Critics deem Sony’s Marvel flick dull poison

It’s Villain Week here at Mashable. In honor of the release of Venom, we’re celebrating all our favorite evildoers from film and TV all week long. Spooky, scary!

Turns out actual journalists don’t love this weird story about a journalist. Across the board, reviews for director Ruben Fleischer’s Venom are ranging from mixed to vicious. 

The Marvel-based supervillain flick chronicling the takeover of reporter Eddie Brock by alien Symbiote Venom is expected to score big at the box office this weekend — but could fail to deliver on its promise to launch Sony’s fledgling Marvel Universe.

Critics agree Tom Hardy committed big time to his parasitic role. However, they also contend that the film’s uneven tone and laughably thin story kept it from achieving full potency. 

Before you confirm that Venom ticket purchase this weekend, check out critics’ takes below.

Venom is decidedly unsure and unimaginative

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly:

Venom isn’t quite bad, but it’s not exactly good either. It’s noncommittally mediocre and, as a result, forgettable. It just sort of sits there, beating you numb, unsure of whether it wants to be a comic-book movie or put the whole idea of comic-book films in its crosshairs. It never rises above bombastic and busy — which is something I never thought I’d say about a movie starring three aces like Hardy, Ahmed, and Williams.

Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter: 

The only startling moment in the thoroughly irredeemable Venom that makes you sit up and take notice comes at the 71-minute mark, when the sight of a disheveled, stubbly, sweaty and bloated Tom Hardy jolts you with the realization that here is the perfect actor to one day play Harvey Weinstein. For that insight and that insight alone, this film is valuable. Notwithstanding the guaranteed profits stemming from any film with the Marvel brand attached to it, those involved should reflect upon the truth of the film’s advertising tagline: “The world has enough Superheroes.”

The Eddie/Venom relationship is pretty funny

Michael Nordine, IndieWire:

As much a body-horror thriller as it is a comic-book movie, “Venom” is also akin to a buddy comedy in which one of the buddies has to prevent the other from wantonly biting people’s heads off. If that sounds ridiculous, it is — but “Venom” both knows it and leans into it, playing up the dark humor until it’s pitch black. Not all of Eddie and Venom’s exchanges land as intended, but those that do are genuinely funny; over time, their relationship even becomes endearing in its own way, which comes as such a pleasant surprise it’s almost enough to recommend the movie on its own.

Michelle Williams gets totally sidelined 

Hugh Armitage, DigitalSpy: 

Poor, talented Michelle Williams is given the thankless task of the film’s resident girlfriend. Anne is a lawyer, allegedly, but her chief role is to grope for any sort of chemistry with Hardy, an ultimately doomed endeavour. At one point she says to Eddie, “I’m sorry about Venom” – it’s meant to be in sympathy, but could just as easily be directed to the audience, or herself.

The uneven visual effects don’t save the story

Sean O’Connell, CinemaBlend:

The special-effects work is sporadically impressive, and the symbiote, in general, looks great. Time and money went into creating Venom’s look, and fans simply looking for an improvement over Topher Grace’s atrocity will be comforted by the fact that Fleischer’s CGI team brought Venom to life. But at the same time, the action is choppy, a motorcycle chase through downtown San Francisco uses a laughable amount of green screen (I’m convinced Tom Hardy wasn’t on set on the days those scene were filmed), and the final confrontation between Venom and Riot disappoints.

Owen Gleiberman, Variety: 

Venom” is a textbook case of a comic-book film that’s unexciting in its ho-hum competence, and even its visual-effects bravura. Make no mistake: The effects can be dazzling. The alien matter splattering itself around like random tentacled liquid, the way Venom cross-breeds Spider-Man’s skyscraper-hopping agility with the Hulk’s dynamo destructiveness — it’s all diverting eye candy. But to what end? This gateway into the Sony Universe of Marvel Characters (get ready: there are 90!) may not sputter as badly as Tom Cruise’s “The Mummy,” but it could turn out to be a similar case of a franchise kickoff that doesn’t fully attain franchise liftoff.

Venom can’t hold up to the MCU

Justin Chang, LA Times:

Directed with flat, joyless competence by Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland,” “Gangster Squad”), “Venom” brings with it a laborious, decades-spanning development history. A movie this long in the works should arrive on-screen feeling like more than just an afterthought. But next to the much more visually and narratively elaborate entertainments that make up the Marvel Cinematic Universe — or even compared with other snarky anti-superhero films like “Deadpool” — “Venom” feels like pretty weak poison.

Laura Prudom, IGN:

Perhaps the most disappointing part of Venom is all of its untapped potential; it’s easy to imagine an actor of Hardy’s caliber seamlessly sliding into the MCU, and at the very least, he has enough fun with the role that you can’t help but want to see him face off with Tom Holland’s wide-eyed Spider-Man. If he gets the chance, here’s hoping the wind will have blown away the lingering whiff of this stinker by then.