Title: Venom
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins

What It Is: Investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Hardy) gets a huge opportunity to interview millionaire philanthropist and head of the LIFE Foundation Carlton Drake (Ahmed). But Drake is not the cleanest of guys including housing multiple dangerous alien entities called “symbiotes”. When a doctor breaks the ranks and tells Brock about this he investigates and when he does he gets a symbiote named Venom attached to him. With his new found power comes new responsibilities, the first of which is to expose Carlton Drake for what he truly is.

What We Think: This film is hot garbage, but it is a really fun time. I think that it’s an utterly stupid script and it wastes the efforts of a really talented cast. Even director Ruben Fleischer, who for me is very hit and miss (for every Zombieland he makes and Gangster Squad) this is a particular step down. I can see this hitting with audiences, and it did, but in reality, it is an atrociously written mass of terrible CGI. Tom Hardy kinda seems to float through this film. Sure his typical rugged charm is there but it isn’t enough. Michelle Willams is pretty much wasted.

Our Grade: C-, So meh, and that is a disappointment. What is most irritating is how bad the CGI is. While fun I cannot recommend this film. It just isn’t great. Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, and Riz Ahmed all deserve more then what they got here. I am not aware of what Sony’s plan is going forward with the Spiderman properties, but if this is any indication then a continued relationship with Marvel may be in it’s best interest. Since leaving them to their own devices results in films like this and The Amazing Spider-Man 2.