Since before the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, comic book fans have been waiting to see Venom, one of Spider Man’s most dangerous, as well as popular, villains make his appearance on the silver screen. While the character has appeared in previous films, such as the third installment of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy, fans saw these interpretations as failing to live up to the spirit of the character. However, when Sony released the trailer for their brand new Venom solo movie, fans everywhere rejoiced at the prospect of a seemingly faithful movie rendition of the classic antihero.  I am happy to report that Sony’s Venom is not only an absolute joyride of a film but also does my personal favorite Spider-Man villain justice in all the best ways.

Plot:

The story of Venom is immediately different from any other origin story of the character because one key factor has been removed entirely: Spider-Man. You heard right, at no point in the movie does the friendly-neighborhood wall-crawler appear in any form. As a result, several features of the story were changed to represent this change: Venom does not have the spider symbol on his chest and the story is set in San Francisco instead of New York. While this may seem like a detriment to the story, it actually serves as somewhat of a benefit, since without the need to tie into Spider-Man, the plot is better able to focus on the main characters; Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote.

As for the story itself, it follows Eddie Brock, a former reporter who is disgraced and loses everything after a botched interview with Carlton Drake, the CEO of the mysterious Life Foundation. Eventually, a tip regarding Drake’s nefarious plans reaches Eddie and, following a break-in gone-wrong, Eddie gets infected with an alien being called a symbiote. Together with the symbiote, named Venom, Eddie works to bring down the Life Foundation and save the world from Drake’s schemes. The story, while not complex, is more than enough to get you invested in what is happening. Additionally, the story is made even more intriguing thanks to the involvement of the symbiotes, who play an integral part in the story and conflict.

Unfortunately, though multiple symbiotes were teased in the trailer, only two serve truly major roles, Venom and symbiote from one of his first solo comics named Riot. Fans expecting to see favorites like Carnage or Anti-Venom will have to wait a little longer. Additionally, the main villain, Carlton Drake, is a rather cliche villain when it comes to his goals and motives. These complaints aren’t too major, but they are missed opportunities that could have been expanded upon.

Characters:

The characters of Venom are handled extremely well throughout the film. Each of the acting choices fit their respective characters perfectly and put a lot of energy into their performances; from Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom, Michelle Williams as Eddie’s former fiancée  Ann Weying, and Riz Ahmed as Carlton Drake and Riot. In addition, the scripts for these characters are well written, allowing for great comedy and intense drama. This is especially true for the main symbiote himself, who is represented to perfection. From his psychotic blood-lust to his hilariously awkward goofiness, Venom is given his most authentic representation of any modern movie he has been in.

Effects:

The CGI of Venom is consistently awesome. It is clear that a lot of time and effort went into making the symbiotes as close to their comic book counterparts as possible. Since practical effects could not be used due to the nature of the symbiotes as depicted in the comics, CGI is used in all fights involving the character. However, it hardly matters. The CGI is very good at capturing the animalistic movements of Venom, and the textures really give him a unique and alien look. Fight scenes were fast, intense, and especially brutal as Venom tears through all who stood in his way. Every time Eddie suited up with the symbiote, you knew that you were about to witness something epic.

Final Rating:

Sony’s Venom succeeds in both telling an interesting and engaging story and creating the most authentic version of the character to ever grace cinemas. Whether you are a longtime fan of the legendary comic book lethal protector, or just love classic Marvel action with good characters, you will have a blast with Venom. I cannot wait to see the return of this anti-hero to the silver screen, and with an after-credits teaser that hints at the arrival of Carnage, I hope I don’t have to wait too long. After all, the world has enough superheroes.

I give Venom a final rating of a 9/10.