Venom Review

Possible spoilers ahead!!

“Venom” tells the story of Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), an investigative reporter who’s finally found success in San Francisco as the host of his own network news show. Brock’s personal life is also doing well as he lives happily with his fiancé Anne Weying (Michelle Williams).

However, after Eddie betrays Anne’s trust and ignores explicit instructions from his boss in order to go after the leader of the Life Foundation, Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), Eddie is fired from his show. Within hours Eddie Brock is essentially blacklisted from working in journalism, and Anne breaks up with him.

Months later, Eddie is still down on his luck, until he’s approached by Life Foundation scientist Dr. Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate). She explains that Carlton Drake had been experimenting with alien creatures called symbiotes. These symbiotes must bond with an Earthen host in order to survive on the planet, and Drake means to fuse symbiotes with humans as a way to survive in space. But more often than not, the symbiotes end up killing the human hosts.

Hoping to stop the symbiote experiments by making them public, Dr. Skirth sneaks Eddie into the Life Foundation. Once in the lab, one of the symbiotes named Venom bonds with Eddie and the pair help to each other alive. But, when Venom informs Eddie of a plot by another symbiote – Riot, who bonds with Drake – that endangers Earth, Venom and Eddie must set aside their differences and work together to take down Riot.

I’ll be honest with you: I had very low expectations for “Venom.” I just didn’t see how a live action Venom movie could work without Spider-Man. After all, Venom’s origin is forever linked to Spider-Man. But the filmmakers did something very smart by turning “Venom” into a buddy comedy between Eddie and Venom. This not only made me forget about Spider-Man’s absence, but it also made the origin changes seem organic, rather than forced.

The buddy aspect between Eddie and Venom also lead to some of the film’s funniest moments. Some of which had the entire theater laughing. Another nice thing about the script for Venom is that the writers recognize how wild and crazy the premise is. They poke fun at it here and there, but in a fun way. The film never takes itself too seriously, and I liked that.

I thought the script and the directing were pretty solid throughout. But one thing that was noticeably was the pace of the film, or rather, the slow pace. The first act is very interesting and shows how good Tom Hardy is at playing crazy, creepy, and weird. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say the first act of “Venom” could have moved faster, or been cut down by 10-15 minutes.

However, Tom Hardy’s performance had me from his first scene. Instead of focusing just on Venom, the movie is all about Eddie Brock, his life, and how he’s adjusting to this new situation. Hardy made Brock funny, charismatic, and relatable. But most important of all, Hardy made the character someone I could root for. For the first time ever, I gave a damn about Eddie Brock. And for someone that’s been reading comics for 30 years, that’s saying something.

Michelle Williams also did a good job as Anne. I liked how even after the breakup, she never judged Eddie. She was mad and hurt of course, but she never stopped caring for him. When things hit the fan in the movie, Anne is the only person Eddie can trust, and she sticks with him through it all. Anne even saves him a couple of times and has one really cool scene where she bonds with Venom.

I do wish the filmmakers had done something else with Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed). The performance wasn’t bad by any means. Ahmed can play a cool exec with a heart of steel, but he looked so young compared to everyone else. I kinda wish they’d given him a goatee, or glasses, or even a Blofeld scar. Anything so he didn’t look like a 12-year-old.

Perhaps “Venom” isn’t as good as an MCU film, but it isn’t trying to be. “Venom” is trying to tells its own story, with brand new characters, and they pulled it off. “Venom” was much better than I expected thanks to plenty of laughs, good action, and a great lead in Tom Hardy. The special effects on Venom were stunning, and beter than anything we saw in “Spider-Man 3.”

Maybe its due to my low expectations going in, maybe not. Whatever the case may be, by the time the credits rolled, I was ready for “Venom 2.”

“Venom” score: B+

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5 Underrated Venom Comics

As crazy as it sounds, the first ever live action “Venom” is only a couple of days away from hitting your local multiplex! I’m still not sure he needs his own movie, but maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised this weekend when it comes out.

For now however, I thought this would be the perfect time to talk about some underrated comics starring Spider-Man’s favorite brain eating villain. Venom has been in a ton of comics over the last 30 years, so there is plenty to choose from.

But to be clear: these comics are by no means necessary to enjoy “Venom” on the big screen. Nor are they in any particular order. These are just good comic stories you might enjoy before or after seeing Tom Hardy’s latest accent this weekend. Got it? good, and away we go:

Venom #1-5 (2011)

Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Tony Moore

After the 90’s, I was burned on anything Venom related. Them. om 2011 my comic book guy kept telling me to try the Venom monthly book. I hesitated for well over a year, and then at 2012’s New York Comic Con I found issues #1-9 for 50 cents each.

I was in for a shock though, because this wasn’t the same Venom I remembered from before. In this series the world was introduced to an entirely different version of the symbiotic anti-hero.

This series saw Peter Parker’s friend Flash Thompson, become a war hero who lost his legs saving others. Thus making him a perfect candidate to become a government-sponsored Agent Venom.

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Venom: The Madness #1-3 (1993)

Writer: Ann Nocenti
Artist: Kelley Jones

This mini series was an all-out battle between two of Marvel’s most intimidating enemies: Venom and The Juggernaut! I’m not positive, but this might be the only time Venom and Juggy went toe to toe.

During the confrontation between the two, Venom is exposed to some chemicals that make him go even crazier than usual. Sounds fairly tame by today’s standard, but in 1993 it made for some good reading. Plus the creative team is Ann Nocenti and Kelley Jones ain’t to shabby.

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Venom: The Enemy Within #1-3 (1994)

Writer: Bruce Jones
Artist: Bob McLeod

Because so many of the 90’s Venom mini series were bad, stuff like The Enemy Within is often forgotten. This was one of the Venom miniseries that pitted symbiote against some of Spider-Man’s more obscure villains.

This particular 3 issue tale sees Venom matched up against a pair of supernatural foes: the Demogoblin and Morbius, the Living Vampire!

The story by Bruce Jones if a fun one, and the art by Bob McLeod never disappoints. But the main reason I bought this series back in the day, was that kick ass glow in the dark cover to Venom: The Enemy Within #1.

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Planet of the Symbiotes (1995)

Writer: David Michelinie
Artists: Dave Hoover, Joe St. Pierre, Kyle Hotz, Darick Robertson, Steve Lightle, Ralph Cabrera, Greg Adams, Armando Gil and Arne Starr.

Fearing the growing influence of his “other,” Eddie Brock takes the drastic step of splitting himself from the Venom symbiote. But the result is a full-scale invasion by its alien race! As more and more humans are taken as hosts, Eddie must team with Spider-Man and the Scarlet Spider to save Earth from being overrun. And to do so, they must journey to the Planet of the Symbiotes! But whose side will the Venom symbiote be on? And amid all the chaos, Carnage awakens from his coma – and plans to absorb as many symbiotes as he can! Can our heroes deal with a 50-foot-tall psychopath? It’s a symbiotic sci-fi super hero spectacular!

Planet of the Symbiotes ran in Amazing Spider-Man Super Special #1, Spider-Man Super Special #1, Venom Super Special #, Spectacular Spider-Man Super Special #1, and Web of Spider-Man Super Special #1 There books were basically the 1995 Annuals for the Spider-Man line. They were big overpriced comics, so I think a lot of fans missed out on what was an entertaining story.

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Spirits of Venom (1993)

Writer: Howard Machie
Artists: Alex Saiuk and Adam Kubert.

Running in Web of Spider-Man #95-96 and Ghost Rider/Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance #5-6, Spirits of Venom brought together two of the most popular characters at the time: Venom and Ghost Rider! Plus the Demogoblin and Johnny Blaze are there too, and stuck in the middle of it all is your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!

Maybe this isn’t the best Venom story out there, but I loved it when I read it during 8th grade science class. I got detention fo my trouble, but I used the time wisely and read the rest ot the trade paperback during detention.

Trailer Park: Dark Phoenix

 

Hmmm… me thinks they’ve gone and screwed up this story again. Nothing here reminds me of the classic comic arc. To me, this trailer looks too much like “X-Men: The Last Stand.” And I don’t recall Jean Grey ever causing a car accident that involved her family.

This is only the first trailer, but so far I am no excited to see “Dark Phoenix.” Maybe it is time for Kevin Feige to snap his fingers and start X-Men over again at Marvel.

Ant-Man and the Wasp Review

Possible spoilers ahead!

“Ant-Man and the Wasp” picks up nearly two years after the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” with Scott Lang close to completing his house arrest sentence that was part of his deal to get out of prison after violating the Sokovia Accords. However, days before his time is up, Scott reunited with his former associates Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), both of whom are wanted by the FBI and have been on the run for the past two years.

But if the FBI catches up with scott, it will sabotage the new life he’s trying to build for himself, like starting a security business with his friends Luis (Michael Peña), Dave (Tip “T.I.” Harris) and Kurt (David Dastmalchian). Another arrest would also put in peril his relationship with his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Forsten), ex-wife Maggie (Judy Greer) and her new fiancé Paxton (Bobby Cannavale).

During the same period of time, the Pym’s have assembled a lab where they’ve been building a Quantum Tunnel in an attempt to rescue Hank’s wife and Hope’s mother, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). Janet went missing in the Quantum Realm about 30 years ago. But Hank and Hope have their own problems, thanks to criminal named Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins), who is after their research. Add to that the mysterious entity only known as Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and you got major problems for the heroes. As a result, Scott, Hank and Hope turn to an old associate of Hank’s for help: Bill Foster (Laurence Fishburne).

Now with the FBI, a gangster, and a super powered villain all after the trio and Hank’s work, Scott must decide whether to protect his new life, or suit up again as Ant-Man to help his friends.

It is a very rare thing when a movie sequel is better than the original film. But you know what? For me “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is miles better than the first “Ant-Man”, and I’m a huge fan of the 2015 film. But when it comes right down to it, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” was as close to a perfect sequel as you can get.

Like the first film, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” has the right mix of super-heroics, and silly humor. But the sequel goes even further than the 2015 film. The story in “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is sharper, and wastes no time to get going. The film also manages to make the science stuff easy to understand for people like me who were always horrible at science. And yet, this film still feels grounded thank to the main story about saving Janet Van Dyne.

Paul Rudd delivers yet another solid performance as Scot Lang, but this time he even added more inner conflict to his character. It was nice seeing him battle with wanting to help his friends the Pym’s, but at the same time not wishing to hurt his daughter. The filmmakers did a superb job balancing Scott’s heavy stuff, and the funny bits.

But for me, the biggest highlight of the movie was Evangeline Lilly as the Wasp. She not only steals the movie, but in many ways is the lead character. Hope Van Dyne is more skilled at combat than Scott Lang, and she’s often the one in charge. Also, Hope gets an equal number of action scenes as Scott, and some of the best one liners. In particular, I enjoyed how she teased Scott when the two had to sneak into a school.

The banter between the two also helps balance the film’s comedy, and we actually get to see their relationship grow. Plus, Hope is at the center of the emotional arc of the movie, since they’re trying to rescue her mother, and Evangeline Lilly carries off that dramatic storyline as well as anyone. This part of the movie even leads to a touching, and funny moment in the lab as the Pym’s comfirm if Janet is alive.

It was also nice to see Scott’s friends Luis (Michael Peña), Dave (Tip “T.I.” Harris) and Kurt (David Dastmalchian), all back for the new adventure. The three are involved in one of my favorite scenes of the movie which involved some truth serum. Plus Kurt’s reaction as seeing Ghost for the first time, was just priceless.

Also of note is Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost. Going in I thought she might be a weak villain like Yellowjacket was, but the filmmakers stepped up their game and made Ghost a surprisingly complex character. John-Kamen gave the character some great depth too, to the point where you understand what drives her motivations.

If I have one complaint about “Ant-Man and the Wasp” it would be with Sonny Birch’s character. I don’t think the movie needed him, and whenever the film went back to him, it only slowed things down. Plus with the FBI also serving as antagonists to Scott, Hope and Hank, it was almost a case of too many villains.

But as I said earlier, I thought “Ant-Man and the Wasp” was better than the original, and a lot of fun to boot. The cast was terrific, the action was awesome, and the Wasp stole every moment she appeared on-screen. I don’t know what the future holds for this little corner of the MCU, but I for one would love another adventure with Ant-Man and the Wasp.

“Ant-Man and the Wasp” score: A

 

Cloak & Dagger Review

Possible spoilers ahead!

Marvel’s “Cloak & Dagger” series on Freeform begins when its lead characters, Tyrone Johnson and Tandy Bowen were children. The opening minutes of the premiers episode goes back and forth showing the viewer the tragic events the characters experience on the day their lives would be inextricably linked forever. On this fateful night, Tyrone and Tandy each lose someone important in their lives. The events build to an impressive climax where we witness the first connection between the two characters.

The series then turns to present day New Orleans, where Tyrone (Aubrey Joseph) is a star athlete at a private high school who has never really come to grips with the events of that tragic night years ago. The same can be said for Tandy (Olivia Holt), who has gone from a life of wealth to a life of crime with her boyfriend.

However, Tyrone and Tandy’s lives are forever changed when the two encounter each other at a high school party. This brief meeting unlocks powers neither Tandy or Tyrone knew they possessed.

I had really low expectations going into “Cloak & Dagger.” Not because I don’t like the characters, but because Marvel’s tv output has been rather Meh for the last couple of years. However, I am pleased to say “Cloak & Dagger” won me over with its solid acting, and impressive cinematography and use of music.

Shocking, right?

“Cloak & Dagger” just looks and feels different from other Marvel shows. None of it looks like it was shot in a studio, and to me that added a lot to the world building in the first couple of episodes. Even the drama of the first few minutes is realistic, and it had me from the start. This is not a CW teen drama, it’s a lot better than that.

The first two episodes of “Cloak & Dagger” focuses on its characters’ domestic situations rather than the powers Tyrone and Tandy are exhibiting. Some fans might find this boring and slow, but I enjoyed it. Not only does it ground the story in the real world, but by spending so much time in their lives, we also become attached to Tyrone and Tandy.

It was also interesting to see how the lives of both leads changed so dramatically over the course of a few years. Today, Tyrone attends a Catholic high school where he plays on the basketball team, while Tandy is a petty thief who spends her nights in an abandoned church and occasionally visits her deadbeat, drug-addled mother who steals money from Tandy to fuel her binges.

Easily the highlight of the show for me were Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph. Both actors are appealing young talents with a ton of potential. It’s hard to say what their chemistry is like, since they’ve only been onscreen together for about 4 minutes. Despite this, their acting is what draws you in the most, and I like what each has brought to their character.

I think one of the surprising strengths of the show is the restraint the show runners used. This easily could have gone down the typical superhero show trap, but allowing things to unfold slowly and naturally, it enhances what the main characters are all about.

That said, “Cloak and Dagger” isn’t a joyful series. If anything, this is actually a rather somber coming-of-age story of two teenagers deeply traumatized since childhood. Both are trying to heal in different ways, and its clear this show will take us through their journey.

“Cloak and Dagger” score: B+

 

Deadpool 2 Review

Possible spoilers ahead!!

“Deadpool 2” kicks off with Wade Wilson doing what he does best: swearing and killing. But things go south pretty quick for old Wade, and suffering a personal tragedy, he reluctantly joins the X-Men as a trainee under the leadership of Colossus (Stefan Kapicic). Also on this team are Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) and her girlfriend Yukio (Shiori Kutsuna).

During Wade’s first mission with the X-Men, the team comes across a 14-year-old mutant by the name of Russell Collins (Julian Dennison), who calls himself Firefist. Russell is trying to escape from the orphanage he lives in, and many lives are at stake. Here, Wade is forced to make a tough choice that forever changes the course of his life.

To make matters worse, a time-traveling mutant named Cable (Josh Brolin), arrives in the present with the sole mission of assassinating Russell. Hoping to protect Russell, Wade and his friends Weasel (T.J. Miller) and Dopinder (Karan Soni), assemble a mutant team consisting of: Domino (Zazie Beetz), Bedlam (Terry Crews), Shatterstar (Lewis Tan), Zeitgeist (Bill Skarsgård), and the non-mutant Peter (Rob Delaney).

Deadpool calls his new team, X-Force and together they embark on a mission to save Russell from Cable. However, even with a team of his own backing him up, it’s unclear if they are enough to stop the man from the future.

Like the first Deadpool movie, “Deadpool 2” has a strong emotional plotline running throughout the film. But instead of goinf with another romantic story, the sequel focuses on theme of family. The film explores what it means to be a family, not just by blood, but by choice. It’s a lot for a movie Like “Deadpool 2” to balance with superheroics, but it works!

The film builds up each character’s arc in a way that you as the viewer feel invested in when everything hits the fans. Whether it’s Deadpool, Cable, or Russell, you know what the motivations for their actions are. And even if you disagree with how they go about things, all of it makes sense in the end.

But don’t worry. There’s plenty of Deadpool’s signature crude humor, fourth wall-breaking moments, and references to everything from fellow X-Men movies to the MCU and beyond.  Some of the jokes are better than others, but I did enjoy the one-liners only comic book fans will understand.

As usual, Ryan Reynolds is firing on all cylinders in this movie. Not only is he better than ever in the action scenes,  he also appears to be having a blast with the role. It is clear Ryan Reynolds was born to play Deadpool.

As for the new cast members, Josh Brolin delivers another stand out performance as Cable. While the character doesn’t get a ton of character development, Brolin still manages to make him a sympathetic mutant. Hard to believe Brolin had given fans two unique, bad ass characters within a month of each other. Seriously though, I never realized what a great actor this guy is.

Meanwhile, Zazie Beetz as Domino stole much of the movie for me. Although I will say her character was less developed than even Cable and Russell. I also still wish she looked a little more like the comic, but regardless of my minor complaints, Domino won me over.

Beetz was a scene-stealer in “Deadpool 2.” She was funny, tough, and awesome in the action scenes.  Especially in a chase sequence where she’s the main attraction. If there is an X-Force movie or another Deadpool movie, I hope we get to see more of her, because there’s definitely potential there.

If I had one complaint about the cast, it would be that Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) didn’t have much to do. She was one of my favorite characters from the first movie, and I wanted to see more of her in the sequel. Especially now that she’s got a girlfriend in Yukio (Shiori Kutsuna).

I do have one more minor complaint about the movie: I didn’t care too much for this version of X-Force, or what happens to them. As a fan of the original team, it seemed pointless to me to introduce X-Force, only so they can be a punchline. I’m a little surprised the filmmakers went this route, and a little shocked Rob Liefeld was okay with it.

All in all, “Deadpool 2” was a highly enjoyable sequel that advanced the main character, and also had a lot of heart. Ryan Reynolds is great again, and Josh Brolin and Zazie Beetz are welcomed additions to the crazy world of Deadpool. And despite the fact that some of the jokes don’t stick the landing like they should, and that a couple of scenes go on a bit too long, this is still everything a Deadpool movie should be: a fun ride from start to finish.

“Deadpool 2” score: B+

 

 

Avengers: Infinity War Review

Possible spoilers ahead!!

Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and the rest of the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet — the evil Thanos (Josh Brolin). The Mad Titan is on a mission to collect all six Infinity Stones that make up the Infinity Gauntlet. When he gains all the stone, Thanos will be able to achieve his dream of wiping out half the population of the universe in order to preserve its precious resources and restore “balance.”

The only thing standing in his way are the Avengers: Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), War Machine (Don Cheadle), the Vision (Paul Bettany), the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and the Falcon (Anthony Mackie).

However, earth’s mightiest heroes may not enough to stop the evil of Thanos and his Black Order. Joining the action are Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), White Wolf (Sebastian Stan), all the characters from “Black Panther” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” join the cosmic struggle against the greatest threat the Marvel Cinematic Universe has ever seen.

Since I saw “Avengers: Infinity War” this past Friday, I have tried writing this review five or six times. But I threw them all away because the truth is, it’s almost impossible to do write a review without giving something away. One of the reasons for this problem is because Infinity War never lets up. Something happens in this movie from the moment it starts all the way to the post credit scene.

However, that’s also one of the things that I liked best about “Avengers: Infinity War.” This movie was a non-stop thrill ride. This movie is clearly inspired more by the Infinity Gauntlet saga, and several scenes in the movie were straight out of the 1991 Jim Starlin, George Perez, Ron Lim mini series. A few things are different of course, mostly due to Marvel not having the rights to some characters. But the changes worked well I thought.

“Avengers: Infinity War” was also a roller coaster of emotions for me. This is the part where I must mention that Infinity War is the first comic book movie that made me shed a tear. I won’t say why, or which scene caused me to tear up. But let’s just say I wasn’t the only one in the theater who reacted like this. I guess if this movie doesn’t make you feel something, then you’re dead inside.

One of the few complaints I’ve heard about Infinity War is that several characters don’t get much screen time and/or dialogue. The way I see it though, the task of balancing so many characters, in addition to developing Thanos for non comic book readers was a daunting one. But the Russo brothers and the screen writers did an amazing job making Thanos a credible threat and a fully fledged out character. Hell, he’s even a sympathetic at points.

The only problem I had with Infinity War was the constant use of title cards. The film jumps around between different storylines involving different groupings of characters in different locations. whenever the film went to a new place, a giant tile card greeted us. Thing is, we already knew where these characters were headed because of the dialogue in previous scenes, so the title cards were unnecessary.

Further more, some of the shifts in location and tone were jarring at times. At one point we go from what is meant to be a particularly poignant and emotional scene, but it’s soon followed by a change of scenery and a joke. Then again, with so many things going on, and dozens of characters to deal with, this is a minor complaint on my part.

With that said, there is still plenty to enjoy about “Avengers: Infinity War.” This movie is easily in my top 3 favorite Marvel movies. The action never stops and its awesome from start to finish. The stakes were also higher than ever before, and the emotions this film puts you through, were all worth the price of admission.

A tip of the hat to Marvel, the Russo brothers, and the entire cast of “Avengers: Infinity War.” Thank you for making one of the most incredible comic book movies I’ve ever seen.

“Avengers: Infinity War” score: A