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that-shamrock-vibe · 6 years

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Movie Review: Venom (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: I am posting this review a week after the film is released worldwide, so if you haven’t yet seen the movie don’t read on.

Critics vs Consumer:

Alright, so I touched upon this briefly in my non-spoiler review, but I am actually quite disgusted at these critics and alleged “fake reviews” that are determined to tear this movie down until everyone hates it. I get that Venom comes out at the same time as Lady Gaga’s A Star is Born, but both are completely different movies in terms of genre and story so there shouldn’t be any type of competition.

As I mentioned the comparisons to both Jim Carrey’s Liar Liar and Halle Berry’s Catwoman are absurd. First of all the movie is carried mostly by Tom Hardy’s acting which both the aforementioned movies failed on and also, while I understand the one scene in this movie at the restaurant could be compared to Catwoman, it’s not in any way as random or senseless, in fact it is quite funny and organic to the story.

I also do not see why the public puts so much stock in what critics have to say about movies, they are just people who happen to have most likely studied movies. The main point of movies are to entertain and that opinion belongs to the individual not to a few snide individuals.

Characters:

As always my plan is to go into a character analysis of all the main players based on my fondness for them and also what they contributed.

Eddie Brock/Venom:

Tom Hardy was a fantastic choice for this role; not only did I find Eddie relatable as a reporter, studying media myself I do feel were I to pursue journalism this is how I would tackle it, but also just Hardy’s personality in general resonated so well here.

It was great to see Hardy in a movie as himself for a change rather than having some sort of mask obscuring his face...mostly obviously, but also Hardy proved apt at action sequences. I genuinely yelped with joy at the scene when he’s originally escaping the Life Foundation with the symbiote and yes while the hallway fight scene was very strategic in its editing so you couldn’t tell if it was Hardy or a stunt double jumping off the wall, it was still brilliant and I haven’t seen a comic-book movie do a continuing hallway scene like that since Iron Man 2 with Black Widow. Atomic Blonde is still the best when it comes to continuing hallway fights.

Eddie’s life in the beginning of the movie was also rather organic from having a fiancée to formerly being a reporter at the Daily Globe which are both comics-accurate, although I am surprised by the number of people that believe Eddie has worked for the Daily Bugle and I put that down to the 90s animated series which, for simplicity I am guessing, had Peter and Eddie working in the same place so that Eddie getting fired would spur his vendetta against Peter.

Speaking of the animated series, yes this does compare somewhat to the animated series with how the character of Venom behaves however I still rate Hardy’s version of the character higher than both that version and definitely Topher Grace’s interpretation. In fact if this version of Venom was in Spider-Man 3, it may have saved the movie.

Now I mentioned comedy, and from the minute Venom started talking as a disembodied voice, I was sold on the comedy; it is somewhat in poor taste to make a villain who is known to eat people a comedic character but this is where I think the movie could have excelled if the writing and directing was better.

I would have loved more exposition into the symbiotes; we had brief descriptions of their biology and behaviour from both Carlton Drake and Dora Skirth on separate occasions, however I would have loved them to explore an adaptive personality of the symbiotes. For instance, it would have made perfect sense for Venom and Eddie to pick-up and mimic traits of the other; Eddie became comfortable with Venom eating people towards the end, so if the movie had explored the fact that Venom’s language and personality switch was a result of being bonded with Eddie, because he did touch upon that towards the end when Eddie asked Venom why he decided to save the planet and Venom responded “Because of you” but they didn’t fully develop the symbiotic bond enough on an emotional level to warrant that one moment paying off to mainstream audiences. I could be spitballing ideas completely in the dark but I do believe that was the intention of the symbiote-human bond.

Having said that, this was a completely comic-book accurate portrayal of Venom, from the look to the personality. I loved during the scene where the SWAT team is cornering Eddie and he and Venom mimic the SWAT team’s actions of “Mask! Copy!”. Originally when I saw that in a promo clip I did not understand why they said that but now seeing the whole scene it does make sense and is very funny.

My favourite scene is possibly when Eddie first becomes aware of Venom and he makes the elaborate assumption that he has a brain tumour, it’s just the delivery of the line which made it so funny. But that whole motorcycle chase was brilliant and demonstrated Venom’s power wonderfully, even healing Eddie’s broken leg when taking over his body fully.

Also I loved how much of a wingman Venom was to Eddie because it did make sense the symbiote would want Eddie to be happy because it keeps him as a symbiote happy; happy host happy parasite, but Venom being the one who prompted Eddie to apologize and attempt to get back with Anne was a very friendly thing to do in exchange for obviously inhabiting his body.

Another great moment with the two is when Venom tried getting Eddie to jump out the window of his old work building and then in the next scene Eddie is waiting by the lift and all Venom can say is “Pussy” was hilarious.

The one thing that doesn’t make sense to me is the lack of explanation in Venom seemingly leaving Eddie after destroying the rocket containing Riot, but then in the next scene he and Venom are reunited with no explanation. It is simply Venom saying goodbye in one scene and then supposedly a day or two later they’re back in business...no explanation is given!

Anne Weying:

Michelle Williams could have very easily just been the stereotypical MJ damsel character in this movie, fortunately she was far from being a damsel. Deciding to essentially start off the movie by breaking up the main character and their love interest was an interesting move because it led to a continuation of Eddie pining after her and eventually at least being on a civil level.

I think her reaction to meeting Venom was quite genuine, freaking out at the site of Venom about to eat that guard and then Eddie taking control to try and explain was a very realistic moment. Being able to be at least friends with Eddie allowed for her to care about him without obvious romantic entanglement getting in the way. Although the fact that Venom then tried to harm Dr. Dan partially because it feels Eddie and Anne should be together made things slightly complicated.

During that hospital scene when the symbiote is forced to leave Eddie’s body and inhabits a dog in order to try and reconnect with Eddie was also interesting, not only because Anne proved herself a very capable woman with her ability to “handle weird shit” but also the fact she identified Venom had merged with the dog and the two, I am guessing, decided to merge to save their mutual friend was also rather savvy of a character pegged as the stereotypical love interest.

Speaking of She-Venom, this is possibly the scene that has caused the most uproar with this movie which, in my opinion is slightly unjustified but also understandable as it goes back to that lack of symbiote exposition. As I said, if the writers had made it so it was explained that Venom had grown to care about what happens to Eddie and looking out for his wellbeing or that it had felt what Anne feels for Eddie which led to that kiss then it would have made a lot more sense, and in my opinion took away from what was an awesome moment in the first appearance in film or television of She-Venom.

Also Michelle Williams played a blinder in an interview when stating that she was “ready to play She-Venom” but not specifically stating that part of her character would appear in this movie.

I do hope, if there is a sequel, that Eddie and Anne do end up back together because not only do I believe their chemistry but also Dr. Dan just didn’t do much for me.

Carlton Drake/Riot:

In terms of this being a “dated” comic-book movie, the villain was definitely a large part of that. Riz Ahmed very much gave a Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor or Julian McMahon as Doctor Doom type of villain as Carlton Drake. That’s not necersarrily a bad thing and both those villains had their pluses but it was just another businessman in a suit at the end of the day.

I did like the running like of “Have a nice life” first used by Drake to Eddie as a precursor to him destroying Brock’s career to the point he couldn’t even use his name in print anymore. Then at the end of the movie when Venom says the same to Riot just before the rocket explodes with him in it it further supports my annoyance of wishing the movie definitively explored the fact the symbiote and host were becoming more like each other.

Speaking of Riot, while I liked the character and the fact he was essentially a living weapon, I do think it was a missed opportunity not to make Scream the main villain symbiote. Not only is she an agent of the Life Foundation in the comics but her host Donna Diego was already in the movie as that homeless woman Eddie was friends with. Also it would have been nice to have a female villain in the Spider-verse as so far we’ve only ever seen male villains in any Spider-Man movie.

But also on Riot’s origin, the fact it took him so long to get from Malaysia to San Francisco with no exposition as to whether or not he’s been learning about Earth and instead just going from person to person, starting off with “Jameson” by the way which is a brilliant Easter-Egg for John Jameson III who is the son of famous Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson Jr, but not even showing us the fact he knew his kin were at the Life Foundation which is why he went there and chose Drake as his host. It just screams (ironically) missed opportunity.

Once symbiosis was achieved though, it did seem like Riot as a character was in control and Drake was just the vehicle being used. I do think, while Drake wanted Venom back under his control it was the fact Riot who demanded Venom to return to the homeworld that made it seem like Riot was the true villain of the movie.

I am actually glad they killed both Drake and Riot at the end of the movie, usually in Marvel movies it does annoy me they can’t keep a villain longer than a movie but both Drake and Riot had served their purpose so it was time for them to go.

Dora Skirth:

This role was interesting because, at first, her role plays a lot like Nebula in the first Guardians of the Galaxy in that she is the somewhat loyal right-hand of the main villain, there Ronan here Drake. However the fact they did not show any true villainous qualities in Dr. Skirth’s character and instead just made her a scientist who knows when she oversteps natural boundaries was a very fleshed out character.

It is also interesting that most of the background characters in this movie are created for the movie yet still managed to make an impression. I do feel her character was very believable in terms of working for the villain but trying to go behind his back to the movie’s hero is a real-life thing of working for someone you know is corrupt but being too scared of what may happen if they find out you’re trying to stitch them up.

Dr. Dan Lewis:

Alright so I have made it sound like I am not a fan of this character but that is only really in relation to him getting in the way of Eddie and Anne. I know in the comics the two are exes but I wanted to see more of them together in the movie.

I will say I did like that, once he got his head around the situation, he was ready to fight the symbiote by using the MRI machine. Granted it was not in a concealed room and Venom escaped through the air vent but it was still a very cool scene watching Eddie and Venom be separated.

I know he is still with Anne at the end of the movie but especially after that kiss between Eddie/Venom/Anne you would think she would have at least told him because in his defense he does seem like a cool guy, he’s okay with Eddie as Anne’s ex still hanging around so he may be understanding of the situation?

Mrs. Chen:

I just wanted to give a quick shoutout to my favourite minor character Mrs. Chen who owned the bodega Eddie frequented. Not only did she remind me of Delmar who owns the grocers in Spider-Man: Homecoming in terms of how the movie’s main character interacted with them, but also she was not shy to say her piece.

I also liked the fact that, even though we knew it was coming from the trailers, that scene of Eddie/Venom eating that thug at the end was foreshadowed towards the start of the film.

Ensemble:

Then in terms of the others, really there’s only the Life Foundation’s head of security and Donna Diego but while they both made an impression they didn’t take away from the main characters, if anything they aided them which is the right role to be in.

Post-Credits:

So there are two end-credits scenes that play after the most god-awful rap by Eminem I’ve ever heard, the first is relevant to the movie and the second is the big waste of time they make you sit through the entirety of the credits for. I have issues with both but for different reasons.

The mid-credits scene shows Eddie arriving at San Quentin Prison for an interview, the best thing about this is San Quentin Prison is the same prison Scott Lang was released from in the first Ant-Man movie. But he is there to do an interview with none other than Cletus Kassidy who in the comics is the first host of Carnage.

Now I had named who I thought would be great for this role during my fan-casting frenzy for Sony’s Universe of Marvel Character...but with the three suggestions I put forward, none of them were Woody Harrelson. I am not happy with this reveal, yes I knew Harrelson was cast in the movie but had no idea it was in this role. Not only is Harrelson 16 years older than Hardy so playing Carnage who is supposedly Venom’s “son” seems weird, but also that blood red wig, while fitting for the character, looked ridiculous on Woody Harrelson. I still think they should have gone with Will Poulter, but hopefully Woody Harrelson will surprise me in the sequel, I do still like the actor I just don’t think he’s the right fit.

The very end-credits scene is a promo for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse which has no relevance to this movie what so ever other than the fact they’re both Spider-Man related. I just think this was a bad PR stunt to have a movie that is already being hated by some people immediately followed by an upcoming movie debuting Miles Morales...why not just have a trailer at the start of the movie? It still looked good and showed how Miles Morales meets Peter Parker but I do not understand why they showed it.

Overall I have to say this was a good Venom movie but not a great one and also I do think the 90s/naughties comparisons are apt as the movie does have that feel, but that isn’t a bad thing when you’re talking about a PG-13/12a rated movie about a supervillain who is known to eat people. Give it the higher rating and you may get what you want.

So that’s my spoiler review of Venom, again sorry for the delay but I am still curious how you guys feel about the movie. I am aware this movie has divided a lot of people but I for one would welcome more of Tom Hardy and this movie. Post your comments and check out more Marvel Movie Reviews as well as other Movie Reviews and posts.

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gokinjeespot · 5 years

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off the rack #1264

Monday, June 3, 2019

It's been a mostly cold wet spring so far which curtails outdoor activities, but I'm lucky enough to have proper outerwear to get out and enjoy myself whenever the mood strikes. I still haven't been able to get on my bike yet but that will happen eventually. I went fishing solo on Saturday and had a blast. I didn't even land my biggest fish, but I got a good look at it when it jumped out of the water and shook off my lure. The laughter of joy afterwards made the hours of casting worthwhile.

Catwoman Annual #1 - Joelle Jones (writer) Elena Casagrande (art pages 1-11, 14) Le Beau Underwood (inking assist pages 7-10) Hugo Petrus (art pages 12-13, 15-17) Scott Godlewski (art pages 18-38) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Saida Temofonte (letters). This extra long murder mystery involves a triple homicide that Selina is being framed for. She must have picked up some pointers from a certain detective because she finds the real killer. Jordie Bellaire did a great job of keeping all the various plot threads easy to follow.

Heroes in Crisis #9 - Tom King (writer) Clay Mann (art) Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). These psychotherapy sessions all stem from the Flash's attempt to resurrect his family? I dunno. I knew there was going to be time travel involved with Booster Gold in this story but the explanation for what happened made my brain hurt. This 9-issue rigmarole's saving grace is that I liked how Clay Mann draws Batgirl.

The Superior Spider-Man #6 - Christos Gage (writer) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Doc Ock teams up with Doctor Strange to fight Master Pandemonium to prevent hell on earth. It was fun how Christos Gage evolved the two doctors' relationship from beginning to end.

Thor #13 - Jason Aaron (writer) Mike del Mundo (art) Mike del Mundo & Marco D'Alfonso (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Get to know Cul Borson, the Norse god of fear, more than you've ever known him before. Odin's big brother may have given his life in the War of the Realms but he's been dead before so shed no tears.

Blossoms 666 #4 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Laura Braga (art) Matt Herms (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). I realised after I finished reading this issue that I am only enthralled by this story because it stars the Archie characters. If this occult story involved wholly new characters I would have stopped reading after the first issue. Veronica in her LBD made this issue worth the $3.99 US cover price.

Immortal Hulk #18 - Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Ruy Jose (inks) Paul Mounts (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Meet the most abominable Abomination ever. I wonder how the Hulk is going to react when he realises that his friend is merged with this creature. This revival of the Hulk is still going strong.

Doomsday Clock #10 - Geoff Johns (writer) Gary Frank (art) Brad Anderson (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Now that Doctor Manhattan has entered the picture things start to get very confusing. He not only jumps around in time but also universes. The narration might be trying to explain things as Jon jumps around but to me it's as clear as mud. I'm not interested in what's going to happen next anymore. I'm just happy to look at Gary Frank's art.

Superman Leviathan Rising #1 - Brian Michael Bendis, Greg Rucka, Matt Fraction & Marc Andreyko (writers) Yanick Paquette, Mike Perkins, Steve Lieber, Eduardo Pansica & Julio Ferreira (art) Nathan Fairbairn, Paul Mounts & FCO Plascencia (colours) Dave Sharpe, Simon Bowland, Clayton Cowles, Tom Napolitano & ALW's Troy Peteri (letters). This $9.99 US one-shot needed all those creators to pull together for a very comprehensive kick-off to DC's Leviathan Rising event. The only part I didn't like much was the Jimmy Olson adventure. Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #1 hits the racks July 17 written by Matt "Sex Criminals" Fraction so that's going to be a hard one to pass up for some fans but if it's the same silliness that's in this issue I am going to take a hard pass. I liked the rest of this story and look forward to seeing who Leviathan is. My guess is Lex Luthor.

Fantastic Four #10 - Dan Slott (writer) Paco Medina with Kevin Libranda (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This War of the Realms tie-in issue brought up a comic book conundrum for me. Why does Malekith's Midgard invading forces just walk away from Yancy Street before killing all the residents? They're doing that everywhere else in Manhattan. It makes for a nice happy ending to this issue but it didn't make a lick of sense to me.

X-23 #12 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Diego Olortegui (pencils) Walden Wong (inks) Chris O'Halloran (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I was sad when it looked like Gabby was leaving after last issue but I am happy again because the two sisters patched things up this issue. Not only that, but Honey Badger decides to change her super hero name. Head 'em out Scout. The end of this issue had a finality to it. I'm sad again if this is the last issue.

The Amazing Spider-Man #22 - Nick Spencer (writer) Humberto Ramos (pencils) Victor Olazaba & Humberto Ramos (inks) Edgar Delgado & Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Hunted part 6, the saga concludes and thank the Spider god for that. There's a twist with the black costume that I thought was really dumb leading to Kraven being triumphant. After much pondering I think I know why Peter was in the black costume in this story. That was what he was wearing during Kraven's Last Hunt right? Okay, can we get on with revealing who the super villain with the giant centipede is now?

Detective Comics Annual #2 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Travis Moore & Max Raynor (art) Tamra Bonvillain & Nick Filardi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Fear the Reaper, but the Eraser? Not so much. I remember seeing the Reaper Batvillain as drawn by Alan Davis back in the day and thought what a great arch enemy. This story goes international starting in France and ending in Greece. There's a reference to Batman Incorporated for us long time Batfans and this new Reaper opens up the possibility of more international adventures for Batman.

Daredevil #6 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Lalit Kumar Sharma (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Java Tartaglia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). No Devils, Only God part 1. This issue starts a new chapter in Matt Murdock's life. Daredevil has been "dead" for eight weeks and the effects on NYPD Detective Cole and Mayor Wilson Fisk are not good. I like Matt's new job and the anticipation of Daredevil's return keeps me reading.

War of the Realms: Spider-Man & the League of Realms #2 - Sean Ryan (writer) Nico Leon (art) Carlos Lopez (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Hey, what happened to Spidey's helmet and shield, which aren't anywhere in sight this issue? The team makes a new ally in Lagos and the battle moves to Rome. That's where they encounter Kurse and we are treated to the second twist in this 3-issue mini.

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