Venom (2018)

$856 million worldwide, and the scene everyone actually remembers is Tom Hardy climbing into a restaurant lobster tank. That’s Venom in one image. Hardy is playing a much weirder, funnier movie than the one around him, sweating and twitching and bickering with the voice in his head like a guy losing an argument with his own phone. Everything else feels like a superhero flick somebody dug out of a time capsule. Riz Ahmed’s billionaire villain has keynote speech energy and zero menace. Michelle Williams is stuck on worried duty. The final showdown is two dark goo monsters wrestling at night, and I genuinely couldn’t tell who was winning. Critics gave it 31% on Rotten Tomatoes, opening crowds gave it a B+ CinemaScore, and honestly both make sense. A 4.6 because Hardy’s chaos is a blast but the plot is pure cardboard. $1,678 says you catch yourself talking to your stomach like it’s a roommate before the week is out.

What works: Tom Hardy’s fully unhinged double act with the symbiote is funny, and the Eddie and Venom banter carries every scene it’s in.

What doesn’t: The villain is flat, the plot is boilerplate, and the big final fight is a murky blur of black goo you can barely follow.

Who it’s for: People who want a goofy buddy comedy where one buddy is a hungry alien, and Tom Hardy fans who enjoy him at full volume.