by Nick Hernandez

“Venom” was released on October 5th and quickly received a 31% rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Stating that the movie was confusing and screenplay lacking, reviews given were not in favor of the anti-hero.

An early look at “Venom” showed that critics didn’t like it one bit. Venom’s first incarnation on the big screen was trashed across social media and dreams of a 3-series franchise were crushed by what was determined in early screenings of the movie. Despite the outlash, the movie still saw an incredible turnout, grossing over $80 million from its opening weekend in the U.S. alone, breaking the October domestic box office record. 

Tom Hardy playing the protagonist, Eddie Brock, who acquires the Venom symbiote, and the two save the day in an action filled adventure. Full of fight scenes, romance and evil plotting; the movies’ basis revolves around Eddie, his fiance-(soon to be ex) and an evil mastermind with plans on “helping” the human race. 

While elements like side-characters and antagonists usually help the plot of a movie, in this instance the direct opposite occurs. Eddie’s love life – almost as fast as it was introduced – is quickly thrown out of the window, and the villian, Carlton Drake never does anything to prove his worth. This applies to basically the entire cast, with characters written for the sole purpose of advancing the plot; Their roles, while small, do not affect the movie in any sort of way, making it practically boring to watch. 

With all its malfunctions taken into account, the writers were effective in one aspect, that being creating an awesome and entertaining main character. This small success within the film has the greatest payout, as the movies’ creators have your attention and finally make what you watch intriguing.  

Together Eddie and Venom steal the show, immediately bringing action and fight scenes along with them, but also a humorous aspect as well. Their bond portrays a friendship that has developed for years, where their dialogue although not intentional, comes off as funny. These two are the reason why fans and moviegoers alike loved the movie. Despite its areas of bad development, the true masterpiece evolves when the couple is added into the mix. 

Their success becomes obvious when looking at fan feedback that the movie received. On the same website that crushed it, Rotten Tomatoes’ fan review shows that 88% of viewers like the film. It’s evident that these members of the audience were not deterred because of “Venom’s” early reviews; in a sense those judgements are valid, but it does not take away from the work of art that was Venom.