Skip to main content

First Reactions to ‘Venom’ Tease a Mixed Bag




The social embargo for Venom has lifted, which means those that have seen the film are now free to give their short-form Twitter thoughts on the long-in-the-works Marvel Comics adaptation.

This movie was a long time coming, with various attempts having been made over the years to bring the alien character to the big screen. Sony Pictures ultimately succeeded with Tom Hardy in the role of Eddie Brock/Venom and Zombieland and Gangster Squad filmmaker Ruben Fleischer at the helm.


Working from a script by Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner, and Kelly Marcel, they crafted a Jekyll & Hyde origin story that finds the titular symbiote attaching itself to reporter Eddie Brock, wreaking havoc in San Francisco. All the while, Dr. Carter Drake (Riz Ahmed) is conducting experiments that make the symbiote all the more dangerous.


So what’s the word? Does the Venom movie live up to decades of fan expectations? Well the volume of tweets from professional critics is admittedly a bit low so we don’t have a huge sample size, but those that did choose to air their thoughts about the film are decidedly mixed. 


More than a few people mentioned that they found Venomunintentionally funny at moments, but that led to a genuinely “enjoyable” experience at times. The highlight for most appears to be the relationship between Eddie and Venom (Hardy provides the voice for Venom), and pretty much no one had anything to say about the supporting cast or villain.


 Overall, this is a curious first sampling of reactions, but it’ll be interesting to see what critics at large have to say about the film when the full review embargo lifts later tonight.


Check out the reactions below. The film also stars Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate and opens in theaters on October 5th.




Significant chunks of don’t work *at all* but there is some serious charm to the Eddie/Venom relationship. Not sure I had the intended reactions to some scenes but fun is fun - even when it’s totally ridiculous, right? It’s too bad they didn’t go for the R rating though.


I’m *fascinated* with VENOM. The cast seems to all know they’re in a darker superhero movie, except Tom Hardy who is basically remaking Jim Carrey’s Liar Liar. I kinda loved watching this movie, in a Rocky Horror type of way. At one point Tom Hardy and Venom make out.


The whole movie is Venom telling Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock over and over “I’m hungry, Eddie. I want to eat a brian, Eddie. You’re a loser, Eddie. You’re a pussy, Eddie.”


Tom Hardy's performance in is either Johnny Depp in the first PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN or Chris Klein in STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI. Either way, it's not boring.


In parts the Venom/Eddie Brock vibe in VENOM reminded me of Audrey II/Seymour. So what I am saying is...VENOM should be a musical? Idk....


Venom calls Eddie a pussy which is essentially “C’mon Seymour don’t be a putz.” Also the plot of this movie is outlined pretty well in “Finale (Don’t Feed The Plants)”


Action-sequences and Eddie and Venom's odd relationship are the highlights of but if Sony wants to move forward with a universe, it needs to just keep the few parts that work and scrap the large portion which does t.


Social embargo for is up. I talk about this a lot in my review but this is a movie that somehow slipped through a wormhole from 2004. That's my biggest take. It's a movie that spilled from the pre-MCU era through a crack in time and space.


It's...not a complete disaster? At least I was never mad watching it? But it is an excruciatingly surreal experience. The humor, the story beats, everything right down to the Eminem theme song feels like it emerged Kimmy Schmidt style from a sealed off early 00s bunker.


Think Affleck Daredevil. Think Ang Lee Hulk. Think Halle Berry Catwoman. That's...I mean, that's really all there is to be said, I think. It's absolutely bizarre.


Anyway, your mileage is really, really going to vary on this one. There are genuinely some echos of clever ideas but...man. If there's one superhero franchise that's having a killer couple years, it's Spider-Man. No matter how you slice it, Venom is a major non sequitur.


Sorry to say that is pretty much a complete failure - a tonal mess that feels 15 years old, ignoring the storytelling strides that the superhero genre has made in recent years.

A few fun Venom-centric moments aside, it has nearly nothing to offer. Don't get your hopes up.





Comic fans will like , as it pulls directly from the comics in many places. Tater tot fans will also like Venom. It’s certainly clunky & not as fluid as some recent Marvel movies, but it’s funny, intentional or not. Don’t take it too seriously, and stay through the credits



BY ADAM CHITWOOD      OCTOBER 2, 2018

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

L.A. will rename Rodeo Road as Obama Boulevard in tribute to former president

The Los Angeles City Council voted to rename Rodeo Road as Obama Boulevard in honor of former President Obama, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced in a tweet Tuesday night. “We’re thrilled that Angelenos and visitors will forever be reminded of the legacy of President @BarackObama when traveling across L.A.,” he said in the tweet. City Council President Herb Wesson  proposed the name change in June 2017. Los Angeles is renaming Rodeo Rd. to Obama Boulevard in honor of former president Barack Obama. pic.twitter.com/UwzXxU6tHA — AJ+ (@ajplus) August 29, 2018 Not to be confused with the upscale Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Rodeo Road is a 3.5-mile street that runs from near the Culver City border east to Mid-City. In his proposal, Wesson  noted that  Obama held a campaign rally at Rancho Cienega Park on Rodeo Road when running for president and that the area already has streets named after presidents, such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. It’s offic...

FLIGHT FACILITIES (Hugo) b2b TOUCH SENSITIVE in The Lab

#Deep_house #HouseMusic #HouseGrooves #Melodic #Electronic #djset #FlightFacilities #TouchSensitive An immaculate selection of disco and killer house grooves by Hugo (Flight Facilities) and Touch Sensitive. website: http://www.flightfacilities.com Youtube http://smarturl.it/SubscribeFF Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/flightfacilities Twitter: http://twitter.com/flightfac Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/flightfacilities Instagram: http://instagram.com/flightfac

Nordstrom selling taped-up sneakers for $530

It may be a shoe that shoe lovers have a hard time adding to their collection. Nordstrom is selling the Golden Goose sneakers dubbed the "Superstar Taped Sneaker."  They are new, but look like they are falling apart with dirt and tape already on them. And they are being sold for $530!  "Crumply, hold-it-all-together tape details a distressed leather sneaker in a retro low profile with a signature sidewall star and a grungy rubber cupsole," the description reads. If you were interested in purchasing them (were you?), they are sold out on the  Nordstrom website . abc7.com  - September 21st, 2018