Based on the Marvel comic, "Venom" is a schizoid mess of a movie. Much like the character himself, who can be both villain and hero, the film tries to balance itself between a light and serious tone. What it does successfully though, is capture the spirit of the Venom/Eddie Brock relationship forged in the comic. This film is strictly for those comic fans.
Tom Hardy plays Eddie Brock, an investigative journalist who accidently becomes bonded with a space alien thus creating a symbiotic relationship between the two. As with many "origin" films, the story takes a long time to develop but once Eddie and Venom bond, mayhem ensues. Mr. Hardy is a good chose to play Eddie but his attempts at humor fall flat. Michele Williams plays the love interest and she's an interesting choice since she is better known for far more serious films. She does, however, look like she's having fun especially in the second half of the film. Riz Ahmed plays Carlton Drake, the billionaire villain responsible for bringing the alien symbiote to earth. There is very little character development but the interplay between Eddie and Venom is interesting enough to see how it all plays out.
This film is a collaboration between Marvel Studios and Sony, so there is no Spiderman, which is a shame as Venom is originally one of Spiderman's greatest foes. It would have been far more of an interesting story even if it was just a cameo. A sequel is set up in the post credits ( you may want to stay for that extra scene) so maybe Spiderman will make an appearance in the next one (should it ever get actually made).
Venom is known for violence in the comics and fans looking for that aspect will be disappointed. The studio insisted on a PG-13 rating so it is watered down from what would have been far different R rated film. The CGI to create Venom is inconsistent, quite good at times and sloppy at others.
If you are familiar with Venom, you will probably want to see this, otherwise you'll be better off passing on this one.
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