Venom (2018)

User Review

• 

  Barneyonmovies

  6 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: The main thing that makes the price of admission worthwhile in Ruben Fleischer's 'Venom,' is frankly not what you'd expect, as this movie is actually (and wait for it...) extremely funny. Yes, forget the promised "darkness" or the expected superhero action, the moments in this thing that work best are when the script decides to go down the comedic route as it turns out that the idea of a powerful alien parasite invading someone's body and consciousness has lots of scope for some genuinely brilliant fish out of water humour. For example, there's a moment in a restaurant in which the central character Eddie is first realising what's wrong with him and is appealing for help whilst Venom is desperately on the look out for food, and the whole sequence is laugh-out-loud funny to an extent that very few films in the genre manage, and that's certainly not the only moment in the film like that. Now sure it's not the smartest humour, but it is genuinely successful as Tom Hardy sells it so well, and that - believe it or not - is what makes the film not just watchable, but often rather enjoyable.
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Outside of that though, there is very little to like here, as everything feels extremely half-arsed and cobbled together. Be it the plot in which Venom's central decision to stay and defend Earth feels forced and where the villain is hopelessly clichéd, or the serious character development which is badly written and given very little time, the whole thing lacks conviction or anything to engage you beyond surface level enjoyment. Couple that with a ropey third act and some relatively dull action and what you've got is a pretty disappointing movie overall that never lives up to today's superhero alternatives.
  VERDICT: A bizarrely funny but altogether messy and badly-executed movie, 'Venom,' is enjoyable and entertaining at times, but it is a bit of a balls-up overall.

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