The Clackamas print., October 10, 2018, Page 6, Image 6

Venom oozes blockbuster success
STORY BY JARED PREBLE
MANAGING EDITOR
J
'
The infamous alter ego of your friendly neighborhood
Spider-Man has landed his own film thanks to Sony.
With the movie shattering expectations with a $125
million opening weekend grossing, many fans are
looking forward to a quality. Sony universe ona
possible merging with the Marvel Cinematic Universe
where Tom Holland’s Spider-Man resides.
As a longtime fan of Venom, I’ve been collecting
action figures and com ics related to the Lethal
Protector since I was eight. I was ecstatic to be able
to sit in the dim theater and recline in my chair
knowing full and well that I was in for a wild ride with
my favorite villain in the driver’s seat. Contrary to
the grading of critics, Venom was an action packed
film that kept me invested til the credits foiled,
though it was'not without its handful of errors and
pacing mistakes.
‘
'
“...a good chunk of the
$100 million budget was
spent making Venom look
as gnarly and imposing as
possible.”
Rotten Tomatoes is the primary movie grading
Website used today, and it provides two. grades.
One is the consensus of the critics, the other is the
consensus of the fans. Venom received a lowly 30
percent from the critics, the score labeling the movie
as rotten and unimpressive. The fans however/gave
the. movie an impressive 89 percent, which deems
it as fresh and watchable. This contrast in ratings
is among one of the many factors that has allowed
Venom to do as well as it has thus far, aS the poor
grading from the critics practically thrust fans into
the movie seats to see if the movie truly was a 30
percent flop.
Another factor that has led to the movie’s success
is its lead actor, Tom Hardy. Hardy has been in
countless films and is recognized by many as a top-
notch performer. Starring in movies such as Mad
Sony Studios
Max Fury Road, Warrior and
The Dark Knight Rises, many
fan s, including m yself, were
thrilled to see him cast in the
role of Venom. His acting does
not disappoint, in this movie,
though there were several
instances (Where the dialogue
could have used some work.
His character, Eddie Brock,
approaches the situation of
bonding with an alien lifeform
in a rather unorthodox fashion,
but it was both amusing and
intriguing to watch the process
of the two growing comfortable
with each other throughout the
movie.
As for things blowing up and
heads being bitten off, it’s safe
to say that a good third of this
movie is pure action and we are
treated to countless scenes of
Brock rocking the full-bodied
sy m b io te . The co m p u ter
generated graphics are equally
impressive, and it’s very clear
that a good chunk of the $100
m illio n budget was spent,
making Venom look as gnarly
and imposing as possible. Aside
from an unhsually long car
chase scene and a weirdly paced
hotel lobby brawl, you can look
forward to Venom smackihg bad
guys left and right for a good
portionof the film.
C o n ce rn in g the m o vie ’ s
narrative, it’ s fairly easy to see
where the 30 percent rating comes from. Several
. odd choices are made for certain characters, both
protagonist and antagonist, throughout the movie.
The love interested falls a bit flat in several instances
and the final fight scene has a few puzzling moments
that might cause viewers to want to rewind so they
can make proper sense of what just happened.
Luckily, none of these gripes were deal breakers for
me as I was well aware of what I was getting into
upon entering the theater.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised with the quality
of Venom, and I was even more relieved that it didn’t
completely suck. It wa*s well worth the wait, and I
encourage anyone who’s interested in some sci-fi
action to hit up the neareast theater. Out of ten I give
this movie a comfortable 7/10.
RETURNING TO THEATERS NEAR YOU
Miramax Studios
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in fa m o u s h o r r o r ic o n s in
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October 10, 2018