REVIEW: Venom is top of the box office for Tom Hardy, but way down the charts of Marvel superhero movies

VENOM will not go down as one of the all-time great movies to carry a little Marvel branding on the poster. But there is one reason why it’s not a total bust.

Riz Ahmed and Tom Hardy in a scene from film VENOM

THERE are a few things to set straight before we can properly address this haphazardly bent-out-of-shape superhero movie.

First of all, Venom is not so much a true Marvel Studios movie, as it is a movie based on material associated with Marvel Comics.

Tom Hardy is overtaken by an alien symbiote known as Venom in a scene from superhero film Venom. Picture: Sony Pictures

So don’t hit Venom expecting the same high-spirited creativity and relative coherency of an Avengers-style production. This stuff doesn’t hold a candle to any Iron Man, Captain America or Thor instalment.

THE BEST TOM HARDY MOVIES TO STREAM NOW

WHAT TO STREAM THIS WEEK

REVIEW: BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE HERE FOR LONG TIME, NOT GOOD TIME

Secondly, this is a Spider-Man spin-off in which Spider-Man is nowhere to be seen. Venom was briefly spotted in a secondary villain slot in Spider-Man 3 all the way back in 2007, where he was represented in the not-so-convincing form of Topher Grace.

Now, after much umming and aahing over the past decade, this extraterrestrial mega-symbiote is getting his own sub-franchise courtesy of Sony Pictures (who still control the rights to all things emanating from the Spider-Man universe).

In kicking off a planned series of Venom adventures to come — wishful thinking, possibly — what is basically served up is an origin story in which the title entity comes to occupy the body and mind of eccentric investigative journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy).

The first half of the movie is marginally the better of the two, if only because it draws on an oddly endearing goofy quality Hardy finds in the character of Brock.

Even if you think Venom turns out to be a dud waste of your time — and the early consensus out in internet land is running along these lines — you won’t walk away thinking any less of Hardy for his committed, lively, and often subtly amusing effort here.

Hardy also gets some great screen chemistry going with Michelle Williams as Brock’s on-again-off-again girlfriend Anne, even if the screenplay keeps conspiring to keep them wide apart.

Tom Hardy and Riz Ahmed in a scene from film Venom.

Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams in a scene from film Venom.

Once Venom infects Brock as a host and begins a running commentary of explanations and exultations inside his head, Hardy is made to work twice as hard to sell a conceit which feels fine to try but hard to buy.

Later, everything Venom might have had going for it as a movie is steamrolled by some skewed editing choices and a wonky change of tone.

Tom Hardy is overtaken by an alien symbiote known as Venom in a scene from superhero film Venom Picture: Sony Pictures

As a result, the whole experience devolves into a bit of a slick, FX-driven shambles as Brock/Venom slugs it out with a devious, Elon Musk-style tycoon named Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed).

Mr Drake is exceedingly one-dimensional when it comes to world-domination-crazed villains of his ilk. Most tellingly, he barely rises in sinister stature once he assumes his own symbiotic alter ego Riot (whose head-to-head stoush with Venom proves to be a real fizzer).

VENOM (M)

Rating: Two stars (2 out of 5)

Director: Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland)

Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate.

Doesn’t quite have what it snakes