Venom (2018) | Film Review

You have to give Sony credit, they sure are determined to kick-start a Spider-Man Cinematic Universe. Yet, in the lexicon of Peter Parker’s greatest adversaries worthy of a solo outing all their own, Eddie Brock’s parasite – a symbiote named Venom – would be so far down the list of possibilities that it probably fell off the page. After all, this is the character that Topher Grace obliterated in Sam Raimi’s much-maligned (though perfectly serviceable) Spider-Man 3. So is this the latest in a long line of miscalculations in regards to our favorite webhead’s arsenal of enemies?

In this representation of the Marvel villain, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is an investigative journalist on the rise in San Francisco. He’s got a fantastic fiancé in Anne (Michelle Williams) and his employer just assigned him to the biggest interview of his career, billionaire and space pioneer Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed). Eddie goes Full Brock – as we come to learn, he’s not much for forward thinking – and accuses Drake of crimes on the air, ones he only gained awareness of by hacking Anne’s private emails. In one singular moment, Eddie loses it all.

Months later, Drake has recovered the alien lifeforms that remain from a failed space mission, and proceeds with conducting covert human experiments. Eddie is tipped off to this, breaks into the facility, and accidentally exposes himself to the black goo that will now share Brock’s life force, as Eddie is the perfect host for the alien symbiote. Forged with newfound superpowers, the ability to snack on heads at an instant, and a penchant for clever retorts in a gravely tone that Batman would envy, Eddie and Venom merge as one to take on Drake and thwart his escalating plans.

Watching Venom reminded me of the first time I caught Blade on the big screen so many years back. Not to say they’re equal in quality, just in that here was a character the general public never knew they wanted to watch carry a movie on their own. In most respects, both Blade and Venom are dark antiheroes, more concerned with their personal plights than their common man, and both fall into the realm of “superheroes” without actually being one. Each character inadvertently becomes a reluctant savior, though willing to sacrifice life if it’s justified, and by the final frame they each became characters I immediately needed to see more of. Also, just like Blade, the reason it all works landed squarely in the lap of its talented leading man.

Throughout the film, never did I mistake Hardy’s take on Brock as a “hero” in any sense of the word. Eddie wants to do good things and he knows what right IS, but he’s perpetually that friend we all have that can never seem to get his life together despite being afforded every conceivable opportunity to do so. And it’s imperative that we as an audience understand this, because a true hero would never continue to allow a sadist like Venom to exist. He’s simply too vile, violent (I wasn’t kidding about snacking on heads), and a risk to society as a whole. You need a flawed lead, a man of questionable morals. This is Eddie Brock personified.

Better yet, Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock is also insanely entertaining to watch. Hardy injects so many character tics into Brock, it becomes impossible to take your eyes off of him at any moment throughout the film. Eddie puts Hardy through every conceivable scenario too – from supreme confidence, to hopelessness, to sheer anger – and he leaves us with a character Topher Grace could never even understand. His walk, mannerisms, speech – everything becomes another cog in Hardy’s kaleidoscope of a performance.

The best moments of the film are when Hardy is fighting with his inner self, walking around San Francisco in his own interpretation of Men in Black’s “Edgar suit”, and he’s bantering back-and-forth with the serial killer in his head. The action set-pieces are fun – you will be stunned at how many possibilities there are for stretchy black goo, it’s handier than duct tape – but they take on a heightened, gleeful insanity when complimented with Hardy’s dueling personalities. As typically happens in these types of films, it all boils down to a CGI battle triathlon to save the world where Venom shows a semblance of sympathy for his favorite host, but Hardy’s incessant inner-banter gives Mark Ruffalo a run for his money on the way.

The rest of the cast take far fewer chances, and Michelle Williams in particular ultimately feels wasted as Brock’s former flame and current champion. If Venom garners a sequel (and that tasty stinger suggests it will), hopefully Anne earns a bit more screen time for the talented actress. Riz Ahmed fairs a little better as his take on the egomaniacal billionaire is far more manipulative than previous Marvel megalomaniacs. Drake is smooth and sympathetic, projecting compassion and empathy to anyone who doubts his sincerity, rather than veiled threats. There is nothing particularly memorable here, but with a plethora of mediocre supervillains over the last few years, at least Carlton Drake dances dangerously close to realism.

Ruben Fleischer casts his critics aside and directs this project with a sure hand, he and Hardy each want to toss a little mischief into their evil pot, and despite a mostly formulaic script, it all comes out tasting delicious. Sony took a huge chance on this one, and it surprisingly left me wanting more of this darker universe. Maybe that Sinister Six film wasn’t a bad idea after all. With cinemas overrun by optimistic do-gooders, forever looking stalwartly into the air, laying it all on the line for mankind; isn’t it time for a little anarchy?

Relax and have some fun with this one knowing that Venom is NOT your father’s Marvel movie.