[Film] Venom (2018)

[Jaymann]

Battlefield Earth has its defenders.

Yep. 11%

They were just being leveraged.

[gameoverman]

How in God’s name did this make 80 million dollars and become the number one film on its opening weekend after almost every review was decidedly negative?

I saw it over the weekend in a packed house and the crowd was into it.

I liked it. I place it in the 'popcorn movie' category. It doesn't reinvent the comic book movie, it doesn't have a great script, it doesn't have especially memorable visuals, the supporting characters are somewhat dull and poorly used...hmmm, well, I STILL liked it!

Tom Hardy carries it. Movies where a character talks to an invisible character aren't usually my cup of tea. It's too absurd a concept for me to accept as anything other than a comedy. But Tom Hardy does it in a way that I was able to buy into. It's also funny, so there's that. What I think is this is one of those cases where the first movie is problematic, but also it's clear they are onto something and they will make the second one way better. Think Spiderman to Spiderman 2.

[hepcat]

It doesn't reinvent the comic book movie, it doesn't have a great script, it doesn't have especially memorable visuals, the supporting characters are somewhat dull and poorly used..

You and your damn fancy, high falutin’ critic talk!

I am glad folks are having fun with it. But I’m still of a mind that the critics are far more often right than Cinemascore and RT audience ratings. I wish I’d listened to them before plunking down my cash for the Predator reboot.

[msteelers]

What I think is this is one of those cases where the first movie is problematic, but also it's clear they are onto something and they will make the second one way better. Think Spiderman to Spiderman 2.

WTF? Spiderman 1 was amazing.

I'm curious for those of you who liked Venom, are you fans of the Spiderman comics? A Venom that isn't rooted in the Spiderman mythos just doesn't sound interesting to me.

[stimpy]

What I think is this is one of those cases where the first movie is problematic, but also it's clear they are onto something and they will make the second one way better. Think Spiderman to Spiderman 2.

WTF? Spiderman 1 was amazing.

I'm curious for those of you who liked Venom, are you fans of the Spiderman comics? A Venom that isn't rooted in the Spiderman mythos just doesn't sound interesting to me.

Both myself and my Grandson are big fans of the Spiderman comics.
Did it bother us when we heard it was a Spiderman-less movie? Yes.
Did it end up tempering our enjoyment of the movie? No.
It's a fine stand alone film. Dare I say we both thought it was better than Black Panther? Not in a high budget, sweeping epic of a comic book movie sort of way, but in an enjoyable popcorn movie going experience sort of way.

[coopasonic]

What I think is this is one of those cases where the first movie is problematic, but also it's clear they are onto something and they will make the second one way better. Think Spiderman to Spiderman 2.

WTF? Spiderman 1 was amazing.

I'm curious for those of you who liked Venom, are you fans of the Spiderman comics? A Venom that isn't rooted in the Spiderman mythos just doesn't sound interesting to me.

This is not the Venom I remember from the comics, but note that I haven't read the comics in probably 20 years except for the ultimate spider-man stuff, which might have been more like 15 years ago. The movie did not need spider-man at all. This was a movie about Eddie and Venom. It was very much an action comedy that leans more towards Deadpool than Spider-man.

I was going to say stimpy is nuts for saying it is better than Black Panther, but from an action movie perspective I would agree. Black Panther was too talky-thinky, there is very little of that in Venom (for better and for worse).

[pr0ner]

I enjoy comic book movies and characters but I don't read comic books. I still think Venom was plenty entertaining for a matinee. The worst thing about the movie is the Eminem song that plays over the end credits.

[coopasonic]

I enjoy comic book movies and characters but I don't read comic books. I still think Venom was plenty entertaining for a matinee. The worst thing about the movie is the Eminem song that plays over the end credits.

Thinking about the actual worst thing about the movie, I have to go with Elon Mu... the villain. Not every villain has to be Black Panther good, but this is just pathetic.

[gameoverman]

I don't read comics, never have really outside of a brief look at the Walking Dead comics, so my view is strictly as a movie fan. I didn't have a problem with the villain because I thought it was a nice change of pace to not have a guy trying to take over the world as the bad guy. My main problem is the non Venom/Brock scenes are not very interesting. For instance, and I'll spoiler this

Spoiler:

When they separate Brock from Venom, the two characters have a chat, turning their backs on this weird creature that they know can insert itself into humans, with only glass separating them! Like it's no big deal, been there/done that. It might have been more interesting to have them struggle to keep it contained, only to see it escape then she goes chasing after it.

[stimpy]

I enjoy comic book movies and characters but I don't read comic books. I still think Venom was plenty entertaining for a matinee. The worst thing about the movie is the Eminem song that plays over the end credits.

A song my Grandson listened to on his headphones continuously all the way to the theatre. He would occasionally try to rap along with it.......try.......

[pr0ner]

I enjoy comic book movies and characters but I don't read comic books. I still think Venom was plenty entertaining for a matinee. The worst thing about the movie is the Eminem song that plays over the end credits.

A song my Grandson listened to on his headphones continuously all the way to the theatre. He would occasionally try to rap along with it.......try.......

If he said "Venom" over and over again, wouldn't he be 50% of the way there?

[pr0ner]

I enjoy comic book movies and characters but I don't read comic books. I still think Venom was plenty entertaining for a matinee. The worst thing about the movie is the Eminem song that plays over the end credits.

Thinking about the actual worst thing about the movie, I have to go with Elon Mu... the villain. Not every villain has to be Black Panther good, but this is just pathetic.

Riz Ahmed is a great actor, but he wasn't given much to do here, that's for sure.

[stessier]

I just saw it. I've never read the comics. I enjoyed it. The first half was slow, but it was really fun once the action started. I hope they make a second one.

[DD*]

My daughter (huge Marvel fan-grrrl) saw it last night with her boyfriend (huge Marvel fan-boi); both really liked it. Seems like this is one of those movies that the critics hate but the audience generally enjoys.

[msteelers]

I just got back from the theatre, and I hated pretty much everything about it. My wife and the friend we went with both enjoyed it.

[Zarathud]

My wife actually wanted to see this because she was told by a female friend to think of it as body horror. Venom takes control of a pathetic person and finds out their codependent relationship makes them better but tortured. They both lie and try to use the other. Both need but are repulsed by the other. She called it a supervillain love story -- and she's probably right.

When venom started speaking, the movie got a lot better.

[hepcat]

Tell her the Pokémon movies are nuanced analogies of the role of indigenous people in a society that forces them to fight with cards for acceptance.

[Zarathud]

Pokemon is about animal cruelty and slavery. Duh.

There is no sensible basis to question any rationale which encourages your spouse to watch a superhero movie.

[hepcat]

Hey now, be fair. She enjoyed Hellboy.

[Smoove_B]

Finally saw this the other night, a year+ later (as I usually end up doing) as part of a HBO/Starz freebie weekend. It was a strange film to watch - one that (I think) loses a bit when you completely disconnect it from Spider-Man. It's not that Venom isn't an interesting character, it's just that the movie felt completely stand-alone -- as if superheroes didn't exist anywhere else. I think that's why they included a short Spiderverse thing at the end after the credits to remind people that there's a connection.

It wasn't awful; Tom Hardy was absolutely the reason it worked. A little too cartoony with the action sequences, IMHO. Wasn't buying the actor that played Drake at all. He just didn't seem menacing enough. I had a hard time believing his arc. Maybe it was how he was written; it just didn't feel right.

I'm kinda curious what they're planning on doing with Venom 2, allegedly releasing in October 2020.

[Isgrimnur]

An American Venom in London

Film Stories

Ruben Fleischer directed the original film, but he’s vacated the chair for the sequel. In his place comes Andy Serkis, who will be helming the movie.

What’s more, filming is now underway on Venom 2. Production has kicked off in the UK, which is where the bulk of the film’s work will be taking place.