2018 may finally be the year that a superhero film takes home the Oscar for Best Picture. After multiple commercial flops, like Infinity War and Black Panther, Venom finally gets the formula right. Venom cuts out what has been hindering the genre: gripping plots, heart wrenching backstories, memorable soundtracks, likeable characters, good action sequences and a reason to watch. With all of those gone, audiences are able to fully enjoy what is left.
The movie follows Eddie Brock, a journalist (who would want that job, am I right?) whose TV show specializes in covering crime, corruption and cover ups. After he ignores advice and attempts to expose the crimes of tech tycoon Carlton Drake, who is basically Elon Musk with less of a Twitter problem and a larger ego, Brock loses his show, his job, his girlfriend Ann, his apartment and his life in general. Later he gets a chance to sneak into Drake’s company, where he accidentally fuses with a symbiote named Venom. In Brock’s body, Venom gives Brock enhanced strength and healing abilities. Venom speaks to Brock telepathically and can take control of and morph certain limbs as well as turning into a hulking monster. Brock must learn to live with Venom inside him and work together in order to stop Drake and the symbiote inside of him.
At no point in this movie did the plot seem to make sense, which is a very strategic move. This way, the movie makes and equal amount of sense to someone who watched from the start and to someone who started 30 minutes in. This was likely a marketing strategy for people late to the movie showing. There are also plenty of plot holes, but those are meant to make the movie interactive. If you’re wondering why the evil symbiote took six months to get to an airport, or how Venom survives after being burned alive in front of our eyes, the creators intended for us to use our imaginations and feel like part of the experience.
One thing I hate about superhero movies is the backstories that are required for things to make sense. Venom relieves this problem by putting Venom’s entire backstory into one line of dialogue, “You see, on my planet I’m kind of a loser.” Other movies would’ve told us the origin of the symbiote race, details about their species, where they came from or what their home was like. While some say it enhances the narrative, I believe that kind of nonsense just makes my brain hurt. Why have a touching backstory when you can use screen time to hear a deep voiced symbiote say things like “tater tots and chocolate” or “turd in the wind?”
The soundtrack is where Venom really shines. The soundtrack here does its job by not enhancing the scenes or making me more gripped into the movie. Honestly, the soundtrack being removed completely is the only thing that could make Venom a better movie. Maybe throw in some cricket sounds or a person snoring, just like the theater I was in.
The on-screen chemistry between characters was phenomenal; a perfect reaction between oil and water. It was like waiting in an elevator with a stranger without talking and then going separate ways on the third floor. Brock and Venom had a functioning bond the likes of which hasn’t been seen in a serious film since Zootopia. Venom is talking constantly in Brock’s head, and there’s nothing like a self-proclaimed loser talking to a self-proclaimed loser in their head – I do it all the time. Most of Venom’s dialogue takes place during action scenes where he offers heartfelt, memorable quotes like “duck,” “watch out” or “go left.”
While many may pass this movie up due to bad reviews or because the movie is bad, Venom is actually the perfect movie. What many people see as flaws are actually strengths and these people are too scared to look perfection in the eye. Right before the movie started, I ate my friend’s movie ticket on a dare. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, but not as bitter as the taste Venom left with me. The taste was not bitter because Venom was bad, but because I know it will be a long time before a superhero film like this will grace us again.
