Going into this movie, I was cautiously excited. I’d say about 15% cautious and 85% excited. On the positive side of things, Venom has always been one of my favorite characters and seeing Tom Hardy play him sounded like a great time to me. On the other side, they put out their initial trailer with no Venom in it, which made me worried that they didn’t know what they were doing. After seeing the movie, it was exactly what I wanted it to be.

Many people (myself included for a bit) weren’t happy with the idea of a Venom movie without Spider-Man. I’ve read Venom focused comics, so while I would have liked to see Spider-Man, I figured I could still enjoy the movie either way. And I did! I’m sure that was due in large part to them taking one of my favorite characters and doing justice to him/them.

Speaking of characters:

Eddie Brock: Eddie was great. Aside from the beginning scene with him and Anne, I loved pretty much every scene of his. And that’s good, because he’s our protagonist. He’s so likable that I couldn’t help but root for him despite the fact that his life troubles toward the start are completely his fault. A big part of his likability for me is genuine and kind interactions with the more minor characters in the story (Maria, Mrs. Chen, whatever that security guard’s name is). Eddie legitimately cares about people, and that’s why he ends up repeatedly getting himself into trouble.

Also, Tom Hardy needs some kind of award. I don’t know which, because I don’t watch award shows, but his performance was fantastic. His comedic talent (most of his scenes) and his dramatic talent (fewer scenes) both shine in this movie. I can’t wait to see him play more of Eddie Brock.

Eddie was great. Aside from the beginning scene with him and Anne, I loved pretty much every scene of his. And that’s good, because he’s our protagonist. He’s so likable that I couldn’t help but root for him despite the fact that his life troubles toward the start are completely his fault. A big part of his likability for me is genuine and kind interactions with the more minor characters in the story (Maria, Mrs. Chen, whatever that security guard’s name is). Eddie legitimately cares about people, and that’s why he ends up repeatedly getting himself into trouble. Also, Tom Hardy needs some kind of award. I don’t know which, because I don’t watch award shows, but his performance was fantastic. His comedic talent (most of his scenes) and his dramatic talent (fewer scenes) both shine in this movie. I can’t wait to see him play more of Eddie Brock. Venom : It felt suitable to give Venom his own section, so here it is. If someone would have told me that Venom, the large alien monster, was hilarious, I would have been a bit skeptical. But man, part of the reason I loved him so much is that he was so funny. Of course I loved how terrifyingly awesome he was in all his comic book glory, but I knew I’d get that. The comedic side of Venom was a nice surprise. And I love how well Eddie and Venom play off of each other in this movie. Again, credit goes to Tom Hardy being amazing at playing both of these characters.

: It felt suitable to give Venom his own section, so here it is. If someone would have told me that Venom, the large alien monster, was hilarious, I would have been a bit skeptical. But man, part of the reason I loved him so much is that he was so funny. Of course I loved how terrifyingly awesome he was in all his comic book glory, but I knew I’d get that. The comedic side of Venom was a nice surprise. And I love how well Eddie and Venom play off of each other in this movie. Again, credit goes to Tom Hardy being amazing at playing both of these characters. Anne Weying : Anne was kinda forgettable for me for the most part, aside from when she first sees Venom. That scene was great. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with Anne, it’s just that she doesn’t stand out much.

: Anne was kinda forgettable for me for the most part, aside from when she first sees Venom. That scene was great. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with Anne, it’s just that she doesn’t stand out much. Carlton Drake: When I first saw this movie I didn’t pay enough attention to Carlton Drake. I just saw him as a rich guy who experiments on poor people because he doesn’t care about them and wants to harness a new type of power. And yeah, that is him, but there’s a bit more to him. I’m always at least kind of interested in villains that, in their own perception, legitimately believe they’re doing the right thing. Everything Drake does is with the belief that he’s going to save the human race. I’m not saying he’s on the level of a Killmonger or a Thanos, but he’s at least got more of a motive driving him than just revenge, power, money, or simply being crazy. Most people probably could have played this role, but Riz Ahmed did bring a nice charm to it.

When I first saw this movie I didn’t pay enough attention to Carlton Drake. I just saw him as a rich guy who experiments on poor people because he doesn’t care about them and wants to harness a new type of power. And yeah, that is him, but there’s a bit more to him. I’m always at least kind of interested in villains that, in their own perception, legitimately believe they’re doing the right thing. Everything Drake does is with the belief that he’s going to save the human race. I’m not saying he’s on the level of a Killmonger or a Thanos, but he’s at least got more of a motive driving him than just revenge, power, money, or simply being crazy. Most people probably could have played this role, but Riz Ahmed did bring a nice charm to it. Dr. Dan Lewis: Dan is a doctor and a very minor character, but he’s such a nice guy I just had to say how much I love him. Shout out to Reid Scott.

I enjoyed the story in this movie. Through Eddie’s noble but misguided actions, we get to see how hard he’s hit by life. I’m not saying I wanna see the dude suffer, but it’s nice to see that even when he’s hit rock bottom, and has a chance to go after the dude he thinks put him there, he has no interest until he’s made aware of innocent people suffering. Goodness, that was a long sentence. That has to be breaking some grammar rules. Anyway, on the subject of story, we get a lot more of Eddie’s story than we do of Venom’s. Venom’s background is mentioned, but not really discussed in depth.

Which reminds me, one thing I’d change about this movie if I could, is that we don’t get enough time with Venom. I love Eddie, so I didn’t mind too much, but once Venom shows up the movie becomes more enjoyable and that would have been nice to have more of. But hey, that just makes me more excited for the sequel.

In said sequel, we’re more than likely gonna get to see Venom fight the second most famous Symbiote in Marvel lore, Carnage. But until then, we must settle for Riot. The fight with Riot was surprisingly easy to keep track of, considering it’s a large black slimy monster fighting a large gray slimy monster. Also, they did a nice job of differentiating between the two by giving them their own separate fighting moves. Riot is a lot more slicey and stabby. Also also, I loved that we were able to hear Eddie’s reactions to what Riot does while fighting Venom.

Ok, let’s streamline this. Some more things I loved about the movie:

Eddie’s reactions to pretty much everything going on, but especially hearing Venom in his head the first few times.

The fact that it’s pretty much a horror movie in some of the Life foundation scenes.

The scenes of Venom fighting humans and appearing to have a great time doing so.

The many, many comic book references.

Venom saying “do you feel me?” to that thug in the store.

The music both in the movie and the credits. I didn’t expect to hear “Super Hyphy” in this movie, but I’m glad I did. Also, Eminem and Run The Jewels in the credits? Thank you!

The mid credits scene (for the most part).

So yeah, I loved this movie more than I expected to. It gave me what I wanted in a great performance from Tom Hardy and an awesome Venom, and it gave me what I didn’t know I wanted in some fantastic comedic elements.

tl;dr: Not quite enough Venom in the Venom movie, but I loved it nonetheless.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10