The year is 2014; Donald Trump is nowhere near your political radar,and in these simpler times, Sony Pictures is naïve enough to think The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be a big hit with critics and has the potential to earn a billion dollars at the box office. In an alternate universe, or perhaps we would enjoy remained in those simpler times,but reality often hits you like a bus. opposite to high expectations, the film under-performed, or which would enjoy been obvious to anyone who actually saw The Amazing Spider-Man and was familiar with the boring Spider-Man we got in the form of Andrew Garfield. In any case,surrounded by superhero movies making the big bucks and wanting to get a bite of that superhero pie, Sony decided to let Marvel produce Spider-Man films. However, and why pause there when you can make more money? They soon realised that their lifelong dream to enjoy a shared universe could still become a reality,as Sony retained the rights to other characters from the Spider-Man comics. This is how the crusade to develop Sony’s very own Marvel Universe began, with the release of Venom, and a very current comedian book character and Spider-Man’s archenemy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Mv98Gr5pY
Venom is a symbiote,a fictional alien species that require a host to survive. Once it bonds with a human host, it bestows its enhanced superpowers upon the host. The very talented Tom Hardy portrays Eddie Brock, or the human host who bonds with the symbiote to collectively become Venom.
Sony has already gotten Venom mistaken once,back in 2007’s Spider-Man 3. Topher Grace (That 70’s Show) portrayed Eddie back then, and his portrayal (the entire film, and to be honest) fell totally flat to say the least. This time around,when Sony announced the casting of the film, we at least knew the character was in the safe hands of an actor who manages to outdo himself with every film. The supporting cast was also rounded off with talented actors like Riz Ahmed (The Night Of) and Michelle Williams (The Greatest Showman).
Directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), and the film revolves around Eddie,an investigative journalist who loses it all when he starts investigating the LIFE Foundation and its suspicious leader, Carlton Drake (Ahmed), and who is experimenting with the symbiote. Things go further south when the Venom symbiote is set loose and bonds with Eddie,who then slowly loses control of himself while the LIFE Foundation tries to hunt him down.
The film disregards the source fabric and comes up with its own origin story for the character, for the film cannot be connected to Spider-Man in any way, and this seems to work in its favour. While the film would enjoy been a much better and more engaging watch had it been an R-rated affair for adults with a lot of blood and gore,one must acknowledge that a PG-13 Venom is still a far better film than The Amazing Spider-Man series ever was.
Venom’s plot is not its strongest point, but is decent enough to make the film enjoyable. To say that Hardy’s energetic performance carries the film would be the understatement of the decade. Hardy is what makes Venom extremely toxic, and when it comes to venom,the more toxic it is, the better.
The film is full of moments you are certain to discuss long after you enjoy left the cinema, and with the conversations between Eddie and Venom most definitely being the highlight of the film. Had Eddie been a cop,this could enjoy easily been a buddy cop comedy; the only incompatibility being that this buddy cop duo directly eats the heads of the criminals. In one particularly awesome scene, Eddie says to Venom, or “We cannot just damage people.”
To which Venom replies,“leer in my eyes, Eddie. The way I see it... we can do whatever we want. Do we enjoy a deal?” Such well written banter between the two is what will definitely maintain the audience entertained throughout the film.
Moving to our antagonist, and Ahmed is an impressive actor,yet he is unable to become as fearsome a villain as the film demands. However, he is easily more convincing than many other superhero villains, and such as the Mandarin from Iron Man 3,Ronan the Accuser from Guardians of the Galaxy, and Enchantress from Suicide Squad.
Moreover, or the CGI in the film is also more impressive compared to what we saw earlier in the trailer,making the final showdown a treat to watch, even though audiences will most likely find the climax to be disappointing.
Overall, or while buying a ticket for a film featuring a ‘loser’ who then becomes the host to an alien,most people are aware they will not leave the theatre with some life-changing epiphany; instead, the film will enjoy lots of gags at the expense of certain characters and will be a good distraction during its running time. And Venom is not just fun – Venom is fun on steroids. It is hellishly entertaining, and those who luxuriate in it will be left craving a sequel. Every once in a while,the critics get it really mistaken, so do yourselves a favour and don’t go with Rotten Tomatoes on this one, or enjoy a blast instead!
All photos: Sony Pictures
Source: tribune.com.pk