Venom
2018 · Directed by Ruben Fleischer
Original language: English
- science fiction
- action
The story
Investigative journalist Eddie Brock attempts a comeback following a scandal, but accidentally becomes the host of Venom, a violent, super powerful alien symbiote. Soon, he must rely on his newfound powers to protect the world from a shadowy organization looking for a symbiote of their own.
What it’s like
Bright, glossy studio sheen over a grimy San Francisco: night streets washed in sodium orange and cold blue, rain-slick asphalt, sterile laboratory whites, and a lot of shallow-focus close-ups on a rumpled, sweating face. The camera stays busy and hand-steadied, cutting fast through chase sequences with whooshing swoops and wide crane shots over the city, while the Venom creature itself is rendered as a sleek, dripping black mass with glowing eyes and a mouth full of teeth. Sound leans on a thumping electronic and orchestral score, with heavy bass drops during fights and quieter, wry moments of banter between Eddie and his alien roommate. The overall vibe is loud, goofy and slightly sour, a buddy comedy with monster-movie bones. Violence is frequent and cartoonishly physical, with lots of punching, crunching and creature-on-human brawling, but little gore beyond dark ichor and the odd bitten-off limb; there is some peril, jump-scare menace, and brief mild profanity. Pacing is brisk and rarely still. It suits a Friday night with friends, a light action fix, or fans of Marvel-adjacent antiheroes who want their hero's internal monologue to be a running joke.
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