Venom (2018)

hollowowl15 said:Yeah, feels like we're picking movies at the theater the same way voters pick candidates—just settling for the lesser of two evils.🤷

My local AMC was packed, but most of what's playing is just kids' stuff and that Lady Gaga flick.

Is she even that big here? Like, is she actually a huge deal in Europe or the USA? 🤷

Richard Wilson4 said:Is she even that big here? Like, is she actually a huge deal in Europe or the USA? 🤷

I don't know—personally, I'm just not into music or musicals, so I skipped the movie entirely. It's got nothing to do with her.

I honestly don't give much weight to what critics say. I won't know if a movie actually hits the mark until I've sat through it myself.
And seriously, why is everyone complaining about the soundtrack and Eminem? Personally, I’d take him over some random mumble rapper any day of the week.

Honestly, my favorite people are the ones who haven't even seen the movie yet—they just love spitting on it. 🙄
Or better yet, the folks listening to critics about something that’s purely subjective, like someone trying to tell me a specific song, a painting, or a meal sucks.

Ugh (POTENTIAL SPOILERS):

Plot: It’s a bit of a slog until he merges with Venom, but once that happens, the movie is pure entertainment—just non-stop action.

Plot: I get the feeling they cut way too much; this thing would’ve been easily 20-30 minutes better if they hadn't.

Meaningfulness: The story actually holds up, despite a few tiny hiccups that didn't really bother me.

Acting: The Venom-Hardy dynamic worked great for me, but everything else was pretty lukewarm. The rest of the cast was underwhelming, though honestly, they weren't important enough to matter anyway.

Entertainment: From the moment he bonds with Venom, the movie is a blast—the time just flew by. Before that bond? Total snooze fest.

Music: Pretty decent, nothing crazy. I’ve always been an Eminem fan—even if it's more the stuff from like 10 years ago—and his tracks fit the action scenes perfectly here.

Venom: I was actually blown away (and yeah, I haven't read the comics or anything). The CGI—obviously—was solid; it didn't look like some cheap video game or anything, which was a relief. Honestly, I loved Venom's look, his vibe, and especially that voice.

Humor: Good, and at times, genuinely hilarious. Hardy played the loser role perfectly, even if it was a bit weird for me since he's usually such a "tough guy" type. I really dig Venom as a character and his sense of humor.

Villain: Really interesting and well-constructed. About 80% of the fight scenes were awesome, though the other 20% were such a mess I couldn't tell who was hitting whom. The one annoying part was how easy it actually was to take out the villain (using fire). They could have easily just let him jump into a rocket and blow everything to bits.

All in all, I'm super happy with this kind of flick. On a scale of superhero movies, I'd give it a solid 7/10.

I'm glad I ignored the critics and just watched the damn thing myself. Now, I'm just stoked for a sequel if they make one.

I enjoyed it. It was entertaining—the time really flew by.

You can tell they cut about twenty minutes of plot because the beginning felt a bit rushed—was it just me?

I’m hoping Sony learns their lesson and goes with an R rating next time instead of sticking to PG-13.

Hardy was excellent.

I just watched this in 3D and I was honestly pleasantly surprised. It was great entertainment, and I’m really glad I didn't let those bad reviews talk me out of seeing it. This is easily one of my favorite Marvel films. And of course, having Tom Hardy involved is a huge plus. hehehe

silentskipper3 said:I suppose the timing works out okay, since between Lady Gaga and Venom, Venom feels like the better pick to me. Aside from the Peppermint release, I don't think the schedule is anything particularly impressive

Man, this thing with Gaga is top-tier. Honestly, I wouldn't even mind if they had just picked Gaga over Venom instead...

Critics have had their say about the movie, more or less, but personally, I think it’s alright.

Was it just me, or did this feel like a poor man's Deadpool?

Honestly, just a solid, fun movie. The dynamic between Venom and Eddie gives me major Upgrade vibes, though I’d say they nailed the execution better in Upgrade.
My only gripe? That post-credit teaser teasing Carnage didn't do anything for me. Why would I want to sit through two more "Venom" sequels when I just sat through this one?

Such an entertaining movie. Honestly, I’d love some recommendations if anyone knows of other films like this one.
Venom actually ends up being the main source of comic relief in the story, which kind of caught me off guard.

I went into the theater feeling pretty skeptical—I’d read somewhere that people were comparing it to that crime-focused Catwoman flick, so I figured there was no way this could actually be any good.

But seriously, don't listen to the critics. I have no clue what they were looking for, but this movie is pure entertainment!
Tom Hardy is fantastic—though the supporting cast is a bit bland, there isn't much chemistry between him and Michelle, the villain is just your typical ambitious jerk, and honestly, Venom has more humor than I do, and he's an alien.
I'll admit it's a bit short—it probably needs another 20 minutes or so—and the ending feels rushed and a little confusing, but Hardy mentioned they cut his best scenes, so now I'm dying to know which ones those were.

If you're into Marvel, superheroes, or just some solid entertainment, go check out Venom 🎉

Raymond Hill said:Honestly, just a solid, fun movie. The dynamic between Venom and Eddie gives me major Upgrade vibes, though I’d say they nailed the execution better in Upgrade.
My only gripe? That post-credit teaser teasing Carnage didn't do anything for me. Why would I want to sit through two more "Venom" sequels when I just sat through this one?

I mean, I agree with most of what he’s saying, but personally, I’d say the movie is just okay—it was alright for entertainment, I guess. Maybe the theater just made it look better than it actually was. If I’d watched this at home on my couch, I probably would've thought it was pretty bad.

Regarding Upgrade and the sequel, yeah, I'm totally with you there.

As for me, I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I don't think Tom Hardy really fits this role. I was expecting way more from him, and Michelle seemed totally lost. Honestly, that Pakistani villain was probably the best part of the whole thing.

It’s honestly a little depressing to see how low the bar has dropped for audiences lately, considering this movie was actually just... okay.

wearyangler55 said:I mean, I agree with most of what he’s saying, but personally, I’d say the movie is just okay—it was alright for entertainment, I guess. Maybe the theater just made it look better than it actually was. If I’d watched this at home on my couch, I probably would've thought it was pretty bad.

Regarding Upgrade and the sequel, yeah, I'm totally with you there.

As for me, I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I don't think Tom Hardy really fits this role. I was expecting way more from him, and Michelle seemed totally lost. Honestly, that Pakistani villain was probably the best part of the whole thing.

Hardy did a good job acting, sure, but he should've been someone younger—as far as I know, Brock is roughly the same age as Peter Parker. Also, keep in mind this was all made before Marvel and Sony struck that deal that brought Sony's films into the MCU.

And shouldn't Brock be a complete idiot and a jerk who eventually turns into an (anti)hero, rather than some truth-seeking journalist fighting for justice? 🤔

Morgan Brown4 said:Hardy did a good job acting, sure, but he should've been someone younger—as far as I know, Brock is roughly the same age as Peter Parker. Also, keep in mind this was all made before Marvel and Sony struck that deal that brought Sony's films into the MCU.

And shouldn't Brock be a complete idiot and a jerk who eventually turns into an (anti)hero, rather than some truth-seeking journalist fighting for justice? 🤔

Look, I’m not exactly a hardcore comic book nerd or anything, so I don't know all the deep lore, just the basics I grew up with. I remember reading a Spiderman strip when I was a kid where Peter Parker was bonded with Venom, but then he realized the symbiote was basically taking him over, so he ran up to a church bell tower and used the ringing bells to shake the thing off him... I don't really know the rest of the details. Also, from what I gather, Carnage is supposed to be Venom's offspring, but honestly, looking at that after-credits scene, I'm not totally buying it.

slyrider34 said:It’s honestly a little depressing to see how low the bar has dropped for audiences lately, considering this movie was actually just... okay.

Look, I guess it all depends on what you’re looking for. If you just want to kill two hours at the theater, it’s a decent enough flick. But overall? Yeah, it's pretty bad.

wearyangler55 said:I know people keep saying Carnage is supposed to be some kind of descendant of Venom, but honestly, looking at that after-credits scene, I don't really see it. Maybe I'm missing something, but it just doesn't feel right to me.

In the Spiderman strip, Kletus turns into Carnage once Brock becomes his cellmate, and then the symbiote just kind of reproduces through asexual reproduction. I guess maybe there's an unrated version of the story where things go down differently... maybe. 😬 🤣

Grace Edwards said:In the Spiderman strip, Kletus turns into Carnage once Brock becomes his cellmate, and then the symbiote just kind of reproduces through asexual reproduction. I guess maybe there's an unrated version of the story where things go down differently... maybe. 😬 🤣

See? I told you I'm not even that deep into the comics, I guess 😵😁

That’s really the issue with these standalone movies. It feels like it should be part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but we all know how messy those rights issues can get...

Venom starts out as the bad guy, but he eventually turns into more of a hero. And then you have Carnage, who is basically just a byproduct of Venom, born right there in a prison cell.

But there's this one thing that just feels kind of silly to me. So, these symbiotes all have their own specific names—Venom, Riot, and all that. Then, in the mid-credits scene, they tease what's coming next by having Cletus say that once he gets out, there'll be Carnage... even though he probably doesn't even know these symbiotes exist yet! I get it, it's great for the movie's marketing, so it works, but at the same time, it's such a cliché. 😬