In Defense of Venom

Ruben Fleischer's Venom opened Friday, and the reaction has been, well, less than glowing. As of this writing, the film's Rotten Tomatoes approval rating is at a not-so-impressive 30%, with critics citing its chaotic storytelling, middling special effects, and weird campy/comic tone.

Rafer Guzman of Newsday compared Venom to midnight movie classics like The Rocky Horror Picture Show (which would be a positive in my book, but which Guzman meant to be a criticism), while NPR's Chris Kilmek compared it unfavorably to the '80s sitcom ALF. Stephanie Zacharek of TIME gave Venom a 3.5 out of 10, and even IGN's own Laura Prudom gave it a 4.0 out of 10, employing one of the film's more notorious lines of dialogue as a descriptor: “A turd in the wind.”

What's more, many audience members were openly uncomfortable with the studio's excision of Spider-Man from the Venom story; Venom not only found his comic book origin as a Spider-Man villain but functioned, essentially, as Spider-Man's evil twin (the alien symbiote was once Spider-Man's costume before it wrapped itself around Eddie Brock and turned villainous). With so many fans already upset at this decision before they had even seen the film, Venom faced an uphill battle. A battle it seems to be losing.

But, dear readers, I come here to praise Venom, not to bury it. As one of the few critics who rather enjoyed Venom, I feel a defense must be authored. Or at least an alternate perspective, as Venom deserves better than it is getting.

To address – and diffuse – fans' primary concern right away: No, Spider-Man has no meaningful connection to the events of Venom... and that's fine. The concept of Venom – a glob of intelligent alien goo from outer space wraps itself around a human host turning him into a killer antihero – is sufficient without Spider-Man, and makes for a perfectly decent premise inside or outside the realm of the Marvel universe. The notion of an alien intelligence invading your brain and your body is scary enough on its own – there are distant whiffs of David Cronenberg in the character of Venom – and doesn't necessarily require an intimate working knowledge of comic book lore to work.

To my eye, Venom's narrative autonomy works in its favor. I understand that it's fashionable to connect any and all superhero movies to a larger interconnected super-narrative that ensures eventual crossovers with an expanding cast of characters in increasingly enormous blockbuster event movies. This interconnectivity is the primary selling point of the 20-film Avengers series, after all, and was intended to be the same with the Amazing Spider-Man films and the DC films. But after a full decade of superhero movies that are dripping with their own self-importance, selling themselves as necessary chapters in a long-running TV series, the relative modesty of Venom feels downright refreshing.

The Cinematic Revival of Venom, Bane, Deadpool and Other Superhero Characters

This is the way comic book films were made 20 years ago: with the assumption that there would be no sequels. And while Sony may be planning Venom 2 or Spider-Man crossovers, there's a definite nostalgic thrill to see a return to a smaller form of storytelling. Is it quaint? Yes. Does it ignore canon? Sure. Is it a detriment? I would say not. In all positivity, I declare that Venom is like the best comic book movie of 1998.

Indeed, that “smallness,” if you will, allows for a wider freedom to tinker with the material. When the filmmakers are working on an autonomous narrative, they are free to get to the heart of the character, unfettered by the pretense of his Spider-Man context. This film version of Venom is, essentially, a Jekyll & Hyde story, only Jekyll and Hyde are in constant communication. Tom Hardy plays both parts with enthusiasm and energy, making Eddie Brock into a convincing sad sack trapped by his own self-pity, and Venom into his wild, violent inner bro that is constantly trying to talk him up. The Venom voice (Hardy's own voice, but distorted) encourages Eddie to do dangerous things and to eat people's heads, yes, but also incites Eddie to action when he's feeling down. Their body chemistry may be symbiotic, but so are their characters. By the end of the film, you get the sense that Eddie and Venom would indeed be great roommates. Only one roommate is a killer alien shark monster made of tar who lives inside your brain.

And yes, Venom is funny. While some critics have bristled at some of the campiness or broad humor – many would have preferred that Venom be scarier and more horrific – those elements certainly make Venom very entertaining. Yes, Venom is a violent, evil character, but after the self-aware silliness of Deadpool and the quip-a-minute absurdity of Guardians of the Galaxy, one would think audiences would welcome a mellower type of slightly goofy humor back into their superhero flicks. At the screening I attended, audiences were laughing a lot. Whether at Venom or with it, people were indeed having a great time. And that's not nothing.

Venom Easter Eggs, Cameos and References

Also, Venom features an Eminem rap song about the character, specially commissioned for the film. This may just be the raving of a nostalgic member of Generation Y, but that is something I definitely miss. As someone raised on “The Addams Groove,” “T-U-R-T-L-E Power,” and “Are You Ready for Freddy?,” a rap narrative over the closing credits is the most natural thing in the world. And I love when it happens.

Is Venom a capital-G-great superhero film? No. Is it epic and ambitious in its scope? It isn't. Is it terribly original? Not at all. Is it a cool little monster flick with a fun central performance, a cool character dynamic, and a great cast? Yes indeed. And you know what? That's more than enough.

For more on Venom, check out our review as well as our breakdown of all the Easter eggs and the ending and post-credits scenes. You should also check out what director Ruben Fleischer told us about saving Carnage for Venom 2 and Tom Holland's Spider-Man not being in the movie.