Film

Venom

Other titles called Venom: the 1981 film, the 2005 film.

A scrappy journalist gains a snarky alien parasite and becomes an unlikely antihero. *Venom* is deliberately silly—a buddy-comedy dressed in action-film clothes, with Tom Hardy doing committed physical comedy alongside CGI mayhem. It knows what it is and commits without apology. For fans of chaotic fun over polish.

TMDb rating3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like your comic-book films lopsided and playful, where the fun comes from an odd-couple partnership and a lead actor committing hard to a ridiculous premise.

Skip it if you want a tidy, grounded thriller, since the story leans on a thin plot, loud set-piece action and a tone that swings between jokey and gruesome.

What it asks of you: Under two hours of brisk, noisy momentum, the mood bouncing between sniping banter and monster mayhem, with little room left for brooding.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Deadpool2016

Smart-mouthed antihero with superpowers, fourth-wall breaking energy, and genuine affection for its own absurdity. Ryan Reynolds delivers the comedy with the same commitment Hardy brings to the symbiote bits.

But Relies heavily on R-rated jokes that don't all land. If you need your action films to take themselves seriously, this will exhaust you.

Deadpool poster

Spider-Man: Homecoming2017

Tom Holland's Peter Parker has that same chaotic-young-guy-in-over-his-head energy. Grounded, funny, and genuinely endearing despite the superhero framework. Michael Keaton's villain is a masterclass.

But Straightforward coming-of-age story dressed in Marvel clothes. No surprise plot turns, and the emotional stakes are fairly obvious from minute five.

Spider-Man: Homecoming poster

The Losers2010

Ensemble action-comedy that prioritizes fun and rapport over coherence. Ridiculous set pieces, banter that lands, and genuine chemistry between the cast. Unafraid to be dumb.

But Thin plot, forgettable villain, and the action occasionally gets muddled. Doesn't aspire to be anything more than popcorn entertainment.

The Losers poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Venom

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Upgrade2018

Both explore the central idea of sharing a body with an unstable intelligence—the parasitic relationship between host and other. Where *Venom* finds comedy in the friction, *Upgrade* finds horror.

Body-horror sci-fi thriller with a sharp script and a compelling central conceit: a paralyzed man uses an AI implant for revenge. Leigh Whannell crafts genuine tension from a stranger-in-his-own-body premise. Acts as an dark mirror to the symbiote dynamic.

But Brutally violent and deliberately bleak. Explores violation and loss of agency without softening either. Not cathartic; it's uncomfortable by design.

Upgrade poster
More like this (8)

Ant-Man2015

Paul Rudd brings the same warmth and self-aware humor to a superhero origin. Scott Lang is a screwup learning the ropes, and the film finds comedy in both the mundane and the absurd without losing the fun.

But Smaller scale means less visual spectacle than you'd expect. Formula-heavy as origin stories go, and some character beats feel obligatory.

Ant-Man poster

Iron Man2008

Robert Downey Jr.'s quick-witted charm anchors a film that doesn't take itself too seriously. Proof that charisma and humor can carry an action film through shaky plotting and mediocre effects.

But The final act degenerates into generic superhero spectacle. Action sequences are forgettable, and the villain is barely a character.

Iron Man poster

Aquaman2018

Commits fully to underwater fantasy adventure camp. Jason Momoa leans into the ridiculousness with warmth and humor. Wildly colorful, occasionally bonkers, and refuses to apologize for its own excesses.

But Incoherent plotting, inconsistent tone, and dialogue that ranges from bland to laughable. Two hours forty feels long once the novelty fades.

Aquaman poster

Kingsman: The Secret Service2015

Stylized action-comedy with irreverent humor and genuine wit. Matthew Vaughn commits to the absurdity—it's violent, funny, and knows exactly how dumb it's being. Taron Egerton is instantly likable.

But Graphic violence that clashes with the comedic tone can feel mean-spirited. Plot holes you could drive a truck through, and some jokes age poorly.

Kingsman: The Secret Service poster

Thor: Ragnarok2017

Taika Waititi channels the fun chaos you're looking for. Chris Hemsworth finally gets to be funny, the supporting cast crackles, and the film is visually inventive throughout. Treats destruction as comedy.

But Prioritizes jokes over stakes, which can deflate emotional moments. Some fans feel it undercuts the trilogy's arc.

Thor: Ragnarok poster

Uncharted2022

Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg have genuine buddy chemistry. Action sequences are energetic, the movie doesn't overstay its welcome, and it's made with obvious affection for its source material.

But Thin plot, underdeveloped supporting characters, and the action occasionally feels cluttered. Exists mainly as a vehicle, without depth underneath.

Uncharted poster

Faust1994

Same core transaction: a human agreeing to let something else inhabit their body for power. But where *Venom* plays this for laughs and adrenaline, *Faust* treats it as damnation.

Russian sci-fi that transforms a Faustian bargain into body-invasion nightmare. Astounding practical effects, genuine queasy dread, and committed performances. Visually unique—nothing you've seen looks quite like this.

But Soviet-era sensibilities and a bleak worldview. Slow-burn tension rather than action momentum. Not in English, and the subtitles are sometimes awkwardly paced. Genuinely difficult to watch in places.

Faust poster

Severance2022

Like *Venom*, it's about dissociation and partition: two consciousnesses in one body, unable to fully communicate or control their shared space. But *Severance* uses the metaphor to explore capitalism and identity rather than buddy-comedy action.

Ben Stiller-directed sci-fi thriller about workers surgically split so work-self and home-self never meet. Gorgeously composed, genuinely unsettling, and builds dread through tone and space rather than action. Asks what it means to share a body you don't control.

But Slow. Deliberately opaque—answers come in drops. If you need plot momentum and clarity, this will frustrate. First season ends on a cliffhanger with no resolution yet.

Severance poster

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Recommended by

Mulan, Embrace of the Serpent, Megamind, The Woman King, Upgrade, Original Cast Album: Company, Olympus Has Fallen, The Last Movie Stars, Downhill Racer, Beowulf, The Andy Warhol Diaries, Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Madame Web