Forceful, cringe-worthy CGI, dialogue and humor, Venom needs more than just its witty, charming chemistry from Hardy and his symbiotic counterpart to save what seems to be just another sub-par entry in Sony's attempt to salvage what universe it has or is trying to create. 2.3/5

I'm going to try my best in not using the word "fun" to describe my feelings toward this movie because that word is to be taken with a large grain of salt here. Due to the way I personally experienced this film, I would love to sugarcoat it and talk about the positives and mention why all of the negatives are really positives, but that would just be ignoring the film as a whole. Venom is the latest attempt at starting a Marvel franchise outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and if this movie is any indication of what their plans are, then I'm afraid for this world to expand. That being said, at times, this movie is a blast to watch and I had a decent time at the theatre. I'm by no means calling this a good film, but here's why some viewers will probably find some enjoyment. Taking next to nothing from the source material, Venom follows Eddie Brock as he stumbles upon an alien life form known as a Symbiote. The company known as the Life Foundation has been running tests on these Symbiotes in hopes of merging them with a human. Once Eddie merges with the Symbiote known as Venom, chaos ensues and he begins to wreak havoc on the city, or face certain death if he doesn't cooperate. The fact that his life is in danger is literally the only glimpse at the true origin of this character. Quite honestly, the fact that they weren't able to use Spider-Man really took away from the depth that this film could've achieved. That aside, I chose to watch the movie as if it was an original film, with no comic origins to weigh it down. As a movie with absolutely no baggage, it creates some of its own by having a first act that relies far too heavily on the serious aspects of this foundation and not enough humour with the character of Eddie Brock. By the time Eddie becomes one with Venom, his sequences are very funny and easily staple themselves as the highlights of the film. From the dialogue to the set-up, this character was far better than the film that surrounded him. I found myself loving every whimsical second of the presence that either Eddie Brock or Venom provided. Their interaction with one another made me wish I had been watching a better movie with them in it. As far as the action goes, the second half of the film is loaded with it. When this film begins, it drags on quite a bit with a very mediocre premise, while also rushing through many story beats, making it quite the jumbled mess. If you're willing to be patient with a film in order to get to some awesome and even comedic sequences, then I would recommend Venom to you, based purely on entertainment. This is a film that would have benefitted from a teenage audience over a decade ago. The standard that has been set by many comic-based hero films these days are just too high for a film like this to match. In the end, Venom is a film that has a very strong, entertaining, and even hilarious central anti-hero. Its biggest flaw is the fact that every character is very standard and one-dimensional, and given that this film has a supporting cast in Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed, that's quite upsetting. It has a decent score and the action is entertaining at times, but the story itself falls flat on its face. This movie would've benefitted from the true origin of its titular character, but the presence of that character is pretty awesome on-screen. Although the movie is very hollow, I would almost recommend this film for Tom Hardy's performance as Eddie Brock, because it was fantastic. Overall, Venom isn't a good film, but there are some terrifically entertaining moments.