‘Venom’ review roundup: Critics say Tom Hardy’s new movie is so bad it might be good

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There are two big films coming out this weekend. One of them is Bradley Cooper’s “A Star is Born,” which is loved by critics and expected to sweep the Oscars in major categories. The other? Not so much. 

It’s “Venom,” which does not exist within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is produced by Sony. “Venom” stars Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, and Riz Ahmed. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Williams said that the main reason she took the role was the chance to work with Tom Hardy, but later mentioned money was a factor too.

And critics say “Venom” is a mess, and it currently has a 27% score on Rotten Tomatoes. But even the most scathing reviews of the movie indicated that it is still a good time, because it is so awesomely bad that you can’t help but enjoy yourself. 

Hardy, Williams, and Ahmed do what they can with a clunky, boring plot, but the film doesn’t seem to know what its own tone is. The movie is, essentially, exactly what you’d expect after seeing the hilarious trailer. 

Here’s what the critics are saying about “Venom,” in theaters Friday:

“Venom is neither triumph nor train-wreck. It’s a mediocre origin story, a superhero host that sadly fails to bond with its comedy parasite”

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Ian Freer, Empire Magazine

“How Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, and Riz Ahmed read this piss-poor script and decided it would make a deserving movie is an oral history worth reading 10 years from now.”

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Rodrigo Perez,  The Playlist