Entangled in the web of the Spidey universe, but never spinning close enough interact with Peter Parker himself is the Tom Hardy spinoff that fans were curious to see but ambivalent to watch. As rumours swirled this week that 40 minutes were cut from the film, it is surprising that the 71 minutes from Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer feels more than adequate to surmise the premise on which this origin story is based. Crashing into Earth like the infectious alien shuttle at the start of the film, it’s hard to anticipate what direction the film will take in style or tone.
Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is the has-been, down on his luck former journalist whose hunches about famed scientist Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) and his scheming to join human and aliens or “symbiotes” as a mixed race cost him his livelihood and fiance (Michelle Williams). Their lacklustre relationship does not seem to be salvageable even in the introduction phase. Brock himself acknowledges that there is no imperative to investigate the mystery any further when tipped off, and yet we’re strung along as he breaks into the lab and unleashes the poison.
Meeting Venom in his slimey gore is an indulgent yet confusing experience. With each tongue splash and teeth gnashing, what should be cynical and desolate becomes farcical and pure slapstick. There’s a ride along scene where Eddie is being pursued by Drake’s cronies and it feels more like a sidecar adventure where the hero is a sidekick in his own story. It’s never fully explained just how the symbiote comes to inhibit the psyche of his host, but it does make for some interesting buddy humour where the audience is surprised by the sudden booming narration of the beast. Hardy does delight with his nervous tics and quirky idiosyncrasies as he adjusts to his new condition, but even he can’t pull away from the confusion of who it is he’s supposed to be.
Venom has been penned as an anti-hero, but he’s not in the calibre of the Deadpool kind. He has the moral compass to pursue the baddies, but takes a mercenary approach that doesn’t parody the folly of heroes nor commit to being evil for evil’s sake. Teenage boys would relate to his insatiable appetite, but it’s not a quench for justice, or revenge or even clarification for finding where his place is in the world. It literally is just that, a parasitic hunger that makes for funny scenes eating raw tater totts in his shabby apartment or climbing into lobster aquariums at fancy restaurants.
As the symbiote matter of factly remarks in the last third of the film, he does not want evil Carlton Drake to return to his home planet and complete his mission of symbiosis purely because he will be found out as a loser. Similarly, it’s that realisation that you want to be invested into this Marvel story least you miss something in the comics or do not fully appreciate the wider scope of Spidey villains regardless of whether they are tied in with Tom Holland. Regardless, the die hards should still relish the raw scraps of canon in the closing credits of the film.
At the very least, there’s a Stan Lee cameo to wait for.
Sony Pictures Australia
About The Author
