“Look around the world. What do you see? A planet on the brink of collapse. Human beings are disposable. But man and symbiote combined, this is a new race, a new species … a higher life form.” 

So begins “Venom,” where symbiotes – aliens originating from Klyntar – bond with hosts as a means of survival. Carlton Drake, (Riz Ahmed) the CEO of the Life Foundation, suggests that symbiosis, the bonding of symbiote and host, is the solution to fixing the world’s problems.

“Venom,” director Ruben Fleischer’s new action movie, follows Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), who undergoes symbiosis with Marvel Comic’s character, Venom, as he must comply to its plans in order to survive. He also tries to make up with his ex, Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) as she has started dating a doctor, Dan Lewis (Reid Scott.) Meanwhile, Carlton Drake continues on with human-symbiote experiments. The movie is well executed and ties together these three seemingly loosely connected plots. “Venom” is intriguing despite the fact that it strays from the original comic storyline.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the movie is the characterization of the symbiote, Venom. The initial, perhaps intended, characterization is intimidating – he is portrayed as a murderous monster. However, throughout the dialogue between Venom and Eddie, his personality emerges as humorous and somewhat mocking “I know everything about you, Eddie. You are a loser,” Venom tells Eddie. The tone used in the movie, portrayed through Venom’s responses, lifts the mood of the dark plot.

The cinematography of the movie is also well done. While the overall lighting of the film is dimmed to fit the film’s mood, it brightens with the movie’s resolution . The special effects used to capture the motion of the symbiotes is amazing, including slow motion fight scenes which highlight the powers of these beings. The camera work enhances the scenes brilliantly.

When watching “Venom,” you will be in awe at how perfectly the cinematography, plot, and character development tie into each other. The movie will answer your questions as to whether or not man and symbiote will prevail as one. “Venom” is a mix of humor and action – a symbiosis of all the good elements a movie should have.