There were very harsh negative reviews that preceded this latest film based on a Marvel Comics character. There was even one that likened it to "Fantastic Four" (2015), which was really the most dismal Marvel film ever. Disappointing as these initial reports may be, there was no way they would discourage us to watch a Venom origin story that was totally independent of Spider-Man, unlike how we knew him first in "Spider-Man 3" (2007).
A spacecraft from the Life Foundation carrying four samples of slime-like alien symbiotes crashed to earth. One of the samples escaped (named Riot) and was able to bond to a human host for survival. The other three were brought to their CEO Carlton Drake to conduct secret experiments on unsuspecting homeless people, unmindful if these test subjects survive or not. One of these symbiotes (named Venom) found its way to bond to Eddie Brock, a reporter who was brought in to investigate Drake's unethical practices.
The introductory buildup of the story was a bit rough at first, slowburn in the first thirty minutes or so. However, when when Venom started to make itself known to his host Eddie, that was when the real fun began. Eddie began to have superhuman strength and abilities thanks to Venom. Eddie could hear Venom's deep voice inside him making sarcastic side-comments. Venom can also totally Take over Eddie, revealing its gaping hole of a mouth with sharp teeth and long tongue ready to bite someone's head off.
The choice of Tom Hardy to play Venom was an excellent one. This was undoubtedly the saving grace of the whole film. Hardy was able to balance Eddie's cockiness of attitude with his recklessness of action, his wry sense of humor with his dark depression. It was a very challenging role playing both hero and anti-hero in one person, but Hardy pulled it off with charisma and empathy. Hardy also provided the voice of Venom, and his conversations with himself as Eddie were the best lines of the film.
Michelle Williams played Atty. Annie Weying, Eddie Brock's "the one that got away." Her casting was rather iffy at first, but their chemistry together eventually kicked in in later scenes. Riz Ahmed underplayed an underwhelming Carlton Drake. He could have used a little more manic megalomania. Jenny Slate played Dr. Dora Skirth, the scientist who was bothered by her conscience about her experiments. By sheer coincidence, she met Eddie Brock in a grocery store to tell him about it.
The CG image of Venom looked gelatinous, but hey, that was how he looked like in the comics. There were some nicely-rendered CG images of symbiote and human disengaging from each other during combat. However, sometimes these CG fight scenes were too closeup and frenetic, they tended to look like a blurred mess of black goo at times. The tension of uncertain violence was still there in some scenes, but being aware that this had a PG rating, you'd know there won't be as much gore as you'd like.
Overall, I had fun watching this Ruben Fleischer film, especially after Venom manifested himself. The interactions between Brock and Venom was hilarious and engaging thanks to a wholehearted effort by Tom Hardy in both roles. The first of two midcredits scenes promise a more R-rated next episode. This was definitely not the total disaster that other critics maligned it to be. 7/10.
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