Early Venom reactions from the premiere have labeled the superhero movie Tom Hardy’s “worst performance” and “Catwoman level bad,” with it also being branded a “complete failure” that “slipped through a wormhole from 2004.”
The highly anticipated film stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, a reporter who merges with an alien symbiote in the Spider-Man comics. Venom goes on to become one of Spider-Man’s most popular rivals, also serving as an anti-hero in his own comics run. With Hardy being known for more serious acting roles, his casting as Eddie Brock garnered a lot of attention, though the mixed reactions to the film won’t be heartening news for Sony.
One movie-goer called the film “Catwoman level bad,” a reference to the notoriously awful 2004 Halle Berry flop:
#Venom is Catwoman level bad, with Tom Hardy’s worst performance since This Means War.
DON’T SEE THE MOVIE!— Daniel R (@DanielRPK) October 2, 2018
Uproxx writer Mike Ryan said he was “fascinated” by the film, also dropping a particularly odd potential spoiler:
I’m *fascinated* with VENOM. The cast seems to all know they’re in a darker superhero movie, except Tom Hardy who is basically remaking Jim Carrey’s Liar Liar. I kinda loved watching this movie, in a Rocky Horror type of way. At one point Tom Hardy and Venom make out.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) October 2, 2018
Another viewer called it an “excruciatingly surreal experience,” describing how it felt like a movie from 2004:
It’s…not a complete disaster? At least I was never mad watching it? But it is an excruciatingly surreal experience. The humor, the story beats, everything right down to the Eminem theme song feels like it emerged Kimmy Schmidt style from a sealed off early 00s bunker.
— The Mothmeg
