Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams are great in ‘Venom’, but even they have no antidote for a weak plot and forgettable dialogue [Review]
Venom’s charismatic cast does its best to copy the Marvel formula but are let down by a feeble screenplay
Venom is ready to be the anti-hero this worlds need.Venom’s charismatic cast does their best to emulate the hugely successful Marvel Studios formula, but a by-the-numbers plot, weak dialogue and uninspired action scenes make this Sony venture a forgettable watch.
Hotshot investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) bites off more than he can chew when he goes after Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), the genius CEO of the Life Foundation which has brought back alien organisms from space dubbed ‘symbiotes’ who need human hosts to survive on earth.
After discovering that Drake has been experimenting on humans with the alien organisms, Brock makes an ill-advised visit to the Life Foundation’s secret labs and accidentally becomes the human host for the symbiote Venom. With his newfound powers but also a new bloodthirsty personality inside his head, Brock will have to learn to work together with Venom to achieve both their separate goals.
Tom Hardy is great as protagonist Brock, who must suddenly accept that he is not fully in control of his own actions anymore, and that his other half has no qualms about killing humans to sustain its hunger. Hardy does the voice-acting for Venom as well, and adds characterisation with a different accent and a wilder, angrier tone. The comedic banter between the two minds sharing one body is one of the highlights of the film.
Michelle Williams also shines as Brock’s attorney ex-girlfriend, who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty if it means being able to help others. Riz Ahmed is utterly convincing as Drake, a suave and driven tech titan who truly believes he is saving the world by feeding people to the alien organisms in search of the perfect symbiotic relationship.
Unfortunately, the good acting is spoiled by a weak screenplay. The plot is predictable, with no strong climactic scene to really make the viewer want to invest in the outcome. The action sequences are also merely so-so, with a car chase showing off Venom’s abilities the only standout scene.
Venom is the first of a planned series of films in Sony’s stand-alone Marvel Universe, but judging by this latest effort, they have a long way to go before they can go toe-to-toe with Marvel Studio’s superhero blockbusters.