Venom
2018
***
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Scott Haze, Reid Scott, Jenny Slate, Melora Walters
Investigative journalist Eddie Brock loses his job and girlfriend trying to prove that Carlton Drake and his Life Foundation are evil. Six months later he breaks into their research facility, where an alien symbiote takes over his body. Venom featured in Spider-Man 3, and now this Marvel character gets a reboot with the likeable Tom Hardy in the starring role. This origin story takes forever to get going, but the second half transforms it into a nicely weird, darkly funny, and enjoyable superhero action movie. Unfortunately the climactic fight between Venom and Riot is a big CGI mess. The post-credits scene from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse left me baffled. Followed by Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
