The first reactions to the Venom movie are here, and they’re not really all that surprising, unless you thought the movie was going to be awful, which I’m sure some fans out there did. It’s important to point out that the reactions are not reviews, and shouldn’t be taken as such. They do, however, point to an interesting film.
Significant chunks of #Venom don’t work *at all* but there is some serious charm to the Eddie/Venom relationship. Not sure I had the intended reactions to some scenes but fun is fun – even when it’s totally ridiculous, right? It’s too bad they didn’t go for the R rating though.
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) October 2, 2018
Not sure if Tom Hardy’s weirdness sabotaged #Venom or saved it, but it has a self-aware cartoonishness, especially in its latter half. It’s not “good,” but it’s better than expected. Doesn’t feel like an R-rated film, am guessing the deleted 40min is just Hardy clowning around.
— Scott Mendelson (@ScottMendelson) October 2, 2018
Tom Hardy’s performance in #Venom is either Johnny Depp in the first PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN or Chris Klein in STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI. Either way, it’s not boring.
— Scott Mendelson (@ScottMendelson) October 2, 2018
Social embargo for #Venom is up. I talk about this a lot in my review but this is a movie that somehow slipped through a wormhole from 2004. That’s my biggest take. It’s a movie that spilled from the pre-MCU era through a crack in time and space.
— The Mothmeg 🔜 NYCC (@rustypolished) October 2, 2018
Think Affleck Daredevil. Think Ang Lee Hulk. Think Halle Berry Catwoman. That’s…I mean, that’s really all there is to be said, I think. It’s absolutely bizarre.
— The Mothmeg 🔜 NYCC (@rustypolished) October 2, 2018
#Venom wasn’t as bad as everyone was saying it was going to be. Tom Hardy is and always will be a great actor, and I laughed a lot — but I’m not sure whether that was intentional or not. Post-credit scene is 🔥
— Beatrice Verhoeven (@bverhoev) October 2, 2018
Sorry to say that #Venom is pretty much a complete failure – a tonal mess that feels 15 years old, ignoring the storytelling strides that the superhero genre has made in recent years.
A few fun Venom-centric moments aside, it has nearly nothing to offer. Don’t get your hopes up.
— Tom Horrorgensen (@Tom_Jorgensen) October 2, 2018
#Venom is a one-man buddy film bonded with an antihero origin story. And Tom Hardy pulls it off like only he can pic.twitter.com/d2AblUvWjF
— Chris Sylvia (@sylvioso) October 2, 2018
I’m *fascinated* with VENOM. The cast seems to all know they’re in a darker superhero movie, except Tom Hardy who is basically remaking Jim Carrey’s Liar Liar. I kinda loved watching this movie, in a Rocky Horror type of way. At one point Tom Hardy and Venom make out.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) October 2, 2018
#Venom is Catwoman level bad, with Tom Hardy’s worst performance since This Means War.
DON’T SEE THE MOVIE!— Daniel R (@DanielRPK) October 2, 2018
I’d rather watch Fant4stic on repeat than this. #Venom
— Daniel R (@DanielRPK) October 2, 2018
Even if #Venom will make enough money to get a sequel I can’t see Tom Hardy returning. Hardy has standards, once he’ll see the reviews he will not want anything to do with a sequel unless he could be sure it’ll be better meaning – part of the MCU.
— Daniel R (@DanielRPK) October 2, 2018
Now that impressions can be shared: #Venom is pretty much this year’s Fant4stic. Everyone except for Hardy is coasting through their performance… I would hate to have to do press for this movie. #Venom #TomHardy
— Tread Talks (@treadtalks) October 2, 2018
It breaks my heart to say #Venom doesn’t work. While the symbiote looks fantastic, the rest of the movie is a mess. Rough CGI, poor story plotting and a schizophrenic tone. Trying to launch this world without Spider-Man is too large of a hurdle. Disappointing. @VenomMovie pic.twitter.com/G5SDLjeCaL
— Sean O’Connell (@Sean_OConnell) October 2, 2018
In an era where the bar for superhero movies has been raised to significant heights, #Venom feels like ELEKTRA, the GHOST RIDER movies, or that Thomas Jane PUNISHER, with Travolta as a hammy villain. You recognize pieces, but can’t quite understand why they don’t fit together. pic.twitter.com/HS2MeyxdtT
— Sean O’Connell (@Sean_OConnell) October 2, 2018
If you’re like me, you’ll still see the movie, regardless of the bad reviews, which honestly seem like they’re being a bit dramatic. The trailers for Venom alone were better than 2015’s Fantastic Four. I can definitely sense the 2000’s vibe from the trailers, but that’s not really a bad thing, honestly.
It’s also interesting that someone said Tom Hardy wouldn’t return for a sequel, when he’s already signed up for a trilogy of Venom films.
Spider-Man not being in the film definitely is a big hurdle to overcome, though. We’ll know for sure when the movie hits theaters this Friday.