Recommended.
Critics savaged this flick when it came out, but movie goers gave them the finger, making this film the tenth highest grossing movie of the year. Also earning an impressive $800m worldwide in sales.
Why? It's a fun movie.
Tom Hardy makes the Eddie Brock character his own in the same way Robert Downey Jr. remade the Tony Stark character in Iron Man. Hardy is excellent with the physical, should I say comedy, of a guy being controlled by an internal symbiote.
The symbiote is a delightful anti-hero (he bites heads off his victims and eats them after all) and the storyline of the two of them coming to accept one another has some cute moments.
Excellent graphics, the Venom character is awesomely depicted on screen. Lots of action, even though it takes a while to get Venom-ing, and does seem a bit busy at times. But it's a good popcorn flick and you don't need to be a comic book fanboy (guilty as charged) to enjoy it.
Mid-credits scene lays the groundwork for a sequel.