Fleischer’s Venom takes bite out of October box office
Sony released its sci-fi action movie, Venom, Oct. 5. The movie is directed by Ruben Fleischer, and is based on the Marvel comics written by Todd McFarlane. As of Oct. 15, it held the No.1 spot at the box office. Despite low expectations by critics, the movie was surprisingly well-done, other than occasional problems with the computer-generated imagery (CGI) and a lack of violence.
Venom tells the story of Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), an independent reporter, and his life after he is infected with the Venom symbiote. A symbiote is an organism that takes a place in a host body, similar to a parasite. Venom takes hold in Eddie’s body as a separate smack-talking, human-eating persona. While Eddie battles Venom and his insatiable appetite, he also works to uncover the truth about Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), a scientist hiding dangerous secrets.
When the first trailer for Venom hit the Internet, people didn’t receive it too kindly. The initial trailer didn’t even show Venom, and when the second one was released, the CGI for Venom looked cheap, considering the film had a budget of $100 million. However, this proves not be an issue as it excels at the box office. The CGI looked well done except except for two instances when Eddie’s face is split with Venom’s in a closeup.
One thing that seemed off was the lack of gratuitous violence that was expected from this dark piece. The Venom symbiote feeds off living creatures, mostly by eating humans. While Venom does this in the movie, it is rarely shown. No blood spatter, no bodies. There is a large lack of on-screen death, especially considering how dark the film is. It felt necessary, and the story felt less satisfyingly gruesome without it.
The strengths of the film overshadowed what it tended to struggled with. Venom’s persona was funny, and added the comedic element that was required. The beginning displayed a lot of information without making the movie seem slow or tedious. Action was evenly dispersed and the whole film had a good pace to it. It is explained thoroughly and it keeps the viewer entertained.
The concept of a superhero movie without the superhero is a fresh concept and it paid off. Venom isn’t a hero — in the comics he is classified as a villain. In the movie, he is more of an anti-hero, lacking consistent morals. However, Venom tends to do the right thing when it comes down to the survival of the group rather than the individual.
Overall, Venom defies expectations, wowing and entertaining its audiences. Humor, a fresh storyline and a well-paced plot are just some of the things that make this movie stand out. However, cheap-looking CGI and a lack of violence seem out of place, lowering the quality of the movie. For these reasons, Venom receives a 9/10.
image courtesy of imdb.com
