When Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 3” came out in 2007, I remember being excited to go see it. One of the main villains, Venom, was portrayed by Topher Grace. After watching the film, I was disappointed by his portrayal.

After so many years, Venom gets another chance at the big screen in the Ruben Fleischer-directed “Venom” standalone, with Tom Hardy in the title role. Eddie Brock and his dynamic with Venom was one of the best parts of the film.

However, I feel Sony’s attempt at adapting the “Lethal Protector” comic book storyline fell flat.

The plot and pacing of the movie feels sloppy. The beginning of the movie drags, and it was not that intriguing to me. It felt like “Venom” didn’t have a consistent tone. For example, the film lacked a balance between its comical and serious aspects. It was almost like a reboot 2003’s “Catwoman.”

There were also some questionable points to the film’s script.

Despite all of that, I found some of the action scenes to be creative and genuinely entertaining. The special effects and CGI in particular looked impressive in its detail.

One of my major problems with the movie came from the Venom’s motivation. Some of his behaviors during his journey to become an anti-hero felt underdeveloped.

I enjoyed the movie, but it didn’t live up to its potential. Hopefully, they put more time and effort into the sure-to-come sequel.