[Header Image: Sony Pictures Releasing]
This post contains spoilers.
I wasn’t too far into Venom when I realised I was going to love this movie. Is it perfect? No. Is it the best superhero (/anti-hero) movie ever made? Probably not. But do you know what it is? Entertaining as hell and a good start to what I hope is more movies to follow.
Don’t get me wrong, I was a little skeptical about this movie when it first got announced so I went into the cinema excited to see it but with no expectations. In the end, that allowed me to really just sit back and enjoy watching it. Sure, Venom isn’t exactly the pinnacle of filmmaking so some of those negative reviews we’ve seen floating around aren’t necessarily wrong but it still did a pretty decent job and at the end of the day this movie was entertaining, which is something critics seem to forget.
The plot is exactly what I would expect for the first movie in a series. I can assume if it’s approved, that there’s at least going to be a sequel (especially based on that end credit scene) but there could honestly be more than just one sequel. Considering that seems to be the direction they’re going in, I appreciated that this plot wasn’t too much. It explained why Venom and the other symbiotes are on Earth and how they got there as well as introducing us to important characters like Eddie Brock.
In fact, it had a fantastic cast overall and each character was interesting to watch. Tom Hardy did a great job as Eddie Brock and now I’ve seen it, I can’t imagine anyone else in the role. Riz Ahmed was so good as Carlton Drake and every moment he was on screen was entertaining. The different dynamics between all of the characters were fantastic and the entire cast did an amazing job. The one dynamic I do have to mention specifically though is Eddie and Venom. The way they interact is surprisingly deep in a couple of places but also helps to bring that comedy factor to the movie. It almost had that buddy cop movie feel to it but in the best way possible. I could honestly watch an entire series of just Eddie and Venom hanging out.
The one main criticism I have (if any) is that the change between Venom wanting to destroy Earth and then later deciding to stay felt a bit rushed. I get why he chose to stay and it didn’t feel completely out of the blue, but it would have been nice if that change was a little more dragged out and emphasised slightly more. Other than that, overall the pacing of the movie was pretty well done.
I also very much liked the way it was filmed. The action sequences were fun to watch and special effects, like the symbiotes or Eddie and Venom merging together, looked really cool and realistic. Something that I’ll say about the action sequences is that Venom had a very late 90s, early 2000s actions movie vibe to it and those fighting scenes really added to that. The aesthetic of the film having that kind of vibe was too much for it not to be deliberate so I find myself loving it as opposed to thinking it feels outdated. At the very least, even if it wasn’t deliberate, it felt consistent.
At the end of the day, there’s very little that I could say about Venom that’s negative. It really is just a blast from start to finish with a good mixture of serious moments and funny moments. Overall, it genuinely felt like a superhero (or rather anti-hero) movie that is putting in the effort but at the same time isn’t trying to take itself too seriously and I, for one, am excited for a sequel to come out.
Rating: ★★★★ /5
wonderoes 