Hi everyone!
Welcome back to Matinee Monday! I was suggesting any number of conspiracy theories behind the timing of this movie against the film schedule for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Seemed awfully suspicious, but was I right? I’ll let you know in a minute, but for a few other Marvel favorites, both within and outside the MCU, check out “Iron Man” (Episode #001), “Guardians of the Galaxy” (Episode #071), “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (Episode #106), and my favorite character, “Deadpool 2” (Episode #141). And if you have any suggestions, or want to check the “Comic Book” blog tag for other favorites, head over to onemoviepunch.com.
And now...
Today’s movie is “Venom” (2018), the Columbia Pictures and Sony Entertainment film directed by Ruben Fleischer and written for the screen by Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner, Kelly Marcel, and Will Beall. The film follows reporter Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), who is chasing a story that leads to a secret scientific experiment involving an alien symbiote. After breaking into a research facility, Eddie bonds with the symbiote, who is known as Venom. Now the two must work together to stop further experiments and to stop a much larger threat to them both.
Spoilers ahead.
So, is “Venom” a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? The answer is no, but as promised by Sony, it will be the first in a series of films using the characters they license from Marvel in their current agreement. However, it is clearly working towards a shared universe, or rather, a collection of different universes which will crossover for the first time in this year’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”, and an end credits scene, alludes to a possible connection. And, of course, once you start bringing in multiple universes, you create a ready-made crossover possibility not just with each other, but with, say, another Marvel Cinematic Universe? I’m just dreaming, though. Who knows what might be in store?
Enough about franchises and universes, let’s get down to “Venom” as a movie. I think sometimes I let my love for comic book movies get in the way of objective reviews. I’m willing to suspend a lot of disbelief because characters like Venom were some of the coolest stories I read as a kid, and now we have the special effects to do justice to the characters and the scope of the stories. However, I also think nearly every comic book movie outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe now faces an immediate and unfair comparison to the MCU. We can’t expect a new effort to have the same kind of buzz and chemistry of Marvel Studios. So, when I see the critics tearing apart the film, I feel like there wasn’t a “Venom” film good enough that could have been made. I went in, with my usual forgiving self, and came away entertained, even with its clear flaws.
If there is one thing that could use a lot of work, it’s the script. I found the overall story to be pretty well laid out, introducing the symbiotes, creating the conflict, and working towards a resolution. However, it takes way too long to get to Venom, and it’s not until Eddie and Venom begin working together that the film really comes alive. I loved their internal dialogue, and thought Tom Hardy did a great job as Eddie Brock. The special effects, fight scenes, and chase scenes were all above average, and I only felt the pacing fade one or two times. With a stronger story, I think the result could have been something amazing, but as it is, the film is just all right, and certainly watchable, and sure, I’m up for a sequel with much more carnage. Get it?
“Venom” (2018) is a fun start to a larger franchise, with a rough story, but great action, and a solid cast. It may not be the film that everyone wanted, but it is a decent base on which to build something better, and based on the box office, I suspect there will be at least one sequel. Fans of comic book movies, or folks who love Venom, should definitely check out this film, warts and all. And folks who don’t know Venom, know going in he has the emotional maturity of your typical teenage boy. But in symbiote form. Never mind, just check it out.
Rotten Tomatoes: 32%
Metacritic: 35
One Movie Punch: 7.0/10
“Venom” (2018) is rated PG-13 (BOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!) and is currently playing in theaters.
