With a 31% on Rotten Tomatoes, what hopes can one have for the first movie from the newly started up Sony’s Marvel Universe Venom? However, I would not throw in the towel entirely on this movie. It definitely did not surpass many of my expectations, but not all of the movie was as disappointing as assumed by reviews.

First off, I found myself both mesmerized and disgusted by the look of the gooey alien “venom.” Remember the borax, glue, and water mixture you may made in elementary school called gloop? Think of that except with rows of razor sharp teeth and a pair of glow in the dark looking eyes. Trailers suggested a new look to this anti-hero, but even they didn’t pay justice or prepare me for the mind-boggalingness of a symbiote/human creation. It was a pleasant surprise since there has really never been a hero, villain, or anti-hero to compare to him.

The entire movie set itself up to ultimately have a lot of success, except it feel short nearly every time. Frankly, I didn’t even become invested until he became Venom which is about a third into the 2 hour and 20 minute movie. I had a sort of unrealistic and rushed feel from the entire story. Nothing ever felt like it could happen to someone in any given day. Which partly makes sense since this is a superhero movie we’re talking about. However, isn’t part of superhero movies appeal the relatability that any of it could happen to anyone on any day? I never felt that. It was like watching a story written in someone’s early years where one plot twist happens before the previous was ever anywhere close to resolved.  

Conversely, I did enjoy how since he is an anti-hero there was this gray area between good and bad. No one in the movie is definitely a bad or good guy, for the most part. This was where the real-lifeness came into play. Most characters felt contradictingly intense fueled by selfish values and societal morals.
So no, this movie did not shatter preconceived expectations, but it isn’t completely a waste. If nothing else, it does provide a few hearty laughs which at the end of the day never hurts.