By Timothy Roe, Staff Writer
In the face of Venom’s enormous fan base and the huge success of Marvel’s 2017 film “Spider-Man: Homecoming” how well did “Venom” fare?
Strangely, pretty darn well.
I say “strangely” here for two main reasons. Firstly, Sony’s usage of Spider-Man hasn’t received the brightest response because of rushed the production of “The Amazing Spider-Man”. Secondly, the direction “Venom” took was entirely unexpected, and, well, delightful.
All the dark themes of the film make it out to be closer to a thriller/horror-esque production than anything else. Human experimentation, graphic violence, cannibalism, mental torture and the setting is set almost exclusively in the darkness of the night, as opposed to the sun-loving Spider-Man films. Yet all these edgy qualities apparent in the trailers seem to meld away with the humorous and wholesome tones set in the movie. The Venom symbiote is much more humanized compared to its Spider-Man 3 counterpart, nailing the chemistry between host and parasite (Venom calling himself a loser left tears in my eyes).
There are moments scattered throughout the film where Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and Venom must cooperate to survive an ordeal and this bond is solidified by the slight detail of using the pronoun “we” instead of “I”. It’s definitely interesting to see most of the external conflict take place internally, and the internal conflict be represented externally; Venom and Eddie are often seen fighting with each other inside of one body. Venom is never seen attacking innocent civilians and Eddie lives as a bold and stubborn, yet good-hearted and sympathetic individual. He’s almost as respectable a character as Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, which is ironic when compared to the source material.
As in the comics, Eddie Brock was fired from his job as a journalist for a news company and subsequently dumped by his fiance. This time around, however, there is no Spider-Man to channel all his rage into, and Venom’s first host was Eddie instead of Peter Parker. Although some fans may recoil at this, the fact that “Venom” is currently a stand-alone film is important to consider when judging the plot. In a way, this factor actually helped improve the movie, since Eddie was able to play closer to a hero than a villain without the animosity he felt for Peter.
Speaking of villains, Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) is one of of Eddie’s enemies as well as a complete psychopath. A perfect match for Eddie, who stands on the healthier side of ethical choices. In fact, the reason he was fired from his job was because he asked too many questions regarding Carlton’s true nature. Carlton is manipulating and dangerous and proves to be a powerful antagonist after synthesizing with the Riot symbiote.
In the end-credits scene, after defeating Carlton and returning to everyday life with Venom, Eddie arrives with his new job at the high-security San Quentin prison to meet and interview a certain individual. And as we see the light fall upon his bulged eyes and unhinged smile, he quietly releases the final line of the movie: “When I get out of here — and I will — there’s gonna be Carnage.”
There it is, the perfect setup to spawn a Venom sequel. Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), also known as Carnage, is one of the most infamous villains in the entire Marvel Universe. A serial killer matched with a symbiote much stronger than Venom, he is a villain that fans have been waiting to see for a very long time. Perhaps a “Venom” sequel or perhaps a Spider-Man/Venom crossover will be released in the near future. For the time being, we’ll have to wait and see and honor Venom for giving it the clear cut path it deserved.
