Netflix leaving soon: watch Venom the wackiest Marvel superhero film before it leaves Netflix for good

• Venom is a spin-off of the Tom Holland Spider-Man films 
• Tom Hardy plays the title character with Riz Ahmed and Michelle Williams also in the cast. 
• Venom is the first in a planned trilogy with the third film out later in 2024. 

Superhero movies have become a dime a dozen and are not the event that they once were. In fact we all probably know the formula by now, have it etched into the back of our brains like an equation you are trying to recall during a GCSE maths exam. 

A reluctant hero is drawn into a dangerous world, there is a nefarious villain with a dastardly plot and then it descends into a CGI-heavy slugfest in the final few minutes. Obviously each film has its own unique flavour and twist to the formula, but come on we know what to expect. 

But one of the more memorable takes on the genre in a while is 2018’s Venom starring Tom Hardy. Netflix currently is streaming the film, however users in the UK only have a few days left to watch it before it leaves the streamer for good. 

A spin-off of Tom Holland’s Marvel Spider-Man films, Venom is a wacky blend of traditional superhero films and something far more unique. It will be leaving Netflix on 30 June and here’s why you should watch it: 

What is Venom about? 

The synopsis on Netflix’s app reads: “A reporter battles a mad scientist in a fight for his life after merging with a snarky alien symbiote that gives him remarkable superpowers.”

Venom’s wackiness makes it stand out

The dominance of Marvel and its cinematic universe over the last decade plus has meant that superhero films have become a bit homogenous. The Disney-owned studio has a house style and sticks to it for good or ill. 

Venom on the other hand has flourishes of something really unique. It is a slapstick comedy with an odd couple dynamic forced into the confines of a superhero film - it doesn’t work 100% but Tom Hardy is in fine form chewing scenery in truly delightful fashion. 

Where the film falls down is when it has to give in to the traditional trappings of its genre, there must be a third act mindless CGI sludge fest as Venom battles a villain. But the 

It is almost a rom-com 

I know what you are thinking, no I haven’t lost touch with reality. Venom sees Tom Hardy in a dual role as disgraced Eddie Brock and his alien parasite (Symbiote as the film dubs it) Venom, who are thrust together by fate. 

Hollywood has been a tad bereft of romantic comedies recently but surprisingly Venom’s story of two opposites forced to come to terms with the fact they both need each other is almost like a twisted take on the genre. Just don’t expect a full on rom-com, Tom Hardy doesn’t make out with the alien (up to you whether that is a deal breaker). 

The constant push and pull of Venom’s desire to eat anything and everything and Eddie’s attempts to curb give the film a fresh dynamic. A hilariously scene midway through the film in a San Francisco restaurant, which culminates in Tom Hardy climbing into a lobster tank, is perhaps the best execution of this. 

If Venom was allowed to be all about this weird dynamic, instead of having to include a generic bad guy - in Riz Ahmed’s Carlton Drake, a Elon Musk-esque evil tech CEO - it could have ended up as a weird, camp masterpiece. Alas, the film as it is still makes for a flawed but fun take on your usual superhero fare. 

Venom leaves Netflix UK at the end of June and don’t miss out before it goes. 

After you’ve finished watching the film, BBC Radio 1 have a really fun interview with Tom Hardy about it. He discusses taking on the role and jumping in the lobster tank, it can be watched on YouTube.