Venom is an interesting concept for a graphic novel. Superheros gain their powers from a host of different accidents, exposures and experiments. Venom is darker. A bit more insidious. A race of alien symbiot, parasitic space creatures in search of viable hosts have targeted earth for invasion. An advance party of symbiots intercept a spacecraft in an endeavor to be "collected" as samples in order to scout Earth for millions more of their kind.
Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is an investigative reporter. He has been asked to interview billionaire Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), a bay area investor who has his own space program. Drake has strong connections to the pharmaceutical industry, and a not-so-strong sense of ethics. His space program exists to find new medicines while also exploring for new opportunities to colonize. Brock ambushes Drake with information he gleaned by snooping on his girlfriend's email. His girlfriend, Anne (Michelle Williams), breaks up with him after the breach of trust also causes both of them to lose their jobs. Brock drifts through life before he is approached by Dr. Skirth (Jenny Slate), a researcher for Drake labs, with information on human trials. She doesn't mention the space alien part until they are already in the labs.
While Brock is photographing the labs, he comes a cross a homeless woman who he has befriended. In his attempts to save her, he becomes infected with her symbiote. He has also managed to set off every alarm within the lab complex in the process. With the aid of his new parasitic friend, Brock manages to escape the complex and return to his apartment. Brock can't quite figure out what is wrong with him. He is hearing voices, he feels sick, he has an insatiable hunger (particularly for live food) and his behavior becomes erratic. He soon learns that he has gained a passenger, who is not only inside his body, but also inside his head. Together, they must work through their differences to ward off an alien invasion.
Venom is based on a Marvel Comics character created by Todd McFarlane and David Michelinie. Neither worked on the screenplay, which was drafted by Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg and Kelly Marcel. Pinkner worked on a couple of decent but not exceptional films like 5th Wave and Dark Tower. Rosenberg was a writer on Kangaroo Jack which was an older movie that I enjoyed, but received horrible reviews. Marcel wrote for Fifty Shades of Grey. In short, these writers have some mediocre work behind them. Together, they have created something better than any of the films I have seen that they have done previously. The story was well constructed, which is hard to do when introducing a new character. They managed to provide a full backstory without bogging down the film the way I felt Black Panther got slogged down at times. The pacing was good, with exceptional action sequences and dialogue that was fresh and humorous at times.
Tom Hardy was an interesting choice to be cast as Brock/Venom. I am a Hardy fan. I liked him as Bane in the Dark Knight Rises, but he has otherwise taken a "pass" on superhero roles. I think he waited for the right one. I am not sure I would like him in the other roles that immediately come to mind, but who knows? I liked Michelle Williams less as his love interest. I like Williams, but this role didn't fit her. I'm not sure what it was that I didn't like, but I know I wasn't feeling chemistry between them. It felt forced. I did like Ahmed in the antagonist role. He was another interesting choice. And he owned it. The casting was fairly strong, but could have been better. Hardy was a great choice to carry this film.
Venom received a well earned PG-13 rating, which could easily have slipped into R territory based solely on the exceptionally rendered CGI aliens. The integration was seamless, creating an effect that would certainly induce nightmares in young viewers. The rating includes some violence, which could have been more gory, but certainly hinted at extreme violence. There is a long string of bodies left in Venom's wake. The film also has a bit of strong language and some adult themes. Overall, the film is tame, with the exception of some animated violence. Tweens, teens and above should be fine for this film.
A word about the format. Because I am a member of AMC A-List, I was able to see this film in IMax 3D as part of my monthly subscription. Otherwise, the matinee price would have been around thirteen dollars. Is this film worth that much money to watch in the premiere format? I think that depends quite a bit on whether or not you are a fan boy. The film has some exceptional CGI and some great chase sequences. The format enhanced the film a bit for those reasons. However, I think most people will get by just fine watching it in the regular format. If money is not a restriction, or if you have A-List, I would suggest going for the full experience. The combination of size, sound and dimension added impact to a film that was otherwise a bit above average. I liked this film and recommend it, but there was also some room for improvement. There is also an easter egg hidden in the credits, typical of Marvel, so stick around to see it. 7.5/10.
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