Venom [DVD] [2018]

I had hesitancy buying this film blind, as I hadn't had a chance to catch it during its theatrical run. It looked kind of bland in the previews, and that transformation scene in the trailers that quickly became a meme giving Venom giant googly-eyes was something that just looked "off". Still, my 5 year old really wanted to see this, and yes, I could have rented it, but it's a superhero film, I'm a sucker for exclusive steelbook art, AND it included early access to watch it via Vudu with the preorder, so, armed with a friend's recommendation, I took the plunge. Happily, this removed my worries. It's probably more of a 4 1/2star film for me, but the enjoyment my son has gotten from it is worth rounding up. (As well as the hours of laughs afterwards as my son would imitate Venom's deep-voiced growl of "HUNGRY!" whenever he was... well, hungry). Venom is a Sony film, and without the Marvel cooperation found in Spider-Man: Homecoming, it does suffer *slightly* in just missing the mark of the "loftier" MCU standards in their films. Yes, it still has plenty of action, humor, and a top-tier actor in the lead (as well as an excellent performance by the "big bad" whose name/ actor escapes me at the moment,) but there's a certain "aura" missing here that I can't quite place: maybe it has something to do with Venom's scenes largely, if not exclusively, playing out at night, which IS a bit against the film's favor. Still, whatever downgrade there is between the more "mainstream" Marvel movies and Venom may go completely unnoticed by you. It's still a heck of a lot of fun, with some of the best laugh out loud moments, (not just in quality, but quantity, as well,) with plenty of action and wonderful setpieces that holds up with ANY recent superhero films. The FX are mostly excellent, but there's a few that don't always look as great as others, as well as the aforementioned love of making much of the film take place at night, which does take away from some impressive effects. Venom fighting the Big Bad, when both suits are being pulled away from their hosts, filling the screen with alien liquid and the respective actors, could have been even more impressive had there been better definition between the night sky and two dark/ black aliens. Even in 4K HDR, this scene could have "popped" even further had it not been (yet ANOTHER) nighttime action scene. I will add that Venom also avoids the oft-boring "origins" first film story. Its pacing for a superhero first film seems tighter, with as much, if not more, action taking place. Venom has some minor issues, but as a whole, it's an enjoyable romp that bodes well for the future of the franchise!

Upon first glance at this film your first question might be, "where is Spider-Man"? After getting over the comic inaccuracies hurdle you can actually enjoy this film which actually has a great dynamic between Venom & Eddie Brock. A film that looks like it could have been filmed in the 90's during the emergence of comic movies has some genuine heart felt moments as well as some good comedy thrown in. I guess it could have been a R rated movie due the nature that most expect from Venom's source material but the movie did not really feel like it would have benefited from gallons of blood and gore to get its point across anymore than it accomplishes here. As far as the 4k master itself, it is what you would expect from a Sony produced film. For a movie that has a lot of black in it due to either a lot of night scenes or the character of Venom itself manages to excel in splitting Venom apart from the dark background and not loose any details. Audio is also top notch for a 5.1 set up. Extra material is minimal but that is becoming the new trend for releases these days anyway. Don't go into this film expecting the next "Dark Knight" or for it to stick close to it's source material. CGI also looked a little rushed at certain points and Tom Hardy's performance is a little inconsistent at times. But if you just want a leave-your-brain-at-the-door movie you will enjoy it for what it is. Steelbook case is also pretty!

Venom was very much a question mark going right into showtime. Would this character translate without Spider-Man? Can Eddie Brock hold down an entire film? The answers depend on what you’re looking for. First the good: this flick is just fun. Turn off the logical part of your mind that has to pick apart the story, and you’ll be fine and walk out with a smile. Anything with Eddie and Venom is gold and probably what you came to see. There’s a decent amount of action along with an appropriate amount of humor. Now the not so good: the story is very simple and one we’ve seen before many times. Outside of Eddie Brock, there is no character you find yourself caring about in any significant way. A particular character goes from feeling one way about Eddie, to feeling the exact opposite, and then going back again within a short period of time. Given the context of their relationship, it’s a hard pill to swallow even in a fictional story. Overall, it’s all about expectations. If you’re a fan of Tom Hardy, give this a shot. If you’re looking for a fun two hours, definitely give it a shot. If you’re looking for something works changing that will leave you thinking, look elsewhere.

We are big superhero fans in my family. My son has been raised on the MCU so we will pretty much watch anything that comes out. That said I wasn't too excited for this movie but purchased it anyway as a report card reward. I thought is started out a little rough and there were parts that I questioned the actions of a character but overall I was pleasantly surprised. The banter between Venom and his host was amusing - Venom is snarky from the start and that took me a little by surprise but it works. The effects were great especially the visuals of the parasites and the hosts in the battle scenes. The plot was weak. The villain was not likeable and clearly bad but I'm not sure if he was evil or crazy or misguided. I also found Venom's motivation as the movie progressed poorly explained and not believable. Enjoyable and I'm sure we will watch it again. The parasite/host relationship at the end makes me want to see more of them and their interaction so I hope the character continues on.

This review is definitely one of the harder ones for me to make. I saw the movie in the theater, was extremely underwhelmed, decided I wanted nothing to do with the Sony Venomverse and thought I was done with it. Then I saw the Steelbook and was floored by how cool it looked. I ordered it because of that alone. Once I received it, I loved it. It looks amazing. The artist who did the cover art is super talented. I could almost frame this thing it looked so cool. However, at the end of the day, I just did not like the movie and as much as I wanted to keep this amazing piece of art, it does not belong in my collection. I let it sit on my desk debating if I wanted to open it and put it in my collection for a few days, but ultimately decided it should go to someone who actually liked the movie and would love it. So I returned it. The movie is just not for me. If you actually like the movie, I recommend this item over the standard edition for sure.

Overall the movie is good. Nothing to crazy or out there, but there are a few story progression issues. Nothing that would take one out of the movie but still a little odd. If you are a hardcore Spider-Man fan this may not be the movie for you. They do take liberties with the symbiote storyline. They mix a few different storylines with some made up parts. The most disappointing part is that Spidey never shows up or is even mentioned. It seems as if Spidey is not even in this universe and the fact that they still use Eddy Brock is odd. They have no Peter Parker so the strife between Peter/Spidey and Eddy/Venom is not present and it kills a lot of what made the Spidey/Venom rivalry so strong and intriguing. If you are new to Spider-Man or just are not that big into the comics, it is a good movie. But I would skip if you are a fan of Venom and Spider-Man.

I have to say: this film was fairly disappointing for me. I feel like it was an extremely rushed and cliched story with clunky dialogue, but does have some entertaining bits and pieces. As a blu ray release, it’s pretty good. This is not a true 4K release but is actually an upscale. I would say if you’re looking to save a couple bucks, you could pick up the regular blu ray and get the same experience. The special features are decent and provide some insight into the production. I think if you’re a big fan of the character and the movie, you’ll find a lot of cool factoids you’ll be happy to see. I would say that if you’re a big fan of superhero movies and like having them all in your collection, this would be a good one to add to your collection. But if you’re just a casual fan, I would say you’d be better off to rent it first and then decide if you want to add it to your collection.

First off, I find the steelbook edition to be an upgrade to the standard covers that come with new a new release. Looks great for the better part of ones video disc collection. Now the movie itself. 4k ultra HD blueray is, in itself, a vastly better experience than lower quality formats providing you have the right type flat screen. What I love about this movie is the interaction between Venom and his main host. This is not the typical Marvel flick. Taking one of Marvels seldom used cast of demi-heroes and developing his chatacter as done in this installment brings a refreshing interaction to the viewer. Don't believe the so called "professional" critics. Audience ratings are far better indicators of ratings. The computer generated graphics make Venoms reality believable. Especially in this format. This is one of those movies you want in your video collection.