Film Name:毒液：致命守護者 / Venom
The recent slump in China’s domestic box office has finally been broken by “Venom”: it raked in 538 million yuan in just two days, and as I write this, it’s already surpassed 700 million yuan (with its global total exceeding 600 million USD). A 1 billion+ performance seems imminent.
However, “Venom” has received a similar reception in China as it did in North America—audiences are loving it, but critics aren’t impressed…
Though it sounds far-fetched, “Venom” manages to be both ‘terrible’ and thrilling in equal measure, eliciting reactions like “Hahahaha! Holy crap! You can do that?!”
This piece avoids academic jargon, sidesteps discussions of source material or Easter eggs, and refrains from analyzing the film’s significance within the superhero genre. Instead, we’ll focus solely on the action unfolding within its hour-and-a-half runtime.
[Friendly reminder: The following text contains minor spoilers, but they won’t significantly affect your enjoyment.]
In fact, rather than debating “How good is Venom as a finished film?”, the more intriguing question is “Why has Venom become such a phenomenon?”
Venom was already quite famous in the original series, and his appearance in the third installment of the classic Spider-Man trilogy further boosted his popularity. Coupled with the buzz surrounding the man himself, Tom Holland, everyone was eager to see this anti-hero’s standalone film.
Oh, and in September, Mr. M also contributed the theme song “Venom” for the film. The track sparked a global frenzy among fans upon release… It turned out “Venom” perfectly complemented the film’s visual aesthetic, creating a harmonious synergy.
In short, audiences have plenty of reasons to support “Venom”—the movie practically screams “trend” from every frame.
When it comes to the Chinese market, however, the situation might be a bit different… The most crucial factor is the backing of Tencent, the big-spending sponsor. Over the past few months, Venom’s exposure on Chinese social media has been unmatched by similar blockbusters in recent years. Just how impressive is this? Even the recent “rustic” promotional campaign featuring Rocket Girls couldn’t dampen the audience’s enthusiasm…
For me, the moment I saw Venom’s tongue in the first trailer, I knew I had to see this movie.
Back to the film itself. Honestly, Venom’s script is subpar. It’s riddled with forced plot devices and contrived developments, showing obvious room for improvement. The sloppy, second-rate writing feels completely mismatched with the film’s A-list blockbuster status.
Take the opening sequence alone, where protagonist Eddie Brock’s “encounter” is deeply questionable: a chief investigative reporter with such capability and insight, having already suffered a major setback, dares to confront Life Foundation CEO Carlton Drake head-on during an interview based solely on flimsy, unsubstantiated suspicions and incriminating evidence obtained by snooping through his girlfriend’s confidential files. That’s not journalistic idealism—it’s sheer recklessness…
Getting fired by his company and dumped by his girlfriend afterward was only natural—when the Grim Reaper demands your soul at midnight, who dares keep you alive till dawn?
“Venom” suffers from a pronounced narrative disconnect, with key plot threads—Eddie’s fate, the Life Foundation’s experiments, and the alien conspiracy—lacking organic, credible connections.
Beyond this flaw, the film’s pacing and atmosphere also fall flat. While the opening sequences carry a hint of suspenseful eeriness, the latter half descends into endless action sequences… Crucially, even the large-scale set pieces feel poorly executed. Multiple viewers have remarked that the fights “seem to end before they’ve even begun.”
Due to these factors, the characters in “Venom” also failed to come alive. Eddie’s performance always seemed to lack a certain spark, Anne’s “ideal girlfriend” image felt somewhat shallow, and Dr. Drake became a flat, brainless villain—a complete waste of the star power of actors like Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams…
That said, their looks—especially Hardy’s spot-on acting—do salvage some points for the film’s otherwise mediocre performance.
Even as a thoroughly awful movie, it remains surprisingly entertaining and even thrilling at times. One can only conclude that the limitations of human anatomy severely constrain our imagination.
While Venom’s action sequences are a bit mindlessly brutal, they effectively highlight the alien symbiote’s visual characteristics. Through varied applications across different scenarios, this “little blob of goo” comes vividly to life on screen.
The most impressive part is undoubtedly Venom’s first appearance during Eddie’s “great escape” from the Foundation’s pursuit: Unlike their later fully merged actions, Eddie is still unaware of the changes occurring within his body. All the fighting, window-jumping, and high-speed chases are essentially Venom’s spontaneous protective (or parasitic) behavior toward its host. This largely mirrors the audience’s own sense of novelty alongside Eddie, especially when it comes to those black tentacles—capable of stretching or shrinking, thickening or thinning, softening or hardening, and even healing the body—which evoke a sensation both repulsive and thrilling…
The most effective sequence, however, is the climactic battle at the end: “Venom & Eddie vs. Riot & Drake.”
This segment masterfully depicts the symbiotic relationship and combat style of the symbiote, representing the pinnacle of the film’s visual effects choreography. It embodies a unique aesthetic of “invisible yet formidable” power.
If “Venom” were only this, I’d still be rather unimpressed… But the film’s portrayal of Venom as a “loser”—the very point many critics take issue with—is precisely why I can’t bring myself to dislike it.
According to the film’s lore, these alien entities planned to invade Earth and devour humanity. Riot and Venom served as the vanguard, sent to wage a preliminary battle. Venom was meant to obey and assist Riot, but captivated by Earth’s unique environment, he harbored treacherous intentions. He chose Eddie to fulfill his ambitions.
Venom was a loser among millions of his kind, just the lowly runt in his original environment. But upon arriving on Earth, he discovered he could do as he pleased—as long as he prevented Riot from bringing his army here.
I don’t think Eddie can be called a loser. He’s just temporarily down after a setback. Among humans, he’d still be considered “above average.” Otherwise, why didn’t Venom take over those homeless test subjects earlier? Why did he choose Eddie? A weaker being among higher-level creatures selects a stronger one among lower-level beings. Plus, Venom and Eddie share an extremely similar mindset: neither is willing to be a loser. That’s why they’re such a perfect match.
No wonder everyone says Venom and Eddie are the sweetest, most perfectly matched pair… It’s just the truth~
More crucially, the “alien do-gooder” Venom’s actions weren’t about saving Earth from disaster—it simply wanted to live freely and happily on the planet alone. In other words, its noble deeds in human eyes stemmed from pure self-interest, aligning perfectly with Venom’s “anti-hero” positioning. On this point alone, I believe the core narrative of “Venom” holds up.
Of course, if you insist on nitpicking about Venom’s character flip to a “cute, sticky, big-eyed cutie” at the end, I won’t argue. After all, this is just a decent popcorn flick that doesn’t stand up to overly serious scrutiny.
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