Warning: Spoilers ahead.

The first installment of Sony’s Marvel Universe, “Venom” is a fast-paced Sci-fi thriller that has taken the box office by storm. Tom Hardy shines in an incredible performance as Venom, the comic-book anti-hero that made its debut in “Spider-Man 3,” alongside supporting actors Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed and Scott Haze. Although the film has received less than stellar reviews, Venom is a good and refreshing film to see.

The plot follows the endeavors of the Life Foundation, a bioengineering corporation that finds a comet in space covered in symbiotic life forms. They send samples of these back to Earth, where it is discovered that the symbiotic life forms must live on oxygen-breathing organisms. The CEO of the company, Carlton Drake, played by Riz Ahmed, performs human trials in an attempt to achieve symbiosis. Journalist Eddie Brock, played by  Hardy, learns of these trials and breaks into Drake’s research facility. Brock finds Maria, a homeless test subject, and when he attempts to rescue her, her symbiote attaches itself to him. This symbiote transforms Brock into a monstrous creature which calls itself Venom and communicates with him while giving him superhuman powers.

The introduction of the movie wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. It progressed the movie in the right direction, but it was somewhat slow and lingered for a bit too long. However, what really helped the movie was that it didn’t dive into the Spider-Man universe and instead focused only on Venom. While the beginning may have been a little boring, it went full steam ahead when Eddie and the symbiote combined.

Another factor that made the movie entertaining was the humor and relationship between Venom and Brock. This relationship wasn’t one of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, where they were two polar opposites. The pair were a hybrid, working together to achieve a common goal, and the humor came in when it was needed. What kept the movie entertaining was Hardy’s fantastic performance, which wasn’t a surprise. Hardy makes it so that the audience really feels for Eddie’s plight. Even when some parts of the movie were slow, Eddie Brock’s character kept things interesting.

The plot seemed to be the only thing that hindered the movie, with it being a little cliché. The introduction almost mirrors “Rampage” and other sci-fi movies, in which samples are taken from space and come back to wreak havoc on Earth. Dialogues between certain characters at certain points were also weak and didn’t contribute to the overall message of the movie.

Overall, you should take the critics’ poor reviews with a grain of salt if you’re considering whether or not to watch the movie. “Venom” was a strong film that featured a very strong lead role performance which helped fill in a relatively weak plot. The relationship between Eddie and Venom also strongly contribute to the movie’s entertaining qualities. While the concluding scene wasn’t as action-packed as it could have been, a mid-credits scene offered a cliffhanger ending. Venom offers a fresh take to a superhero film, and its stellar performances make it a film that I recommend seeing, regardless of what the critics say.

Rating: 7.5/10

Opinion articles written by staff members represent their personal views. The opinions expressed do not necessarily represent WSPN as a publication.