Director: Ruben Fleischer
Genre(s): Action, Science-Fiction, Thriller
Runtime: 112 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Was this…was this supposed to be a comedy? I ask because I was laughing or on the verge of laughing for a significant part of the film’s runtime. In this origin story to one of Spider-Man’s most famous baddies, investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is infected by an extraterrestrial organism (named Venom, I guess) that gives him superhuman powers. As far as comic book villain backstories go, it isn’t Joker (2019), but it has a certain appeal.
Most of that appeal comes from its, uh, humor. The semi-parasitic alien Venom (voiced by Tom Hardy) provides many of the guffaws with his awkward, sudden lines of dialogue that only Brock can hear. Some of what he says sound like the filmmakers were trying to be funny…but, at other times, I wasn’t quite so sure. Nonetheless, laughing, in my book, is always a good reaction to a movie, whether it was provoked intentionally or not. Hardy commendably commits to the ridiculous material he’s given.
On the action front, things are generally well-done. Well, the fight scenes between computer-generated blob monsters weren’t really my cup of tea, but the other physicality-oriented sequences were satisfactorily explosive. The violence is fairly graphic at times for a PG-13-rated picture, but I guess the MPAA let them get away with certain images because of how far-fetched and absurd the whole thing is.
Do you like your comic book films nice and cheesy? Well, Venom is a flick you might want to look into. It’s never dull and works a fine balance between high-octane action and bizarre comedy. I’m sure it’s great for parties, if you want to play a game of Was-That-Intentionally-Or-Unintentionally-Funny? I would really like to know what the filmmakers were thinking for certain scenes of this movie.
My rating is 7 outta 10.
