With critics having screened Sony’s new Venom film starring Tom Hardy and the social media embargo lifted, the first reactions to the film have hit the web.
The new spin-off features Hardy in the starring role of the reporter-turned-Spider-Man nemesis, Eddie Brock. The film which will begin to expand Sony’s Universe of Spider-Man characters tells the origin story for Venom, inspired by the Lethal Protector and Planet of the Symbiotes comic book runs.
You can check out the first reactions from critics below.
#Venom is Catwoman level bad, with Tom Hardy's worst performance since This Means War.
DON'T SEE THE MOVIE!— Daniel R (@DanielRPK) October 2, 2018
Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and #Venom has some really entertaining moments. A clunky script without nuance bogs the #Venom down, preventing it from choosing between being gritty, funny, or something unique.
— Brandon Davis (@BrandonDavisBD) October 2, 2018
Significant chunks of #Venom don’t work *at all* but there is some serious charm to the Eddie/Venom relationship. Not sure I had the intended reactions to some scenes but fun is fun – even when it’s totally ridiculous, right? It’s too bad they didn’t go for the R rating though.
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) October 2, 2018
#Venom wasn’t as bad as everyone was saying it was going to be. Tom Hardy is and always will be a great actor, and I laughed a lot — but I’m not sure whether that was intentional or not. Post-credit scene is 🔥
— Beatrice Verhoeven (@bverhoev) October 2, 2018
Social embargo for #Venom is up. I talk about this a lot in my review but this is a movie that somehow slipped through a wormhole from 2004. That's my biggest take. It's a movie that spilled from the pre-MCU era through a crack in time and space.
— The Mothmeg 🔜 NYCC (@rustypolished) October 2, 2018
Now that impressions can be shared: #Venom is pretty much this year’s Fant4stic. Everyone except for Hardy is coasting through their performance… I would hate to have to do press for this movie. #Venom #TomHardy
— Tread Talks (@treadtalks) October 2, 2018
#Venom is a one-man buddy film bonded with an antihero origin story. And Tom Hardy pulls it off like only he can pic.twitter.com/d2AblUvWjF
— Chris Sylvia (@sylvioso) October 2, 2018
Sorry to say that #Venom is pretty much a complete failure – a tonal mess that feels 15 years old, ignoring the storytelling strides that the superhero genre has made in recent years.
A few fun Venom-centric moments aside, it has nearly nothing to offer. Don't get your hopes up.
— Tom Horrorgensen (@Tom_Jorgensen) October 2, 2018
@JimmytotheO had a good time with @VenomMovie. While it has its flaws, he calls it “fast paced, funny and sometimes thrilling…” Plus “Tom Hardy is pretty phenomenal.” Full review soon! pic.twitter.com/CKYdLPRyAL
— JoBlo.com (@joblocom) October 2, 2018
So what do you think? Will you be seeing the film opening weekend? Let us know in the comments below.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer from a script by Jeff Pinkner & Scott Rosenberg and Kelly Marcel, the film stars Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, Reid Scott, Jenny Slate, Ron Cephas Jones, and Woody Harrelson.
One of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters takes center stage as Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) becomes the host for the alien symbiote Venom. As a journalist, Eddie has been trying to take down the notorious founder of the Life Foundation, genius Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) – and that obsession ruined his career and his relationship with his girlfriend, Anne Weying (Michelle Williams).
Upon investigating one of Drake’s experiments, the alien Venom merges with Eddie’s body, and he suddenly has incredible new superpowers, as well as the chance to do just about whatever he wants. Twisted, dark, unpredictable, and fueled by rage, Venom leaves Eddie wrestling to control dangerous abilities that he also finds empowering and intoxicating. As Eddie and Venom need each other to get what they’re looking for, they become more and more intertwined — where does Eddie end and Venom begin?
The film hits theaters on October 5, 2018.
