7 / 10. Fun, entertaining and some funny Venom / Eddie moments, but dodgy CGI

Venom is a superhero film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but via Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters, with Tom Hardy in the titular role of Marvel Comics character Eddie Brock / Venom, directed by Ruben Fleischer.

Nosy Journalist Eddie Brock is investigating Carlton Drake, the odd yet brilliant founder of the bio-engineering Life Foundation, who’re launching space probes in search of extra-terrestrial life. One of which returns to earth with symbiotic life form samples …

Eddie is exposed to and merges with the rage filled alien, Venom, which imbues him with superhuman strength and abilities, and a nagging voice in his head.

Tom Hardy is always amazing and plays Eddie Brock with great enthusiasm, but I find him a bit jarring with an American accent. Venom is a fun and enjoyable film, but not on the same level as main Disney MCU films.

The CGI looked dated which is odd, as a big part of the merging of Venom and Eddie is all down to CGI, and surely, they had the budget.

Michelle Williams is usually excellent (All the Money in the World, Shutter Island), but she is not as engaging here as Eddie’s fiancé then ex, Anne, although that may be due to the script. Riz Ahmed is a fantastic actor too (notably The Night Of, Ill Manors, Shifty) but I don’t really believe him here as a big bad major villain.

The banter between Venom and Eddie was a bit cringey at first but came into its own towards the end and it found a good rhythm. The scene with Eddie gate-crashing ex Anne’s date at the restaurant and wrestling his new urges is a treat.

The film is around 1 hr 35, and I think that was a good length as it was entertaining, despite its flaws. Hardy is strong as the lead and also does Venom’s voice, and if they fix some of these flaws a sequel could be great - if they choose a good story with a good script and improve the CGI.

Interesting, yet shoehorned in, post credits scenes are included.