In Sony’s ongoing project of adapting Spider-Man’s rogues gallery from comic book supervillainy to big-screen leading men, they used their biggest name first. Now thatVenomhas been the subject of two fairly successful films, will Eddie Brock prove too tough an act to follow?
VenomandLet There Be Carnageweren’t the most beloved comic book movies out there, but they had their supporters. Both films werebox office success stories, but neither escaped the eye of critics with positive reception. They were the kind of films that have devoted fans, even if they are few and far between.Morbiushas a few big names in the cast and some very silly trailers, so it’s hard to know if they can reach even that middling bar.
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The best parts ofVenomwere packed into the premise; it’s a character study of a single character composed of two sapient beings.Tom Hardy’s unhinged and electrictake on Eddie Brock merged well with the chaotic action scenes. The Venom symbiote’s backstory was rewritten to better mesh with Brock as a character. The duo is the most fun aspect of the film, a sort of odd-couple arrangement sharing a body and slaughtering heavily armed cops. The sequel pulled off some of that fun along with a couple of decent action scenes and a bizarreperformance by Woody Harrelson. There’s a lot to criticize about the films, but they occasionally find the fun in a Venom solo project. The big risk in the project is the risk that the character would feel incomplete without Spider-Man, but Venom carries the story well enough.
Morbiusis going in without a lot of what people liked aboutVenomand with a lot of what people hated about it. Michael Morbius is maybe half as popular as Eddie Brock before either hit the screen. He just doesn’t have the name recognition of his predecessor. Venom is one of the most popular comic book villains of all time, he’s the one peoplerequest every time Spider-Mangets a new film. Morbius is a minor Spidey villain and an even more minor anti-hero among Marvel’s tremendous catalog. People are clearly excited about the film, but it pales in comparison to the decade-long fan outcry for a Venom film. That pop culture reaction is hugely important to a superhero movie, especially one launching a week beforeSonic the Hedgehog 2.
WhetherMorbiuscan matchVenomat the box office is a tough question to answer, but the quality is a different matter altogether. The film’s under review embargo at the time of writing, but the ultra-serious trailers land somewhere betweenUnderworldandDracula Untold. The film is being marketed as something akin to a horror-action hybrid, but that PG-13 rating is still dangling off of it. Just like its predecessor, a film that looks like it should be unrestrained by rating, but it’s edited down to make sure teens can get in. This is one of the biggest problems ofVenom, which started its marketing with a degree of immature glee, and swiftly retreated to a safe MCU-level tone. As Tom Hardy was quick to proclaim, there’s a lot ofVenomon the cutting room floor. One wonders how much ofMorbiuswon’t make the screen. Especially after the mergers that makeMorbiusonly one step removed from the MCU.
After the end-credits scene inLet There Be Carnageand the full crossover event inSpider-Man: No Way Home,Morbiuswill be the first Sony movie to occur with MCU characters in the mix.Michael Keaton’s Vulture makesa heavily advertised appearance. This film takes place in or around the MCU proper. This adds a new layer of expectations atop a film already struggling with the weight, while almost certainly forcing a new round of edits.Venomwas unquestionably pared down to better sell the Sony universe and reach out to teens. The MCU is famously shy about trending closer to the dreaded R rating. The MCU would’ve probably reigned in theVenomfilms, they unquestionably had some notes forMorbius. It’s hard to say one corporate juggernaut would be particularly worse for the film than the other, but it’s unlikely that both having a final cut will help.
Very few people know how good of a filmMorbiuswill actually be, despite a brief premiere, its wide release is still some time away. TheVenomfilms and their perspective third entry aren’t perfect by any means, but it would certainly be interesting if the film that followed them made them look flawless. Sony is in a weird spot at the moment, ifMorbiustanks, it could be the stake in the heart that bringsKravenand the further films down with it. Nothing can be said for certain yet, but ifLet There Be Carnageistoo high a standard,Morbiusfans are in for a rough time.
