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Venom (2018), PG-13, ★★


There has been backlash to the character of Eddie Brock/Venom because of the Sam Raimi film, Spider-Man 3, which had a disappointing conclusion. And you could go either way with that dance scene with Peter Parker. Anyway, many comic book fans were clamoring for a more uncanny version of that man meshing with the symbiote to make a more crude, grimy version of the character and also its story. With an excellent lead actor and a solid supporting in the movie's arsenal, it would have have garnered some potential momentum for the movie as gaining word-of-mouth. Unfortunately, we have to see the movie and the result is that it was a great one-man show portraying two characters but a weak story surrounding the very solid lead performance by Tom Hardy.

A shuttle from the Life Foundation crash-lands in East Malaysia and astronaut and sole survivor JJ Jameson III (Chris O'Hara) is brought onto the ambulance with something latched onto him, causing the ambulance truck to flip over and crash. Meanwhile, in San Francisco, reporter Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), who lives with his fiancée, lawyer Anne Weying (Michelle Williams), who represents the Life Foundation and its CEO, Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), is set to interview Drake. Well-known for his show, "The Eddie Brock Report", the hot-headed Eddie is trying to undergo an investigation with Drake and his corporation. He sees an email on Annie's computer regarding three deaths from the shuttle crash and goes to interview Drake about the crash. His decision costs him his job and his relationship with Anne.

Six months later, Eddie is jobless and alone as he is asked by Dr. Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate), a scientist by the Life Foundation who is appalled by Drake's experiments on homeless people, to help her expose him except that he does not care anymore. Later, after visiting Anne with her new boyfriend, Dr. Dan Lewis (Reid Scott), Eddie decides to take Skirth's offer. He is snuck in to the Life Foundation headquarters and after recognizing one of the homeless people, Maria (Melora Walters), she attacks him and the symbiote in her body is latched onto Eddie as he escapes with strength and agility.


I had fun in parts of the movie but then I groaned in more parts than usual because the tone is uneven after you see Hardy interacting with the "alien" and it is all fun. However, the movie tries to attempt to be dark as we observe the plot and the action with such clunky editing and cheesy CGI. What disappointed me the most is that Sony Studios missed the opportunity to mix that Hardy/alien interaction with a more dark, R-rated tone and a much better story. The movie could have benefitted by being solely entertaining and dark and reach that combination of being Deadpool and The Dark Knight. I knew Hardy was upset about Sony cutting 45 minutes because it does not show the graphic action or missing plot holes. The movie could have been tighter and superior to its final result.

Hardy does all what he can to give a comical and committed performance and he succeeds on almost every level. You are laughing with him as he interacts with the alien, almost being like Gollum/Smeagol from The Lord of the Rings. You can sense that Jekyll and Hyde perspective but it's not evil and evil, it's straight man/comedian. Jenny Slate also gives a solid performance in a brief role. I was astonished how Michelle Williams was wasted in this as her character is played as more of a coincidental or side role to advance the plot than a fully fleshed character. And, Riz Ahmed is also wasted portraying a Lex Luther wannabe who will have his villain being portrayed as forgettable.

This is the right word: forgettable. Director Ruben Fleischer, who made a funny Zombieland but also terrible 30 Minutes or Less and awful Gangster Squad, lost his edge somewhere in the script as he made a routine, again, forgettable anti-hero film. It is not a superhero film, it is more of an edgy, dark comic-book or tries to be. The movie needed more edginess, more organization, more character development in its story that it all put its cards on the Venom character and it succeeds, but it is definitely not enough.

**


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