'Venom' Fails to Merge

Venom features journalist Eddie Brock being merged with an alien parasite known as, well, Venom. In the movie, Brock is one of the few humans who is able to successfully bond with the symbiote but unfortunately, the movie lacks any successful connection with itself. Venom, most known as a villain of Spider-Man, can only be described as mediocre and generic.

The film follows Brock (Tom Hardy), who after going after a suspicious inventor and businessman, finds himself literally entangled with an alien who wants to take over the earth. Slowly, Brock starts to bond with the alien called Venom and form an unbeatable partnership before more nefarious forces finish the job.

Venom seems out of place in its own world. One of the worst things a film can be is a stranger to itself. Venom doesn't know if it wants to be a superhero movie for general audiences or an anti-hero film for fans of the Spidey-verse. It also can't make up its mind on whether its a comedy or a dark thriller comic book adaptation. The story never seems to evolve past a simple plot. It lacks any true emotion, good or bad and ends on a satisfying yet very simple note.

It would be thought that a superhero film would be able to achieve some type of good filmmaking nowadays but Venom quickly drowns out that idea. While there could be things said about its not-top-notch CGI, the actual cinematography of the film could be outmatched by a teenager with an iPhone. In a few shots, it seemed as though the gaffers took the day off. The music mirrors the disconnect as well with cool-sounding modern tunes put in at random times, along with a soundtrack that thinks its more "super" than it actually is. Another problem Venom struggles with is the way it treats its characters. People are thrown in and out of the story with no ceremony yet the audience is told to care, despite no one in the story caring either. The movie also seems to think that since its a story about a merging alien, all reality can go out the door. The behavior and actions of certain characters are hardly believable and Riz Ahmed fails to provide a convincing and far from the terrifying villain in his portrayal as Carlton Drake

However, no film is without its positives. Tom Hardy seems like he is having the time of his life in the role of Brock. The banter between Brock and Venom is one of the highlights and Hardy's comedic timing is spot on. He is also finally understandable when he voices Venom. Michelle Williams, as Brock's former fiancé Annie, also gives an enjoyable performance in the film. She refuses to let the smaller role become a side plot for Brock and brings a fresh fierceness to the movie. The film also doesn't bore the audience for long with its length. The pacing is steady and the final battle refuses to fall into the superhero cliche of a drawn-out fight between hero and villain.

The superhero genre no longer has a low bar and Venom fails to make it over that bar. While it is not one of the worst comic book movies, it is far from being near the top. It could closely be compared to The Incredible Hulk (2008) or one of the later DCEU films. Maybe if Hardy's Venom was introduced in a Holland Spider-Man film would this character be more enjoyable. The movie fails to be anything interesting and can't compete to the comic book movies audiences have become used to nowadays. The cast and comic relief make Venom worthwhile to watch but maybe only once.