Review: ‘Venom’ is a darkly comedic Marvel movie you will either love or hate

“Venom.”
Sony

• Tom Hardy’s performance in “Venom” is a Jekyll and Hyde vibe
  mixed with the physical comedy of Jim Carrey.
• Yes, this is a very different
  Marvel movie.

 

When news hit that Sony was making a Venom movie, fans of the
legendary comic book villain probably immediately thought that it
has to explore certain things, and the character’s
look and tone have to be a certain way.

I’m going to level with you — if you are a superfan of the Marvel
comics you probably are going to hate “Venom” (in theaters
Friday).

But if you are someone, like me, who did not grow up on the
ultra-violent exploits of this alien Symbiote that clings to a
human host to survive, there’s hope. 

With “Venom,” director Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland,” “Gangster
Squad”) delivers an entertaining comic book movie that at times
is intentionally funny, while other non-funny moments miss the
mark so badly that you can’t help but laugh.  

The worst parts of the movie are when it attempts basic character
development. Whether it be the first 45 minutes or so where we
watch the self-destructive life of Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy),
Carlton Drake’s (Riz Ahmed) obsession to find the proper host for
his Symbiotes he plucked from space, or the non-existent
relationship between Eddie and Anne Weying (Michelle
Williams). 

Obviously all of this is needed or the movie would be 30 minutes
long, but it’s easy to zone out during these parts until Venom
shows up. And when he does it pays off, but maybe not the way you
would think.

The plot of the movie revolves around Drake having these
Symbiotes and his struggle to find a human host for them that
won’t die while they are inside them. Eddie, who is an
investigative journalist, gets a tip from one of Drake’s
scientists (Jenny Slate) about what he’s doing and sneaks into
Drake’s lab to see first-hand what is going on. And that is when
he contracts the Symbiote, Venom.

Sony

From that point on the movie kicks into a gear that fans of the
Marvel films will need a second to adjust to. Because things get
very wacky. Yes, numerous Marvel films (whether they be from
Disney’s MCU or from Sony or Fox) have a comedic feel, but none
have had Tom Hardy’s brand of funny. 

As Eddie tries to deal with Venom inside him, Hardy portrays that
uncomfortable adjustment by giving a performance that’s a Jekyll
and Hyde vibe mixed with Jim Carrey physical comedy. 

And then there’s the voice of Venom inside his head, which is the
best part of the movie. 

Seriously, if the whole movie was Eddie and Venom arguing about
the ethics of biting people’s head’s off and tater tots (that’s
right, Venom loves tater tots), I would be the first in line for
that.

There’s also the stuff that clearly is not in the movie for
comedic reasons, but is in fact just that. It’s what makes the
movie distinctly batty (and in some people’s eyes, unwatchable).
Dramatic lines, corny plot points — there’s literally a moment in
the movie where Anne apologizes to Eddie that Venom is no longer
inside of him. Honestly, how you get through this movie all comes
down to how you see it. 

If you go with a group of friends, all of this just elevates the
absurdity and pure enjoyment of this bizarre dark comedy. If you
go see this alone… yeah, we don’t recommend
that.