The real Venom has finally come to the big screen. While it may not be the gore-fest fans were hoping for, Venom does enough to honor the character and creates a nice set-up for Sony’s Marvel Universe with exceptional acting from the film’s main protagonist and antagonist, imperfect but acceptable visual effects, and a fun story.

Now, I’m not going to say that the acting was perfect, because that would be a lie. The supporting characters felt dry, as merely sources of comic relief and nothing more. Michelle Williams’s character came out as just another superhero love interest, and an Easter Egg for a potential sequel, but otherwise, her character was unnecessary for the overall story.

However, the protagonist and antagonist performances were spectacular. Tom Hardy’s performance as Eddie Brock/Venom was nothing short of brilliant, a beautiful combination of comedy and malice. As Brock, Hardy portrayed the funny, but flawed drunken mess that is trying to reclaim some semblance of importance in his life perfectly.

The antagonist, Carlton Drake, portrayed by Riz Ahmed, was fantastic. Ahmed truly captured Drake’s desire to improve the human race along with his sick and twisted view of saving the world. He truly felt like someone who wanted to save the world, but went about it in a demented fashion that you can’t help but feel sympathetic towards; not unlike other Marvel villains that have been introduced recently.

Sony has a long history of creating beautiful visual effects, and with Venom, Sony maintains its reputation, but the visuals are not without their flaws. First off, the design of Venom and Riot were amazing. Both felt scary and malicious. Venom’s design felt true to the original character, right down to the disgusting razor teeth and snake like tongue. And while he was only in the film for barely 10 minutes, Riot was awesome and was easily distinguishable next to Venom.

However, the final fight scene between Venom and Riot was a complete mess. It was almost like the animators took a page from Michael Bay and created a Transformers-like final fight with two massive black and grey blobs mixing it up with a bunch of explosions in the background.

The story is that of a former investigative journalist who comes into contact with an alien symbiote that merges with him and the two of them combat a scientific organization bent on furthering the human race through nefarious means. The story is undoubtedly fun but it is dragged down by an otherwise lacking and inconsistent plot; entertaining but easily forgettable.

Venom fails to leave a lasting mark on the audience but if you’re looking for a good laugh and a fun cinematic experience, then it’s perfect for you. Overall, I give Venom a 6/10.