venom goes from wanting to take over the world to deciding to stick around and save it simply because he likes Eddie. Itâ(TM)s hollow and doesnâ(TM)t have a strong enough motivation behind it. We never feel that the Eddie/Venom bond has become that strong, making that chance of pace come from out of nowhere. More time couldâ(TM)ve been spent establishing it. The acting by most of the cast is pretty lackluster. Michelle Williams (Anne Weying) lacks chemistry with Hardy, Riz Ahmed (Carlton Drake/Riot) is over the top, and Jenny Slate (Dora Skirth) is not believable. The script doesnâ(TM)t do any favors because the dialogue is cheesy and never feels real.

Overall: Iâ(TM)m no fool. While I enjoyed this movie, it has plenty of flaws. I know itâ(TM)s not great. However, sometimes I just want to have some campy, wacky fun. Since this movie isnâ(TM)t too long, it manages to enjoyable throughout.