Venom - Report Card

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REPORT CARD

VENOM:  Sony Pictures

SUMMARY:   Grade = A	I had a smile on my face the entire time I watched VENOM.  If you go to the movies for escapism and entertainment of a high quality, this movie is your cup of tea. Everything in this film works. The characters, the action, the story and the SFX.  All are exceptional.
ACTING   Grade = A	Tom Hardy is a true standout.  He portrays the newspaper nerd gaining the powers of Venom, and the moral struggle it causes with aplomb. Riz Ahmed portrays a Elon Musk caricature, and given recent news headlines, he is spot on. The real stars of VENOM are the SFX guys.  They are in top form.
SCRIPT   Grade = A	This is not the Venom of traditional comic lore.  The story needed changed to accommodate Sony’s desire to run with an independent franchise and not be tied into the Disney-Marvel Universe.  The script accomplishes that goal nicely, with a fresh story line readily conformable to elements of the graphic novels.
TECHNICAL:   Grade = A	The SFX are spectacular.  Look especially for the climatic battle between Venom and Riot, and for Venom’s confrontation with the swat team.
IMPRESSIONS:	Originally, VENOM was rated R.  Last minute editing dropped it to a PG-13.  Hardy was not happy about the edits.  Personally, I would like to see future scripts retain an R-rated edge. Venom is not a little kiddie character. Before the film was released, there was a massive press campaign against the film spawned by Disney.  The Mouse does not want this film to succeed because it still has hopes of wrestling the Spider-Man section of Marvel away from Sony.
STARS	Tom Hardy; Michelle Williams; Riz Ahmed, Reid Scott, Woody Harrleson.
TECH FOLKS:	Director – Ruben Fleischer Screenplay – Jeff Pinkner & Scott Rosenberg Cinematographer – Matthew Libatique, ASC Editors – Maryann Brandon & Alan Baumgarten Music – Ludwig Goransson SFX – Paul Franklin & Sheena Duggal
RECOMMENDATIONS:	See this film in the theaters.  Pay absolutely no attention to the barrage of articles in the trades panning this film.  They are the product of a Disney smear campaign.  VENOM is worth repeated viewings and would make a fine addition to your home video collection.  It wins the FIST OF FIORE AWARD for 2018, exemplifying excellence in film entertainment.  This is why we go to the movies.