Venom is not a good movie, but I find myself giving it a (reasonably) good score. Certainly better than the sum of its parts deserves.
Largely, I think it's because I've always loved be character. And seeing a movie based on Venom is a cool thing by default, even when so much of the opportunity is wasted. The best part of this whole mess by far is the character of Venom, itself. It looks like Venom should look, and fights how Venom should fight. The few action scenes pretty much saved the movie for me, and without those, this movie scores much worse.
As for the bad, well there's a lot to choose from. The tone of the movie does not fit, and is not really consistent from one moment to another. Venom is a violent, brutal character, and does not mesh well with the lame jokes and all-around goofiness that the movie frequently delves into. This carries over into Tom Hardy's portrayal of Eddie Brock. It's just off, wrong, and far too silly. Michelle Williams is utterly wasted in a character that's barely memorable (other than the brief forest scene that's admittedly awesome), the villain is boring and cliche, and the first half of the movie (before the Venom character appears) is a dull slog.
Finally, the lack of Spider-Man as a part of Venom's introduction/origin is a shame. The two characters are so tightly linked that Spidey's absence is sorely missing.
Still, it's Venom. As terrible as the first half or so of the movie was, I was pretty dang invested once the symbiote started doing its thing. I can't really recommend this move to anyone, even fellow fans of the character. It (barely) worked for me, but I'm under no illusions that this movie is up to standard with the really good superhero movies we've been spoiled by the last several years. I really hope the sequel is better. If the after-credits scene is any indication... it won't be.
Largely, I think it's because I've always loved be character. And seeing a movie based on Venom is a cool thing by default, even when so much of the opportunity is wasted. The best part of this whole mess by far is the character of Venom, itself. It looks like Venom should look, and fights how Venom should fight. The few action scenes pretty much saved the movie for me, and without those, this movie scores much worse.
As for the bad, well there's a lot to choose from. The tone of the movie does not fit, and is not really consistent from one moment to another. Venom is a violent, brutal character, and does not mesh well with the lame jokes and all-around goofiness that the movie frequently delves into. This carries over into Tom Hardy's portrayal of Eddie Brock. It's just off, wrong, and far too silly. Michelle Williams is utterly wasted in a character that's barely memorable (other than the brief forest scene that's admittedly awesome), the villain is boring and cliche, and the first half of the movie (before the Venom character appears) is a dull slog.
Finally, the lack of Spider-Man as a part of Venom's introduction/origin is a shame. The two characters are so tightly linked that Spidey's absence is sorely missing.
Still, it's Venom. As terrible as the first half or so of the movie was, I was pretty dang invested once the symbiote started doing its thing. I can't really recommend this move to anyone, even fellow fans of the character. It (barely) worked for me, but I'm under no illusions that this movie is up to standard with the really good superhero movies we've been spoiled by the last several years. I really hope the sequel is better. If the after-credits scene is any indication... it won't be.