REVIEW: ‘Venom’ Is Not That Bad

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WRITTEN BY: Chad Gelfand

WARNING: Spoiler Alerts

Going into the theater to see Venom last Thursday I was already bracing myself for the worst. The 30% Rotten Tomatoes score, unimpressive trailers and the corny Eminem theme song all played a role in my pre-conceived notion that this was going to be a bad movie. My assumptions turned out to be wrong as I came away from the theater sufficiently entertained by Venom.

One of the positives that Venom has going for it is the interactions between Eddie Brock and Venom. Brock learning how to navigate being around Venom is a highlight. Brock and Venom’s relationship turns the movie almost into a buddy comedy halfway through, which isn’t a knock as their friendship developing produced some of the best dialogue in the film.

There were some definite weaknesses to the film though, one first and foremost being the pacing. The film is 1 hour and 52 minutes long, and we don’t formally get introduced to Venom until about an hour in. The main villain really isn’t introduced until the end of the movie and we never really explored his motivations on more than a surface level.

Characters motivations being rushed was a problem throughout the movie that once again goes back to pacing issues. Why did Venom go from wanting to destroy the planet one minute to wanting to help save the planet the next? He must have really had a swell time spending time with Brock that he did a 180 on his plans for world domination. This is why viewers may find this movie to be confusing.

Also, someone who I would have liked to have seen more of that I saw some other critics complaining about was Michelle Williams role in the movie, and I could see where they were coming from. In the movie, Williams is Eddie Brock’s ex-girlfriend, and while she has a pretty significant role in the film, I can understand why some people feel that the movie could have better utilized an academy award winner like Williams, once again going back to pacing issues Williams character just didn’t have enough time to develop fully.

Venom overall is a movie that is worth seeing, and the experience will probably be enhanced if seen in theaters. Venom was nowhere near as bad as some critics were making it out to be, but it’s not without its problems as rushed character developments and pacing problems held the film back from achieving something greater.