Eyes, lungs, liver, so many snacks.....

We've gotten all too critical about everything, too opinionated, and not to mention, a wee bit too self-important. Oh, that teen taking a selfie in the middle of the road, yeah, that's just one of the symptoms of the ostensible know-it-all times that we find ourselves in. The way we watch our movies, too, reflects our obsession with benchmarks. A villain must enthrall no less than Heath Ledger's Joker, the hero has to be dark, cocky, built like a monster-truck, unbreakable and yet human. Oh, he should must also be decimated, body and soul, before he rises from the ashes like a blazing phoenix. 

Anti-heroes on the other hand, have been quite a blessing, and a huge relief from the polarising good-vs evil dilemma. The Dirty Harrys (Clint Eastwood), Travis Beckies (Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver), Louis Blooms (Jake Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler) and to an extent, even Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man), have served in spades the much needed shades of grey. Tom Hardy's Venom comes as a smooth, new addition to the list. While the critics aren't all gung-ho about the movie, there's no doubting that Hardy's Eddie Brock - Venom's life-blood - makes the visit to the theatre worthwhile. 

For those who remember Fox network's Spiderman series from the '90s, Venom was easily among the most daunting adversaries to our favourite web-slinger. Of course, the character was brought to life on the big screen in Spiderman 3 (starring Toby McGuire), but that movie should have been a bit less forgettable. Hardy's Venom skips over the whole friendly neighborhood bit conveniently, primarily because of the tug-of-war between Marvel and Sony over Spidey and friends. You see, till Tom Holland's webhead is alive in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Sony can't have a lanky lad playing modern-day Tarzan in a parallel universe. Actually, they can, and they do, but that Spidey and his next of Kin live in the realm of animation. So, for now, we have the darker, slimier Venom-Hardy duo ripping the heads off of the baddies. 

About Venom, the movie, it's quite a fun, albeit slightly abrupt in its flow. What's nice is the carryover of Eddie Brock's loser character from the comics and the TV series, but here in the movie, it's got more depth to it. Brock isn't just a attention-hungry journalist going about his business being a complete dick. Okay, he is an almost self-aggrandizing, big-shot journalist, but his work is rooted in hard facts and not come cooked-up hogwash. However, in the midst of a nose-diving career trajectory - thanks to ambitious risk-taking in the field - Hardy seems every bit fragile; precisely when one could use being taken over by a maniac, carnivorous alien. 

Besides Hardy, who can you really remember from the movie? There's his girlfriend, played by Michelle Williams, who, for a brief stint, plays the She-Venom (Venom transfers himself to the lady). Then, there's Riz Ahmed's billionaire-sciencey-evil-genius, Carlton Drake, who's the bad guy. Oh, yeah, there's Dr. Dan Lewis who's Michelle William's part-time love interest, but then we all know who the gal is going with when the dust settles. Don't forget the Cantonese woman in the shop; shes quite a riot too; no puns intended. What you will surely appreciate is Hardy's jittery, nervous mannerism which balances out his cock-sureness. And oh-wow the symbiote has a sense of humour! 

In all, you won't regret the 1.5-hour-long movie, so never mind the critics. They are never happy anyway. Venom does get a bit drab in places, but you'll have a ball watching Hardy playing the lickey-tongued loser badass. And leave your brains at home. The symbiote loves brains, you know?