Venom review: Not enough bite, says Rashid Irani

Aiming to meld comic-book shenanigans with body horror, this film is neither funny nor exciting.

VENOM

Direction: Ruben Fleischer

Actors: Tom Hardy,Michelle Williams

Rating: *½

Despite casting powerhouse performer Tom Hardy in the lead role and the surfeit of CGI razzle-dazzle, the latest entry (albeit unofficial) in the Marvel-verse is a mess.

Aiming to meld comic-book shenanigans with body horror, Venom is neither funny nor exciting. The titular gooey alien parasite it isn’t monstrous enough to induce screams even after it has mutated with the hapless hero.

Rather, the badass being bonds with the investigative reporter (Tom Hardy, who also voices the creature) to bring down a megalomaniac scientist (Riz Ahmed) intent on tinkering with human evolution. Or some such gobbledegook.

The film wastes a lot of time – almost half an hour – introducing bland characters before switching to generic action mode.

With the exception of a motorbike/drone chase through the streets of San Francisco, the rest of the skirmishes are staged unimaginatively.

Ultimately, Venom barely makes it to the recommended grade.