✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

You have reached the limit of free articles.


To enjoy unlimited access to Culture Whisper sign up for FREE.
Find out more about Culture Whisper

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy

Each week, we send newsletters and communication featuring articles, our latest tickets invitations, and exclusive offers.

Occasional information about discounts, special offers and promotions.


OR
LOG IN

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

Thanks for signing up to Culture Whisper.
Please check your inbox for a confirmation email and click the link to verify your account.



EXPLORE CULTURE WHISPER
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy
Forgot your username or password?
Don't have an account? Sign Up

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

If you click «Log in with Facebook» and are not a Culture Whisper user, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and to our Privacy Policy, which includes our Cookie Use

Support Us Login
  • Home
  • Going Out
    • Things to do
    • Food & Drink
    • Theatre
    • Visual Arts
    • Cinema
    • Kids
    • Festival
    • Gigs
    • Dance
    • Classical Music
    • Opera
    • Immersive
    • Talks
  • Staying In
    • TV
    • Books
    • Cook
    • Podcast
    • Design
    • Netflix
  • Life & Style
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Gifting
    • Wellbeing
    • Lifestyle
    • Shopping
    • Jewellery
  • Explore
  • Shopping
  • CW SHOPS
  • Support Us
  • Get Started
  • Tickets
  • CW SHOPS
Get the Best of London Life, Culture and Style
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
Cinema

Venom film review ★★★★★

03 Oct 18 – 03 Oct 19, 12:00 AM

Clumsy, poorly written, and often boring – the new Spider-Man villain spinoff standalone has plenty to be embarrassed about

By Euan Franklin on 5/10/2018

1 CW reader is interested
Tom Hardy in Venom
Tom Hardy in Venom
Venom film review 1 Venom film review Euan Franklin
Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is a hardline investigative journalist, who breaks into the famous Life Foundation lab and discovers that they are experimenting on the weak and poor, combining them with an alien ‘symbiote’ to cure them. Brock comes into contact with one such symbiote, Venom – turning him into a duel-personality, dark spaghetti monster with sharkish teeth and a snaky tongue.



Venom takes a bizarre tone, unfolding like a weird buddy-comedy instead of a villain’s climb to power (something Marvel did to excellent effect this year with Avengers: Infinity War). Even though Venom is a vicious beast that enjoys chewing people’s heads off, him and Eddie get on well. Jokes spit between them like they’ve known each other for years.


Subsequently, the alien monster is removed of all his potential fear-factor – if he was ever scary in the first place. His voice isn’t bone-chilling, it’s insurmountably hilarious. And judging by the writing credits and Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) directing, this is probably intentional – but why? Why was this enticingly dark, psychological horror concept turned into something so… light-hearted?


There are times when the film is fun in its stupidity, and there are a few laughs here and there. But it’s not long before we’re struck with its clumsily cut action sequences, frustratingly underwhelming emotions (especially from Michelle Williams), and dishwater dialogue that’s enough to put any massive beast to sleep. It also takes a certain kind of directorial incompetence to make Tom Hardy look dull on-screen. As it stands, Venom has plenty to be embarrassed about.





What Venom film review
When 03 Oct 18 – 03 Oct 19, 12:00 AM
Price £n/a
Website Click here for more information



Most popular

Things to do in London this weekend: 17–19 November. Credit: Matt Crockett
Things to do in London this weekend: 24–26 November
Best exhibition in London now
Top exhibitions on now in London
Gary Oldman in Slow Horses season 3, AppleTV+ (Photo: Apple)
What to watch on TV this week

Editor's Picks

Laura Harring and Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive
How to get cheap cinema in London: offers to know
A Star Is Born: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper and a love story like no other
A Star is Born film review
Morfydd Clarke in Saint Maud (Photo: Sky/StudioCanal)
Best horror movies and TV shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video
Sophie Turner in Dark Phoenix
Dark Phoenix: X-Men sets fire to Sophie Turner
Brie Larson in Unicorn Store
Best films on Netflix now
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
1

Venom

Superhero

Comic Book

Tom Hardy

You might like

  • Rowan Atkinson in Johnny English Strikes Again

    Johnny English Strikes Again film review ★★★★★

  • Kusama - Infinity film review ★★★★★

  • Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively in A Simple Favour

    A Simple Favour film review ★★★★★

  • Glenn Close in The Wife

    The Wife film review ★★★★★

  • KiKi Layne and Stephan James in If Beale Street Could Talk

    If Beale Street Could Talk film review ★★★★★

  • Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet play complex father and son in Beautiful Boy

    Beautiful Boy film review ★★★★★



  • The Culture Whisper team
  • Support Us
  • Tickets
  • Contact us
  • Press
  • FAQ
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookies
  • Discover
  • Venues
  • Restaurants
  • Stations
  • Boroughs
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
×