Another comic book movie and yet another mundane origin story of a hapless mopey loser whose life collides with a series of unfortunate events that lead him to garner some sort of “super” power. Sounds completely original, I can’t wait… In the case of this film, we all could have waited for an eternity. As Venom simply offers nothing new and exciting, which is disappointing since the onslaught of superhero movies being released will bury any kind of memory you could retain from this film. Venom doesn’t even qualify in mediocre standards, as it is completely forgettable and straight up senseless.
Technically the special effects are weak and repetitive. Predictable action scenes that feel so tedious and dull provide no life for the film, nor characters compelling at all. The cast here is incredibly talented but just gutted by this awful script. Tom Hardy plays Eddie Brock who just sort of mumbles his way around and acts erratically. Michelle Williams plays Eddie Brock’s ex-fiancé Anne where she delivers a tame and straight-faced performance. It’s a shame the actors were held down by this goofy plot.
The most criminal aspect about Venom isn’t the missed opportunity to fully expense Tom Hardy’s acting talent (Anyone catch that goofy accent he was going for?), or to even become a soulless and empty film with a comic book carcass, it is simply the notion of missing an identity. Was this film supposed to be a horror film or a PG-13 rated comedy flick. Perhaps some sort of mashup of the two, formulating an unfunny and boring version of Deadpool? Now I didn’t expect much from a film that basically writes itself, but I did think that some fun would be included. Of course, the numerous crashes and collisions are sprayed along the screen, but we’ve all seen those outrageous green screen action sequences before. If you want to see a superhero cause a downtown riot and pure pandemonium, then look at Christopher Nolan’s work with the Bat or any of the other “better” Marvel films released every three months. Venom simply exists in the fray, and is as exciting as waiting for the bus, or having customer service call you back. Real adrenaline rushes huh? I find it hard to believe that there was a legion of fans truly longing for a bland and stupid superhero movie such as Venom. Hardcore fans will be obliged, but not without a degree of denial as even they don’t understand why this film belongs in the ether.
1 out of 5
