Investigative journalist Eddie Brock attempts a comeback following a scandal, but accidentally becomes the host of Venom, a violent, super powerful alien symbiote. Soon, he must rely on his newfoun...
Venom is just a poisonous outdated cash grab. Oh dear. Superhero fatigue really is hitting hard this year. Sony is attempting every possibility just to keep the rights of a superhero intellectual property that is "in association with Marvel". Trying to kickstart yet another cinematic universe. I have no objections for these kind of blockbusters. As long as they entertain, they serve their purpose. This though, this is the complete opposite of entertainment. It's a catastrophic symbiotic mess. Eddie Brock, a well renowned journalist, loses everything by undertaking one interview. A few months later, he encounters a extraterrestrial life form known as Venom, where the two must stop another "symbiote" from destroying the world. Subjectively speaking, this is the worst blockbuster of the year for all the wrong reasons. But, let's start the review with some much needed positivity. Hardy, although incredibly miscast, commands onscreen presence and gives Brock a layer of likability. His schizophrenic-like behaviour with Venom manages to remain amusing, albeit frequently forced, reminiscent of the "Buddy cop" sub-genre. Venom, an anti-hero who suddenly turns into the world's saviour, maintains an enigmatic quality that feels alluring. Stan Lee's cameo is always a delight? I may be clutching at straws here for positive aspects, particularly with that last comment. There are so many underlying issues with Venom, that detailing them all would be a challenge in itself. Firstly, the narrative is tonally inconsistent. We have traits of the comedic 'Deadpool', action from 'The Incredible Hulk' and obviously the structure of 'Spider-Man'. It's not even inconsistent by scene, every act is so vastly different in tone that it doesn't feel like a complete film. Starting off as a generic romance, then breaking into the generic "buddy cop" action whilst also attempting to embed dark humour that forcibly feels negatively hilarious. The reason for this is the bad editing. Hardly any of the scenes have a narrative flow, with specific points in the plot being inserted at the incorrect time.
This is particularly noticeable when portraying the antagonistic Carlton Drake, who's motives and backstory are thrown around like a "symbiote" on a rocket burning up through the atmosphere. One moment he wants to save humanity, the immediate proceeding scene portrays him wanting to destroy it. The horrifically written script, accompanied by unfunny quips that did not suit Hardy's acting talent, relies on an outdated superhero formula. Sony have failed to realise that these films have substantially evolved since the early 2000's. The "save the world" cliché and formulaic origin story are buried. Formulaic is an understatement, the story is atrociously predictable with its one-dimensional characters and heroic clichés that even the infrequent action scenes (all two and a half of them) couldn't generate any entertainment. The final showdown was a CGI ball of mess, making it particularly difficult to see what was actually happening. The motorbike segment was too pedestrian and lacked any excitement. Any combat scenes felt clunky and cumbersome, despite the innovative stunt choreography between Hardy and Venom. Ahmed gave a generically dull performance as the villain, one that I shan't remember anytime soon. Williams tried her best but again felt miscast as she attempts to create an emotional layer of depth between herself and Hardy. Oh, and Slate was underused, considering she has the most involving character. The slight comedic quips that Brock and Venom share are excruciatingly cringe inducing, trying so hard to make the audience laugh. There comes a point when Venom says "pussy", and I face-palmed so hard.
Then we come to my favourite criticism of all. Plot conveniences. How did Drake know that Brock got the information from his girlfriend, leading to her firing? Venom was set on leaving Earth, how and why did Brock suddenly change his perspective? Why would he stay? (Don't even say because they are both "losers"). How did Weying know to operate the speaker system at the launch pad? How did Venom survive? And why do megalomaniacs constantly keep killing their employees? Trust me, I really wanted to enjoy this. I went in with the best of intentions. But it's just not good. Completely outdated, utterly formulaic and so close to equalling the catastrophic disaster that was 'Fant4stic'. If it wasn't for Hardy giving a crazy Nicholas Cage performance by jumping into a fish tank brimming with lobsters at a restaurant, this would have nothing remotely amusing. Venom failed to find an antidote and instead succumbed to the poisonous traits of corporation cash grabbing by injecting no imagination or effort into the film, marking an all-time low in Hardy's career.
