MOVIE REVIEW: VENOM

Journalist Eddie Brock is trying to take down Carlton Drake, the notorious and brilliant founder of the Life Foundation. While investigating one of Drake's experiments, Eddie's body merges with the alien Venom -- leaving him with superhuman strength and power. Twisted, dark and fueled by rage, Venom tries to control the new and dangerous abilities that Eddie finds so intoxicating.

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate, Scott Haze, Reid Scott

Release Date: October 5, 2018

 

Genres: Action , Horror , Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for language

Runtime: 1h 36 min

Review:

Venom is a strange silly film that is saved by Tom Hardy’s commitment.  Ruben Fleisher’s movie is loud, tonally erratic and occasionally enjoyable.  When it works it works mostly due to Hardy who’s having a blast in the film.  He’s so incredibly watchable that it almost makes you forget the movie and its overall plot is so basic and tired.  Riz Ahmed and Michelle Williams on the other hand seem to be collecting paychecks.  Neither seems to be terribly excited about their characters probably because their so simplistic and one dimensional.  Fleishcher seems to be channeling 90’s movies for some reason.  Some of the action sequences, like a motorcycle/car chase, feel like they’ve been pulled right out of Michael Bay’s The Rock.  Hardy, to his credit, keeps it from being an outright disaster and if there’s a sequel hopefully it gives him a better overall film.

C+