Did “Venom” Receive the Credit it Deserved?

Tyler Cullen, Staff Writer

It seems to be that there is, in general, a mixed consensus between both moviegoers and critics alike as to whether or not the movie Venom, produced by Sony, lived up to its expectations. Before delving into a review of what Venom did right and where it had shortcomings, one must understand the disconnection between the fans and the critics.

For instance, it is clear that on paper that Venom received lackluster reviews, specifically from sources such as Rolling Stone and Metacritic. However these reviews did not capture how the general public received the movie. While Venom cannot be considered a Hollywood gem by any means, perhaps it could be given more credit.

Where Venom flourishes is apparent in the character development of Venom and the conflict that occurs within Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock in the film. Eddie Brock finds himself being controlled by the alien, Venom, who is part of the symbiote race hailing from the planet Klyntar. This, in turn, creates a very interesting dynamic within the film between both man and alien, as the two need to work together in order to serve the greater good.

At times the alien symbiote Venom would clash with Eddie Brock, making for a very entertaining set of ordeals. In addition to this well thought out dynamic, the stellar acting performance of Tom Hardy, who not only plays Eddie Brock but is also the voice for Venom, elevates the film on every way possible. Throw in several well-choreographed action scenes and masterful Sony CGI and you have the makings for a solid movie, right? Perhaps, but there was also a multitude of shortcomings that did not help the film, especially when it came to reviews done by actual critics.

Specifically, when it came to every other character besides Eddie Brock, they seemed to be, at the best, underwhelming. Whether it be the main villain, as seen with Carlton Drake, or Brock’s love interest, Ann Weying, both fall flat with audiences producing nothing but a false sense of purpose in elevating the plot.

The movie also tends to struggle from an identity crisis of sorts, where it does not know if it is a comedy, gritty action film or superhero drama. Lastly, what antagonized a large portion of viewers was the fact that the movie received a PG-13 rating over a previously mentioned R rating. Even though it is understandable that a PG-13 film is more accessible to viewers of all ages, in turn driving up revenue, it seemed as if the film was designed to be rated R and was forced to be PG-13. This tends to make certain scenes that are supposed to be gruesome very ineffective and dull.

Overall, Venom with its flaws cannot be completely written off, and the good news is that many moviegoers understand the drop off in ratings between both viewers and critics. The movie has currently made $461 million globally according to Deadline.com. Venom can be rated at a modest 6.5/10, even with its many flaws, and will be enjoyed whether you see it in theatres or wait to stream it on services such as Netflix or Hulu.