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The New 'Venom' Movie (Spoilers)

Any Good?

By Mr. TibbzPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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Short answer: I suppose

So as I usually am with these superhero movies, I'm a little late to the party with this one. Venom is one of those films that satisfy that blockbuster itch but also falls short of the source material and lacks much substance.

It begins with a CG shuttle crash to earth, containing the symbiotes, (yes, plural, Venom is not the father of the aliens in this story, he even admits to being a "bit of a loser" on his home world), which is retrieved by the Light Foundation. A group who are striving to help humanity survive by giving them the means to migrate to another planet when this one is dried up (at least, that's what I think their plan is). Then we watch Eddie Brock, unspectacularly played by Tom Hardy, (which is a shame given I have been championing this man to play Eddie Brock for years) who's plot tediously unfolds as he looses his job and girlfriend, seemingly in the same day. This man can't catch a break. As rushed as the opening to this film is, for some reason plays out really slow. I found myself getting bored until Venom makes his appearance. Which isn't for about six months. But don't worry. With the magic of title cards it is merely a cut away for us.

Once Eddie gets into kicking ass and biting off heads (yep, that happens) the film really gets into high gear. The action is great fun, and with some quippy dialogue from Venom, the relationship it has with Eddie is a pleasure to watch. I can honestly say it really feels like Venom. An excellent departure from the misstep Venom was in Raimi's third Spiderman film. But. And there is a but. Venom's motivations seem to change on a whim. One minute he wants to eat people, the next he wants to save the world. I dunno. I felt there was something missing. Perhaps the product of a deleted scene, or a re-shoot, there normally is with these films at the moment, but there are certainly parts that don't feel complete.

And we can't talk about this film without talking about the drastic changes to the source material. Firstly. No Spiderman. Which hurt if I'm honest. There is a reference to JJ Jameson, when his son, John, is revealed to be the astronaut piloting the shuttle. Who dies straight away. So don't think you'll see him again. But it was nice to see some ties to the world of Spiderman. BUT NO SPIDERMAN!!!! As a fan of Spidey and Venom as characters it was difficult for me to let go of the idea that Spidey makes no impact on this new origin of Venom. However. It is replaced by an acceptable, albiet by the numbers, mad science plot. And it certainly could have been made clearer, with motivations better than, "The guy who owns this company is shady, don't trust him." But it works for what it is. Secondly Venom is not the parent symbiote of the rest, but a part of a collective, and he is seen as the dopey one. Although this is only ever made clear by Venom itself in a conversation with Eddie. The only interaction Venom has with another symbiote is during a fight. There is no real time to get a sense of hierarchy in the way they converse. Just punch, punch, quip, punch.

It also appears that Sony haven't learnt their lesson by showing the final shot of The Amazing Spiderman 2 in the trailer. The "turd in the wind" scene that is shown at length in the Venom trailer is.....you guessed it, the last scene of the film. When will they learn. Now the post credits scene, at least the one which is actually part of this movie, shows Eddie going to interview.....Cletus Cassidy. Played by Woody "Freakin" Harrelson!! What a casting! But they had to take it a step too far by putting a Side-Show Bob wig on him. Now this scene merely acts as set up to a potential sequel. But this had me pumped. The second post credits scene is an extended teaser for the new animated Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse movie. It looks amazing. Much better than this film. I simply can't wait.

So is it good? I suppose so. It's not awful, which I was sort of expecting. So its already better than I thought it would be. But is it good? That's the question. I think if you are a casual comic movie fan then sure, its good fun, reminded me a little of the 90s Spawn film in its ratio of fun/entertainment/"goodness." But if you're a fan of the comics/cartoons/earlier films, you may find yourself disappointed. It changes a lot. Practically a shadow of what you are probably hoping for. And it certainly won't be winning any Oscars....maybe in effects. Effects are good. There is a good fight shown in the trailer of the symbiotes melting off their hosts as they fight. It looks great in cinema. Truly. I can't help but wonder what Raimi's Spidey 3 would look like with a Venom more in line with this. Layered. Focused on. What Raimi should have done is tell the Eddie Brock story over the course of the three films. Alas, that wasn't to be. But I would love to see this version of the character lock horns with the Tom Holland Spiderman. Hopefully that's not too far away.

Overall I'd give it, 6/10. Fun. Liked it. Might of been a 5/10 if not for a fun appearance from She-Venom. Needed a splash of Spidey. You don't need to go watch it, just wait until it inevitably gets put on Netflix.

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About the Creator

Mr. Tibbz

I'm a filmmaker and film enthusiast. May start to put up some dream projects. Depends. I hope you enjoy listening to me spout nonsense. Follow my youtube channel here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXalLYgI0bKhMWIfhop4Jog

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