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Marvel’s most recent movie Venom has been a hit or miss with fans. While not every movie will be perfect, I believe Venom accomplishes what any movie should do: entertain the audience. If you missed it in the theaters, here’s what to expect if you watch it at home.
The movie itself is, admittedly, a bit stereotypical. The main character, Eddie Brock, is a journalist investigating a corrupt organization called the Life Foundation. The corporation is run by Carlton Drake, who makes the weak and poor of New York test subjects for his deadly human trials. The Life Foundation brings back four samples. One sample escapes while the remaining three are brought back. Drake learns that these samples are symbiotes reliant on an oxygen-breathing host, but the hosts that have been tested only reject the symbiote, with the host being killed.
One of the scientists of the Life Foundation come in contact with Eddie, informing him that the rumors of the human trials resulting in death are true. When he enters the Life Foundation to investigate, he breaks out one subject from containment when she begins banging on the glass. Once she is free, the symbiote once inhabiting her transfers to Eddie’s body.
Despite a standard storyline, there is more to Venom that even negative reviewers can agree on. Eddie and Venom as characters themselves even hold interesting characteristics. Eddie is ambitious for the truth in an interesting way. He’s a journalist that is still restricted by a more powerful corporation, but nonetheless digs around to know what’s going on. This causes more problems than it solves, but the action doesn’t make his character unlikeable. He hurts people around him and recognizes it, so he doesn’t push his boundaries when he realizes his mistakes.
When Venom enters the movie, the amazing CGI becomes center of the screen. Venom looks and moves how a symbiote would. The pile of sludge moving on the ground makes it seem like it’s crawling. The attention to detail for Venom himself is strong and does show a sort of passion in his character design in the movie. The dynamic between Eddie and Venom holds a lot of humor and is the most interesting. Eddie’s character is portrayed by Tom Hardy, which is what sold many disappointed viewers in the first place.
PG-13 seems too young for a character like Venom, but an R rating is too adult for this movie. The character itself is a murderer in the comics, but it seems a bit brushed aside in this film. Viewers will see a silhouette or offscreen scene of Venom eating a head of an unnamed character. This isn’t a strange action for the character itself, but it is minimized as a way to remain PG-13. Many viewers would have rather seen this action as gruesomely done on film as it was in the comics, but trying to play it safe hurt the movie more. While this doesn’t make the movie inherently poor, it does show how the film was a bit messy as it seemed unsure of which audience to direct itself towards.
Whether or not this movie is good doesn’t entirely matter. Movies are entertainment and that is what Venom achieves. The audience will be entertained, whether it be witty banter between Eddie and Venom or the CGI for the symbiotes. Either way, Venom is entertainment. It may not be a masterpiece, but not every film will be one. Reviews will not give the full picture, but viewers will find the whole picture themself. Never listen to a review, even if it means this one.
