All Just Turds In the Wind - Thoughts on "Venom"

Late to the party again, but I want to talk about my boy and his movie.

So I saw Venom opening weekend. Up front, before I go into detail, I'll say I enjoyed it. It is definitely not a good movie, but I was entertained. I wouldn't even call it a "so bad it's good" type of thing—the film does seem to be in on the joke. It knows what it is.
To be perfectly frank and somewhat objective, aside from Tom Hardy's performance (easily the best part) and some flashes of absurd black comedy (which they could've used more of), it's an in one ear, out the other disposable superhero flick.

That's my brief summation review. From here, my actual thoughts on the film. SPOILERS ahead for those who care.

As I've written in the past, I've always had and probably always will have a soft spot for Venom. As they say on OSW Review, he's one of "my boys."

When they announced Venom, my initial response was mixed. I couldn't hate it outright—my boy, as said—but there was no denying the notion of making a solo Venom movie that has nothing to do with Spider-Man struck me as ill-conceived at best.
They are pretty intrinsically linked. Even putting aside his origin (the symbiote AND Brock) revolves entirely around Spider-Man, at a foundational level, even if you run with the anti-hero thing, Venom is kind of defined by his hatred of Spidey.

A Venom movie that doesn't at least acknowledge that is sort of like a Vegeta movie with no Goku or a Mileena movie without Kitana.

So with that in mind, I figured the best thing you could do with the character and movie would be to lean into the absurdity of it all.
Because Venom, let's face it, is a pretty absurd character—especially when he's portrayed as an anti-hero. As I said in the past, I read and collected all his comics that ran through the 90's, and there's always been a ludicrous glee to the character. I wouldn't go so far as to say they were self-aware or even tongue in cheek, but as I remember them, the 90's Venom comics never presumed to be more than what they were: indulgent cartoons about a slobbering monster who is the good guy.

That isn't to say he doesn't have pathos or didn't occasionally brood and sulk over the existential horror of what he is. As I explained in my prior post on him, I do believe he's a better character than he's given credit for.
But really the only time Venom's ever been portrayed as "serious" is when he's a villain, and even then, he still tends to babble about eating brains and dismemberment.

And the movie, wisely...for the most part...embraces that. It doesn't go as bonkers as I would've liked, but there are moments throughout where it understands that Venom is pretty goofy and has fun with it.

There's not much to be said plot-wise. Eddie Brock is a reporter who gets fired and has his reputation ruined—here by genius-billionaire-Elon Musk-dude Carlton Drake as opposed to Spider-Man. Drake also happens to be conducting unethical experiments with symbiotes in the hope of bonding with them, which is how Brock eventually comes into contact with one.
Drake wants the symbiote back, the symbiote wants to escape from Earth, and Brock just wants to survive. But things escalate when Drake bonds with his own symbiote, Riot, and plans to launch an invasion.

Hilarity ensues.

Something I did appreciate is, despite jettisoning Spider-Man, the movie does stay true to the comics in other ways. I guess I expected, since there was no Spider-Man, they would simply go with "He's a reporter and finds the symbiote" without doing the fired and ruined reputation angle.

Brock sees himself as a crusader of justice, he does get himself fired due to his own questionable tactics, and he doesn't like taking responsibility for his failings. I liked they kept that aspect of him—a deleted scene even features Brock rambling about how he used to steal toys when he was a kid so he could be the hero who found and returned them, which comes directly from the comics.

Appropriately, as this movie positions him as anti-hero rather than villain, the negative aspects of Brock's personality are toned down. His shady behavior and lack of responsibility are less fanatical defects that define and drive him, but human flaws that he must overcome.
And in a demented but very funny way, the symbiote helps him become a better person. ("Try...harder...not to be a dick.")

As an aside, I do wish Venom had the white symbol on his chest. I understand why he doesn't, and they try to make up for it with the veins all over his body, but the character really does look like he's missing something visually without the symbol.
It is a striking image and does break up the flat blackness of Venom's design.

Riz Ahmed and Michelle Williams are fine as Drake/Riot and Brock's ex Ann Weying respectively, but they don't have much to work with. We get glimpses of them having fun—Ann in particular when she gets the symbiote for a scene—but they're both pretty stock characters.

To be frank, the script is kind of all over the place. One gets the impression the producers simply wanted a by-the-numbers superhero movie, but Tom Hardy said 'fuck it, Imma do what I want,' and director Ruben Fleischer was game.
If Venom works at all, it's thanks to Hardy and his gonzo performance. The film is at its best when it's about Brock and the symbiote bonding—alternating between buddy action flick and romantic comedy. There's even a third act break-up ("What happened to 'we?'").

It definitely feels like it was chopped up though. Not just in content—although there are points where it's obvious this was aiming for an R—but I believe Tom Hardy when he says there's a chunk of the movie missing. Particularly in the middle leading to the third act. It's like the movie is trucking along, then out of nowhere it's the climax and there are character payoffs that, although don't come out of the blue, don't feel as earned as they should be.

I have a feeling the chunk that's missing is more of Brock and the symbiote interacting and bonding.
And that sucks because, as said, Hardy talking to the voice in his head is easily the best part. I kind of loved the movie's characterization of the symbiote, which I would describe as "hyperactive child hopped up on Cocoa Puffs and Mortal Kombat."
The back and forth between Brock and the symbiote is fun and I want to see more of it.

And it looks like I will get that wish because Venom turned out to be far more successful at the box office than anyone anticipated, and it looks like we will indeed get a sequel.
If nothing else, it'll be interesting to see how it turns out. Will Sony see what worked and people liked about the first and expand on it, creating a film that, maybe not "good," but will be fun and entertaining? Will they have taken all the wrong lessons and botch it? Or perhaps Venom's success—such as it was—was lightning in a bottle that won't be repeated?

Who knows, but I for one am excited. I say bring it. Let Tom Hardy do whatever the hell the wants. And fuck yes I want to see Woody Harrelson as Carnage. That will be some hardcore ham-to-ham combat and I am all for it.

So to wrap this up...yeah, Venom is not a good film which should surprise no one. But it's not a total trainwreck or even a misguided disaster. There's absurd, trashy fun to be had, though perhaps not as much as there needed to be.
In the end, it's a middling superhero origin flick that's elevated by its star and a pretty fun central gimmick.

Trash perhaps. But it was my trash.