What do YOU think about how Spider-Man 3 handled Venom?🕸 Are you a fan of Sam Raimi's interpretation? Comment below!💥 Thanks again to Scentbird! 🪽 Use code FILM to get 55% off your first month at Scentbird sbird.co/4aY3yLk
If you want to read a Spider-Man comic that does venom in the way I think you want to read the 2000s ultimate Spider-Man. it literally makes Eddie this college student loser who is obsessed with women and in the past too much and he is the exact opposite of Peter in the series. he doesn’t appear a lot. I think he’s only in like one story but it’s a really good one and if you ever wanna scratch that itch it’s really good. The writer of the comic also hated venom and wanted to do something new with him.
I like your interpretation of Raimi's Venom, but I feel like your misinterpretation of Venom in the books is due to you not realizing what Eddie represents on a metatextual level. I elaborate more on it in my comment
@filmspeak look, man, i love spider-man 3 and i love that inspiration of venom but please stop talking about things you don't know about because it is obvious you don't read comics . If you want i can recommend some good venom runs like the donny cates run , The hunger mini-series , ewing ongoing,
@@austinkieckhefer8047 Oh, oh don't worry I LOVE Ultimate Spidey. My favorite Spidey in the comics and I think my fav version of the venom story in the comics.
Spider-Man 3 is just an overall overhated and underrated film. Sure it's got it's issues, but I feel like it does a good job at ending the trilogy and telling a compelling story... which if we are going to be honest, are the only 2 things the final movie in a trilogy really needs to achieve.
There was gonna be a 4 and 5 Where Pete and Harry fight SandMan and Eddie (SandBoy redemption) And then Venom comes back and Spider-Man fights him as a final battle
Spiderman 3 was always my favourite when I first got introduced to Spiderman and these movies back in the late 2000s when I was a young kid. Spiderman 3 started my love for Venom and ever since he's been my favourite villain. With green goblin at 2nd. Spiderman 3 will always be my favourite 💯. And also, Amazing Spiderman 1 is my 2nd favourite, that movie is criminally underrated
I can't believe I never realized it before! The more you laid the groundwork for your point, the more it clicked. Brilliant work from both you and Raimi
@@stellviahohenheimHe’s not a joke, the dude said Venom to him always being “boring”. He makes a lot of sense that Venom is a duality of Spider-Man. Makes sense to me.
@@stellviahohenheim Raimi not simply "following the source" is what made Spider-Man 1 & 2 the best of the trilogy. Spider-Man 3 is good too imo but Raimi LITERALLY did NOT want to do a Venom story in the first place, he was forced to use a character he simply didn't have motivation to do at all.
Also, Eddie and Gwen technically aren't in a relationship; the novelization explains it's all in Eddie's head, and he's stalking Gwen obsessively. Meanwhile, Gwen tells Eddie to back off since there’s nothing between them, but he can’t take the hint and soon goes off the deep end.
Topher Grace's Venom was nice, he was desperate, revengeful but I would've still made him bulkier. It could've shown how insecure he was and what seemed intimidating to him. If you have the teeth, why not the size.
Venom was never Hulk’s size but still bulkier than Spider-Man. I said it once and I’ll say it again, had Venom lived, he could’ve maybe grew in size and definetely as a character
I think the biggest thing Raimi missed was the relationship between Eddie and Venom - the symbiote had sentience and talked to him. Leaving that out was the biggest flaw. I didn't really mind how they changed the character other than that detail.
Honestly relationship between symbiote and host was not portraited well in any media including comics untill 2010s. Then Remender and Cates played with it (mostly Cates). You cannot blame Raimi for not adapting something that was not existing back in his time.
still had this movie series been allowed to continue that would have come later. the symbiote was shown to affect the people he bonds too. a second movie with venom could dive deeper into this. where spider-man rejected it eddie embraced venom. this difference could have been the catalyst that allowed them to speak to each other. spider-man 3 has so many hallmarks of an amazing movie. it could been on of the greatest but some clunky red-conning and communication with the bloat of having 3 villains in a short time time just made it fall short. they should have left sand-man till movie 4 and tell the deeper story of reflection through the new goblin and venom, those 2 hit peter in a very personal way
Best portrayal we ever got on film. The problem is he only got so little screen time. I genuinely genuinely wish in another reality Sam Raimi's Spiderman 3 has only symbiote Sandman and Goblin and then the Spiderman 4 is all about Venom
Between Sam raimis interpretation and the comics there’s a villain to anti villain to anti hero thing venom kind of went through could be a great character arc
Raimi/Topher's Venom is actually the most comic accurate Venom we've gotten in live action. He's imo, the best Venom we've gotten in live action. Hardy's take doesn't hold a candle to what Raimi/Topher did, making him a dark mirror of Peter, while still keeping the trait of him being delusional, and seeing himself as the good guy and the world screwing him over. If you're going to argue, 'OH Venom supposed to be big, even McFarlane said so." No disrespect to McFarlane, but only caring about a look of a character and not their character themselves is ridiculous
The way I view it, the symbiote is a "venom" but Eddie + the symbiote IS "Venom", if that makes sense. The team makes the character but the alien is the driving force, without it Eddie is just a bad Peter but together they become the anti-Spider-man and a perfect foil.
The symbiote is its own character seperate from venom, no adaption has ever ever really connected this especially the dynamics between Peter and he symbiote
The animated Venoms had some good stories. The way the 90s series portrayed him, Peter was terrified for all the people in his life becaue he knew Eddie and the symbiote knew all his secrets and were angry enough to ise them. Imagine a psychopath who wants to hurt you, knowing everything about you.
No, no he wasn't. He was a Scrawny body version of the One true VENOM THE REAL VENOM IS GIANTGANTICLY taller than Spider-Man and most importantly A MUSCLE BOUND beast
I love how Peter's line to Eddie "you want forgiveness? Get religion" sets up both of them being at the church for the same reason. Pete's following his own advice after regretting his decisions under the influence of the symbiote, and his dark reflection, Eddie, is seeking that same advice for having everything taken away from him, further connecting the two. They really are two sides of the same coin. I just really like that Peter, in his abuse of power and lack of responsibility/accountability, creates Venom. Yes physically, but everything leading up to that. He pushes Eddie over the edge because he felt so threatened by him. He makes his life miserable. And out of that misery, Eddie bonds with the symbiote, creating an even worse monster than the black-suited Spider-Man. Also, watching the Editor's Cut of the movie has sent my respect for the film into the stratosphere. Please everyone go watch it if you have the chance, it's brilliant.
Well, what I think Venom foils in Spider-Man in the comics is twofold: -Envy -Responsibility People tend to forget, DUE to multimedia exposure and the advent of the Raimi movies, that Spider-Man is one spiteful motherfucker in the books. Especially during the original Lee and Ditko run. Peter was always such a dick that it detered people away from him. Like the time he joined the Avengers, only for him to be such a nuisance that they kicked him off. Eddie parallels that in a sense. When his career is ruined on the Sin Eater case, he doesn't accept the problem was himself for being impulsive and picking the wrong person, he turns to blame Spider-Man. He blames Spider-Man because he was the one who exposed his faulty reporting, which is a weak reason. But it's also something that Peter Parker would get angry about (especially as back then, the black suit was just a suit with a conscious and didn't affect Peter's emotions). So, not accepting responsibility, Eddie goes to the church, further blames Spider-Man, and is "blessed" with the symbiote. He is the inversion of Peter's traits to be the antithesis of his most important lesson, "With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility." That power first lied in his reporting ability, now it lies in his mantle of Venom. Then the theme of responsibility is elaborate on in subsequent runs where he becomes the Lethal Protector, and nowadays, resembles more of a superhero than an anti-hero, because he accepted responsibility. Edit: I forgot to include it in my main analysis, but the Symbiote is mad because it was only trying to help Peter, but because of Peter not sympathizing with it and rejecting it, it develops an anger towards Peter/Spider-Man. This hate towards Peter as a person is added onto by Eddie's hatred towards Spider-Man. Another angle that you could view it from is that he shows the aftermath of the everyman who Spider-Man doesn't really care about in the long run being dragged into something bigger. Sort of like Spot in ATSV. That is a bit of a stretch, but it's something to think about. The best version of Venom, however, is Spectacular's without a shadow of a doubt
Finally someone else that actually knows about how the original story went. Kinda hate how everyone thinks the symbiote made Peter evil or darker when the reality was Peter was just a dick lmao. The symbiote only goes after Peter because it felt rejected and was being influenced by Eddies hatred for him. The original story is in my opinion is better because venom is ultimately a consequence of Peter being not responsible. Peter should have tried to understand the symbiote better but instead freaked out and tried to remove it from him. Thus making it his responsibility that the symbiote then went and bonded to Eddie. Making the symbiote evil to begin with and alter his personality just completely removes Peter’s responsibility because of course Peter should remove the alien affecting his personality
@@CyberNorth-fc6wi If the last bit of your comment refers to Raimi's SM3, I think it's a stretch to say it's "evil" by default or by its core nature. It catalyzes the darker parts of Peter's personality but that's not necessarily fair to call evil; in psychological terms it brings out Peter's Shadow to the surface, almost like a personality inversion where his good parts switch over to the repressed side and his darker parts switch over to the externally visible persona side (although the transition isn't immediate, but a painfully slow process of succumbing to his primal impulses as it slowly tears down his life as he knew it until he hits his rock-bottom and has only the choices of giving up/in, or rising back up with what he's learned through this ordeal). It could very well be argued that this is a sort of blessing in disguise as it speeds up the process of hitting rock bottom so he can rise out of it and reach new heights of wisdom and personal growth. But I won't try to claim that as *the* objectively correct interpretation, it's only mine (and whoever else shares this perspective because of their own life experience, both in general and through doing the truly difficult, heavy, confronting, vulnerable, and intimidating, yet also endlessly rewarding Shadow Integration inner-work).
I agree with roughly 90% of your assessment here. Im happy that someone on youtube has finally came out and dug into the character of venom in Spider-Man 3, and how its deeper than they think. Your assessment is spot on damn near. They originally cut out alot of the horror aspects of the venom in the film..... originally his death was alot more sinister and dark. The symbiote absorbed eddie and died trying to bond to peter one last time. It scared the kids in the test audience so they had to remove it. One reason venom wasnt as big was because the special FX department wanted topher to be wearing a practical suit amd rely less on cgi as possible. They were also HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY JOHN CARPENTERS "THE THING" and his design in film reflects that. Thats why the symbiote has more weight to it. You see how aggressively the symbiote bonds with eddie. Twisting and mangling his flesh. Affecting his body by adding muscles, changing his cell structure. Sharpening his teeth, giving him all of spidys powers. You see the symbiote inside his body as well. Clawing and pulling at his face when facing peter. Rami did a good job with what he had. And wanted to do more, considering hes a horror director at heart. Venoms role in this films fits a greater purpose and narrative to the theme of spidy 3 which is forgiveness. He serves as his dark reflection and his past sins come to light. He is what peter could have become had he fell completely to his ego and anger. The tom hardy movies have no soul. People see the big muscles and the mouth and thats all they need to be happy for venom nowadays. If you care more about how a character looks rather than actually have it written well, then your the problem. Your telling these companies that thats all you need. "Just throw venom in there and make him big and goofy" i love venom as a character and i always will. But it kills me to see him be bastardized in modern media today. To have my fav charcter be in two terribly written and directed films, then have people praise it just simply for "comic book accuracy" hurts. You should ask your favorite comic book character to be in a good movie and written well. If i see venom on screen one day and he looks exactly like how he did in the comics..... but his movies are terrible and wrtten like dog water im not gonna just blindly except that. Because fans deserve better. Sam rami di the best he could with the story of venom. His place in spidy 3 will be remembered nore fondly over time than the hardy version. Simply because you can see the heart and passion they had with each film and the lessions it taught peter. Spider-Man 3 has its flaws but the films and its interpretation of venom will be remembered fondly over time compared to the souless goofy interpretation we have today. In my opinion
@@malikpierre-louis3343 for the most part yes. But unfortunately the cultural zeitgeist of modern day venom is that he is big, goofy, and a separate being from eddie. Making the person inside of it mean less if anyone can were the symbiote and still be 7'ft10 monster and roided out of their minds. Venom nowadays is being stripped down to his bare tactics because sony is absolutely failing in their movie department. Venom and Spider-Man on film is the only thing they have going to keep their films a float and in competition with marvel. If it weren't for the ps5 sony would be damn near gone. Making venom the way he is in the hardy movies makes him more marketable and gives his movies more legs to stand on their own. The trade off for that is the downfall of his character and his movies were written like garbage
Exactly. And In the original comics, Venom dosen't have his own separate identity. It is just goo that wants to obtain symbiosis. Venom is Eddie Brock. Venom says "We" because it is Eddie Brock, while under the influence of the Symbiote, talking. In modern interpretations of the character, venom speaks and acts like a separate character with his own goals and desires. It's dumb. Raimi actually adapted the source material more faithfully in this regard.
@@jordanMJKI also find it sad how Insomniac's Spider-Man 2 took a nose dive in terms of overall writing quality and believability. I enjoyed Venom in Ultimate Spider-Man as a kid but I think Raimi's SM3 will remain my most favorite-written adaptation of Venom for a while, until/unless something else tops it. Not holding my breath for that. I wish Insomniac's sequel was up to par with the original on PS4 (imo the definitive way to play it over the remastered version, I'm of the crowd that thought Peter's "new" face looked too boyish for a 27 year-old. I'm 27 and I look more along the lines of the original myself haha, plus the lighting in the cutscenes somehow looks better than in the remaster). Maybe that suggests bias but I'm ok with that. SMPS4 is my favorite iteration of Spider-Man overall aside from Raimi's trilogy which has always and will always hold a special place in my mind and heart for how it impacted me as a kid and to this day.
It's interesting that you see Eddie is the dark mirror of Peter, and by aquiring the symbiote in the final act, it makes Eddie/Venom basically evil Peter Parker himself, and Peter needs to defeat that in order to redeem himself and learn forgiveness about Sandman. Peter is basically fighting his own inner darkness throughout the film and he must face it in the form of Venom, and destroy it to become good again. Whether this was intentional from Sam Raimi(cause he is really good at creating symbolic emotional journies for his characters and have villains representing personalities of the heroes) this is actually brillaint and you make me want to rewatch Spider-Man 3 now with that thought in mind.
I agree with your assessment, and like most of Spider-Man 3, only falls short in execution. The only element I find to be flawed in conception is the writing, as just like Amazing Spider-Man 2, there’s too much going on for anything to feel fully fleshed out.
@@solo_warr10r the Symbiote powers changes after every adaptations also nah Symbiote Peter can use camo in the game like this ua-cam.com/video/MP8VRHodWUU/v-deo.htmlsi=DbTbHrcs2TdWz2Vh
I highly doubt they forgot about it. More accurately, they deliberately chose to ignore it because having an enemy that doesn’t trigger spider sense would fundamentally break the game’s playability. Imagine having to react to attacks with absolutely NO warning whatsoever. Would it be cool? Hell yes. Would it be practical for 99% of the player base? No. Especially with the intense focus on accessibility settings.
@@PositivelyNegativeOfficial fair enough, you'd need have his spider sense work or do what Web of shadows did and have a special symbiote sense which was a by-product of having the black suit.
the thing is raimis Venom is actually pretty spot on, the only thing wrong was his build and physique, and some of the cockiness just came off as jackassy instead of tough guy esque, Topher actually captures his character pretty well but in the end he wasnt right for the part due to his build, its funny raimi says Venom isnt relatable, but to the average fan he actually is, everyone can go through hard time just how eddie brock is usually portrayed, and find someone or something to blame, and in turn they want revenge/vengeance when they are not in the right mindset, hes also relatable in the form of his comeback going from bad to good and finding forgiveness and realization, if anything eddie brock is the most relatable villain in Spider-man history, cause just like peter hes just your average guy
You could say that about a lot of villains. Doc ock’s obsession caused him to go off into the deep end and eventually he redeems himself by drowning his creation into the depths of the dark water to prevent any further damage and destruction
I love all versions of Venom. Aside from the design (which is awesome, ecen the Raimi version), the character is just so tangible and has so much range. He's works amazingly as a buddy cop to a goofy Venom in the Hardy movies, he works great as a sleazy jealous and toxic version of Peter in SM3, and works as a deeper more morally challenged character in modern comics. He's both a great comic relief and extremely troubled loner suffering from an almost mental illness as a result of his inner conflict.
I feel like ultimate spider-man and spectacular spider-man did Eddie Brock/venom right since they made Peter and Eddie somewhat like brothers and then soon are set against each other. Overall it gives more emotion to Peter when he ends up facing venom and defeating him in the end.
Spider-man 3 was my first interaction with venom. I was a child but I LOVED the character for these exact reasons. Crazy to me that as I child I had more vision than adults about the character… people’s opinions are too heavily influenced by their own previous biases
Personally I just never thought Venom needed to be the foil for spider-man. We always had Norman's goblin for that and he had a much more personal attachment there. That being said this was a really interesting video man and it makes me want to rewatch Spider-Man 3 so I'm glad I clicked!
Great video and agreed! I always enjoyed the symbiote storyline of Spider-Man 3 in the way it affects Peter. I even enjoy Eddie in the movie as a rival/“Foil” as you say to Peter and later Spider-Man. (It’s when the symbiote becomes “Venom” I feel is rushed in the movie) The video made me think of the venom character and Spider-Man 3 in a new light too Which is what a good essay does;)
Amazing! Glad it had that impact on you. Yeah, I definitely agree the 3rd act feels rushed and Eddie needed to be more present, BUT buy and large, Sam took the mandates required and did wonders.
Thank you for sharing this take I knew I always loved spider-man 3 unironically especially as someone who grew up with venom from the animated series and this movie and what you’ve shared makes me appreciate Sam raimis take on characters even more than I did and again I thank you for it
I liked this essay, very interesting. Also you gotta admit, the scene in the church was kinda hilarious from Eddie's POV before he got gooped. "Dear God, please kill Peter Parker" ::Peter wailing in agony the distance:: " Thank you God!"
I've been saying how Raimi's Venom is a mirror to Spider-Man for years. Not just superficially. Eddie & Venom are more physically like Peter and Spider-Man. Eddie is more characteristically like Peter. It's a nice change. And Eddie/Venom fit thematically with the story. It is a broken movie, but one that I enjoy. It still works despite some problems. I also like what you said about Venom in the 2000 video game.
Sam Raimi’s Venom was based on the Spider-Man: TAS, actually. In fact, the Raimi Trilogy was mostly based on Spider-Man: TAS! (with elements of the ‘00s Ultimate Spider-Man comics)
If you look at every main Spider-Man trilogy villain, Norman, Otto, and Eddie all mirror a dark version of Peter who isn't beholden to Peter's strong moral code and sense of responsibility. All of them are positioned as the person Peter could be without his mantra of "with great power comes great responsibility."
Thank you so very much for the video on "Spider- Man 3" Film Speak. What you addressed here is EXACTLY how I felt about the movie all this time going all the way back to 2007 when I saw this in theaters, and people just weren't listening to men. So thank you very much for this video.
I think you miss the direct parallel between comics Eddie and Peter which really isn’t your fault because it’s been forgotten over the years. Eddie’s whole motivation is a distinct rejection of responsibility, he refuses to accept that he’s responsible anything wrong in his life, blaming spider-man for the loss of his career as a writer instead of himself for not fact checking his story, this is something that Peter was very prone to do himself in the early Ditko days and Eddie’s original characterization highlights the growth Peter has had since the late 60s to the mid 80s
This is really a nice work of you. I see the point very clearly and I loved the skills when it comes to saying the point out loud. Great writing too. I like this channel wish it could be big!!!
I really loved the symbiote in the Spider-Man 2 PS5. I love being able to see Peter’s frustrations and dark thoughts come to the surface, and when MJ becomes Scream, I love seeing her frustrations and hurt come out. It’s exacerbated by the symbiote, which brings forward the worst of them.
I've said it for years and il say it again here. sam raimi's venom is THE BEST VENOM. his design is perfect! his character is amazing. FUCKIN FIGHT ME!!!!!!
The original line when Venom identifies itself as Venom goes as follows: “Not Eddie Not Spider Parker We are Venom to Spider Parker We are Venom” As such you are right Venom’s original character concept was to be the antithesis of Spiderman💯
“I know why Venom is such a popular character…” No. No you do not. But that’s okay. How could you know? Everything you think you know about Venom comes from movies, TV shows, and Wikipedia. If my introduction to the character came from SM3, Disney cartoons, and Insomniac’s Spider-Man, I would also call him boring. After all, there has not been a single good adaptation of Venom in any media since Spectacular Spider-Man. The closest thing we have gotten to a faithful adaption in recent years is from those ridiculous Venom movies; and that’s sad. Allow me to reveal to you who Venom really is. For this discussion I will be referring to him purely as a Spider-Man villain. I will not be discussing his modern reimagining as an anti-hero. Soon you will understand that Venom is an excellent character…and he always was. Be warned...this is a loooong comment. #1-The Anti-Peter First lets start with the misconception that Venom is an evil reflection to Spider-Man. I guess on the barest and most surface level that is technically accurate but on every other level he is not..like...at all. At least not when Eddie Brock is the host. Quite the opposite actually. Unlike Doc Ock and Norman Osborn, who are dark reflections of Peter, the comics portray Brock as being the “Anti-Peter.” The opposite or inverse of Peter Parker. Peter is a science nerd who has a slim gymnast-like build and was picked on in school. Brock is a gym bro who’s built like a tank and was probably more likely to be stuffing kids in lockers than being stuffed in one himself. Peter has close loved ones like MJ and Aunt May while Eddie is disowned by his father and divorced by his wife, leaving him completely alone. #2-A Compelling Backstory Second, let’s address the slanderous lie that SM3 did Venom justice. Brock has a fairly good motivation for being angry; as misdirected as it might be. Brock loses his career, his wife leaves him, his father (who also happens to be his only living relative) turns his back on him, and he falls into poverty. Now you might say “But wait that’s his own fault not Spider-Man’s.” And you would be absolutely right...and that’s the point. Like I said, Brock is the “Anti-Peter”. So what is Peter’s most defining characteristic? What is the reason he became Spider-Man in the first place? His sense of responsibility. Peter’s sense of responsibility is the very thing that makes him a hero and Brock’s lack of it is his fatal flaw and what makes him a villain. Villains are not always built from tragedies alone but often times by character flaws that come to light in times of hardship. Unlike, Spider-Man 3 who depicts him as a one-dimensional a-hole who’s mad at Spider-Man for petty reasons because he got exposed for framing him for equally petty reasons. #3-He Makes Spider-Man an Underdog When Spider-Man battles Venom, it’s ALWAYS an uphill battle for Spider-Man. Venom has all of Spider-Man's powers, he's stronger, knows everything about him, and doesn't trigger his spider-sense. He is physically superior to Spider-Man in every way. Venom has every advantage in fights with Spider-Man. Spider-Man has to use his wits in order to stay alive because his powers just aren't enough. When Spider-Man fights Green Goblin or Doc Ock, AT BEST, they are Spider-Man's equal. But Spider-Man is lucky if he SURVIVES a battle with Venom, much less wins it. There is a sense of dread and terror that is not present in most Goblin or Doc Ock stories. The Green Goblin can make Spider-Man fear for the lives of his loved ones. Venom can make Spider-Man fear for his own. Make no mistake: SPIDER-MAN...FEARS...VENOM. #4-He Lives to See Spider-Man Die Venom's entire reason for existing is too see Spider-Man dead. He is fanatically devoted to that goal and is all the more terrifying because of it. Brock and the symbiote's hatred for Spider-Man is the fuel that pushes Venom. There are a lot of vengeful villains in comics but I can’t think of many who have owned it the way that Venom has. The idea that someone is out there and cares about nothing, has no ambition, but the singular goal of seeing you die is terrifying. It’s almost terminator-like. #5-You Can’t Spell “Slaughter” Without “Laughter” Another key element in Venom's character is his charisma. Characters who have that much hatred inside them are usually portrayed as cold and stoic (like the Punisher) or as screaming berserkers (like the Hulk or Wolverine) but Venom is none of those things. He's humorous, he's jovial, he's boisterous, he's playful, he's a troll. The sheer joy the character displays while trying to murder Spider-Man gives him a very unique personality. Spider-Man TAS and the N64 Spider-Man 2000 game captured it perfectly. I remember one obscure 90s Spider-Man story where Venom is sitting on a rooftop or something and he’s holding this sheet of paper in his hands and on that paper is a checklist. At the top it says “#1-Kill landlord (which has already been crossed off), #2-Destroy Spider-Man, #3-Get Carnage symbiote back from Kasady, #4-Destroy Spider-Man, #5-Hunt down and kill the Sinister Six, #6-Destroy Spider-Man, #7-Destroy Spider-Man, #8-Destroy Spider-Man…”. Venom is more than just a dime-a-dozen psycho with obsession. His psychotic tendencies are often played for laughs as well as horror. #6-An Honorable Villain On top of all that he even has redeeming qualities. Yes. EVEN WHEN HE WAS STILL A SPIDEY VILLAIN. Venom is kinda like "The Predator" in the sense that he has an honor code. He wants to kill Spider-Man but would prefer not endanger innocent people. Admittedly, this particular characteristic is not always consistent when it conflicts with his goal of murdering Spider-Man. After all, in his mind, HE is the hero protecting the world from the monster that is Spider-Man. Not the other way around. He is a madman with delusions of heroism. #7-The Cerebral Horror Finally, I will give you one example from one of Venom’s earliest Spider-Man stories going back to ASM #317 (1989) as an example of what makes Venom so chilling as a villain: Peter visits his aunt and finds Eddie Brock there, helping her remodel the house; pretending to be a charming gentleman but we, the readers, know better. Now Peter could warn her but Peter knows that if he does Eddie might turn into Venom and kill her on the spot or he might reveal to her that Peter is Spider-Man. So Peter is forced to pretend that he and Eddie are good friends and try to escort Eddie away from the house without alarming her. Peter is standing next to May's left shoulder while Eddie is standing next to the right. Eddie places his arm around May’s shoulder and his hand becomes venomized like he’s about to kill her. Peter, who is behind May's shoulder that is opposite to the shoulder nearest Brock, grabs Eddie’s arm with both arms and tries to pull Eddie’s arm back with all his might but even with both arms it won’t budge. Meanwhile, May is completely oblivious to the danger she is in as Eddie is having a casual conversation with her, showing no sign of strain. Eddie casually yanks his arm free from Peter’s grip and his arm becomes normal again. Proving that he never had any intention of actually hurting her. Through this action he made 3 points to Peter. 1-He knows where Peter's Aunt lives. 2-Peter is not strong enough to protect them from him. 3-The only reason Aunt May is still alive right now is because Eddie CHOSE not to kill her. All of this was a power display. To make Peter feel helpless to protect his loved ones. Moments like that were 10x more tense and scary than when he roared like a velociraptor in SM3, turned MJ into Scream in that new game, or bit off some thug's head in that Venom movie. Conclusion Venom’s hatred, fanatical obsession with seeing Spider-Man destroyed, the psychological warfare that he deploys against Peter, and the sociopath-like superficial charm that Brock deploys to hide the psycho he is, and his irresponsibility and victim mentality enabling him to be completely disconnected from the heinousness of his actions and believe that he is not only a victim but a hero in his own right has endeared him to many and is likely the reason his character has endured for as long as he has and not simply being killed off and replaced by a new host as his creator had originally intended. So please stop condemning Venom...you never knew him. And if you did…you never understood him.
Bro, this is so effing good. You should make this into a UA-cam video. Like, everything in here is already your script. This would be a great guideline for those who want to write Venom, such as fans like me. And I just wanna let this out: Venom 1 (live action) is SHIT and Venom 2 is pure trash.
Let me just say, as a diehard venom fan, you fucking NAILED it with that synopsis in the beginning of the video of what Venom should be, a literal venom to Spider-Man. Thank you bro
ngl I never did like the spiderman 3 Venom but the way you put yourself out and describe the overall greatness of Venom in this movie is just great and I've gone to appreciate it
I just wish they didn’t kill the character at the end of the film. They could’ve left Eddie alive at least and have that symbiote piece left with Connor’s make it’s way to him somehow. Idk
Honestly, my favorite interpretation of Venom is from the cartoon Spectacular Spider-Man. In the show, Eddie is a college student working in Dr. Conner's lab for research; as Peter often visits Dr. Conner, the two often cross paths, enough for Eddie and Peter to refer to each other as "Bro", not in a superficial way, but as a genuine term of kinship. As Peter becomes Spider-Man, he starts neglecting a lot of his obligations; Eddie notices this and starts to develop a distain for Peter. It all comes to a head when Peter has the Symbiote and actually starts to act like a complete asshole to everyone. Eddie is just done with Peter, and now genuinely believes Peter is a bad person. When Peter finally gets rid of the Symbiote it latches on to Eddie, giving him the insight to see that Peter is Spider-Man. Venom is born out of the shared hatred of Eddie and the Symbiote; for Eddie it's his hatred for Peter and his past actions, and for the Symbiote it's Spider-Man for abandoning it the way he did. There's a lot at stake with this version of Venom as not only do both halves of Venom have a rich past with Peter, but he's also constantly trying to reveal his secret identity, or rid Peter of his powers as he really believes that Peter as Spider-Man is a genuinely bad person.
Raimi didn't have the chance to make venom correctly, but he did try as hard as he could to make a "doppelganger". He specifically said he saw it as "whatever you can do, I can do better.". I still love that film.
One of, if not THE biggest reasons I've always loved Raimi's take on Venom is because his take was, not only my FIRST take on Venom I'd ever seen, it was the first superhero movie I'd ever seen when I was little. HOWEVER, I've always felt that, objectively, Raimi's version was not a bad character in the film. It's SO satisfying to see someone else defend his version of the character.
This is why I think Mac Gargan is the perfect host for a villainous Venom. Eddie's did start out as a villain in a way. Both he and the symbiote had mutual hatred for Peter and Spider-Man, but derived from different emotions. Peter was better photogropher and Eddie felt he needed to cheat in order ti be successful, which led to him being fired. The symbiote was never evil. It loved Peter. It tried to let Peter catch some sleep by fighting crime on autopilot before realizing that was actually doing more harm to Peter than good. It eventually stopped because it cared. And then when Peter went to get it tested, Reed Richards told him it was an alien and Peter disgarded it, making it feel alone and abandoned. But despite this, neither Eddie or the symbiote were monsters or evil. They hated Spider-Man with a passion, but would usually put their feud on pause to make sure others didn't get hurt. And the redemption arc and Venom becoming an anti-hero showed that even those that seem bad can do good and self-improve. Mac Gargan however is the polar opposite. Before becoming a host, he was already a mirrored Spider-Man. Scorpions are also arachnids and are typically more dangerous than Spiders. Similar to how Owlman is a good mirror Batman because owls are predators to bats. So having someone who is already the "evil Spider-Man" get his hands on the Venom symbiote is a great threat to Spider-Man. He might lack the foil to Peter Parker that Eddie had, but I see that as plus. Peter tries to balance both lives. He can't be Spider-Man full time because he needs the money to fund his heroics. Food, sleep, suit/utility repairs. Venom doesn't need that. Venom eats brains(or chocolate). He can eat people. Symbiote can heal the host too, eliminating the need for sleep or repair. No bigger threat to a hero who needs to take breaks is a threat that doesn't need to take breaks. Peter's side of life and experiences is what makes Spider-Man do good. Without Uncle Ben, Spider-Man lacks the responsability. So a foil to Spider-Man that has no Peter to guide him is great.
I would say Spiderman 3's biggest issue is that a lot of ingredients were added into the dish and it killed the dish's identity. There were whole films worth of potential for Venom, Harry Osborn, and Sandman. Each of these characters needed room to breathe as Spidey's foil. But they couldn't all work together in one film. Each of them compromised the others, and we got a very dense and chaotic film.
Venom isn’t Spider-Man’s foil. The Green Goblin is. The Green Goblin has always been Spider-Man’s actual foil. People forget that because-well-Venom is designed to *look* similar to Spider-Man, but to not actually be a true foil. He is just as you said at 8:14, Venom is Spider-Man’s shadow.
They should've only had Peter dealing with the symbiote and Sandman and first half Harry Goblin in this film and then did second half Harry Goblin and Venom in the fourth installment
The problem isn't just the screen time for Venom in minutes... It's more so that Eddi Brocks story was also competing with screen time against Harry and Sand Man. Im not against the idea of more than one villain, I just think the movie could have done without Sand Man. We already had this "forgiveness" story arc with Harry. The symbiote really made Parkers feud with Harry more interesting because it was built up for so long. Sand Man is the one that felt more shoehorned in
Venom felt uncooked. I wanted to see Peter spend more time as a villain, see him interact with Ann Marie, to see her reaction. What would his Uncle Ben think after warning him “with great power comes great responsibility.”
A lot of people said, Venom thing felt rushed. But you got it perfectly, whole thing was there right from the start when that meteor hit near Peter and MJ in the park. It attached to Peter got stronger with his rage about Flint Marko and Uncle Ben thing, then it attached to Eddie and got even stronger with Eddie's rage towards Peter💯
I’ve been saying this for years! It’s not my favorite version of Venom, nor is it comic book accurate, but it actually fits perfectly with what Raimi was TRYING to do with the movie.
Spider Man 3 should have had Sandman and Green Goblin as the main villains with this more so being the complete conclusion to Sam Raimi's trilogy with Peter having to face his demons in Flint Marko and Harry Osborn.
Venom on the first comics did want revenge againts spiderman but saw no meaning in slaughtering other people,he was a really heartfelt christian that when he was at the lowest point of hes life after spiderman ruined it because he proved fake one of eddies stories,he goed to the church to end it all,when he fused with the symbiote he thought that it was a blessing from God himself,that he gave him the power to end spiderman,that was hes duty for him because he genuenly thought that peter was a monster and not just because he made him a bad day,the symbiote amplified even more of that hatred until making him think that peter was an ungodly creauture killer of innocence,the thing venom values the most,so there is humanity in him,and a lot really,he once protected peters parent form spiderman because he really thought that spidey was evil,he valued their innocence so much that he wasnt willing to tell them that spiderman was their son,once he thought he finally ended spiderman he decided to live the rest of hes life in an empty island without causing trouble,showing that he wasnt even a real villian
He never read the comics, this video alone proves that normies will criticize the source material without having actually read the source material and are mad that fans of said source material had every right to criticize a character from a film made by a guy that openly admitted he never understood to begin with
Finally! Thank you! Have so many issues with Spiderman 3 but Venom himself wasn’t one of them. He works as a true opposite to Peter in 3. Amazing Spiderman 2 is the movie that really aged well and climbed up my rankings after a theater revisit recently. Great video as always!
This point is proven by the comics themselves, where the venom symbiote moves on from Eddie to Flash Thompson. The writers knew what they were doing when they made that change.
I'm with you 100%. Rami's seemingly honest attempt at fitting the character of Venom into the movie in a way that felt organic might not have fully worked - but hindsight proves this film isn't as bad as we all remember. Killer Vid!
I do feel with Tom Hardy it was because Sony didn't own Spider-man now. They have to jump through hoops to get him in. The only reason they didn't yet is because they got Toby and Andrew in No way Home. Venom was supposed have a bigger role since at the time they didn't know if they'd come back or not.
Eddie brock jr.( played by topher grace), is mostly inspired by ultimate spider-man comics where eddie is a creep, (trying to get with gwen when she's not into him), and skinny. Heck, even his name is Eddie brock jr. However he also has a bit of the 90's animated series for working at the same place peter works. The daily bugle, and forging a picture to make spider-man guilty and then getting fired when exposed by spider-man. Even getting empowered, both try to get revenge on spider-man because spider-man ruined his life, and got fired. Both earth 616 comics and 90s animated series both have Eddie being at the same church where peter rids himself of the suit, unaware it latched onto eddie. I think Topher did good, but needed more to show. The no way home andrew treatment of getting some spotlight.
OH BABY FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT I understand people not liking Venom as an adaptation, but God damn it's the biggest complaint people levy towards him which always really irritated me, not only because of how the rami trilogy is general dubious with his accuracy but I feel it's a petty limit on an artistic/creative level and the harsh push of accuracy in general ironically discourages me from going towards the og source
I think Venom is supposed to represent what would happen if Peter gave in to his hatred. Eddie does not have to have a special dynamic with Peter. The idea is that Eddie is Willing to give up his humanity and regular life for Revenge against Peter. If Peter ended up in the same situation and mindset with the Symbiote as Eddie then Peter and Spider-man would cease to exist. Also there is the fact that the hatred for Peter that Eddie and the Symbiote share makes them stronger when they are together. The Symbiote is bitter because Peter rejected it's power and it lost a powerful vessel. Eddie on the other hand trains and bulks up so that the Symbiote enhances him even further and with this boost Venom becomes stronger than Spider-Man. Eddie Basically does everything Peter refused to do for the Symbiote and even compensates his own Physical shortcomings so he is the almost perfect host, but the Symbiote still prefers Peter because of his superpovers and deeper bond which must be on a cellular level since the Symbiote was able to copy the powers of Peter and avoid his Spider-sense.
Solid breakdown! The hill I’ll die on is that screen adaptations don’t need to be accurate to the source, it just needs to be adapted well… especially if it’s an improvement (s/o The Boys). Your final point on the incarnations of Venom solidified that & it’s likely why, in retrospect, I’ve never hated Raimi’s Venom either.
Eddie, in the books is an extremely compelling character. The symbiote, later on, is also very dynamic and interesting. I think a lot of Venom's public reception has been tainted by all of the Spider-Man media that just makes him a big boring goop monster. Eddie had a twisted sense of morality, under which he could justify just about anything he did to peter. He later grew and learned to reflect on his tragic life, learned to take responsibility for his actions and became a better person. You really should give the actual comics a read.
Eddie Brock is a great villain in this movie because Peter created him. He smashed his camera and got him fired while bullying him physically just like Flash did to him. When Eddie was pulled from the symbiote he was hysterical because being Venom was all he had in a world where he was helpless.
I was first introduced to Venom through the 90s animated series, and I think that they very much had the same intuition. Venom's introduction in that cartoon was fantastic, especially the way that Brock revealed himself to Peter after nearly killing him, and then he proceeded to drop the names of people who Peter loved. When he shows up at Aunt May's home, or interjects himself into Peter's date with MJ, we constantly have to wonder what he is going to do next. There's no place for Peter to hide anymore, and at the same time, he has no idea where Venom will show up next. Combine this with the brilliant way Raimi transformed Brock into a foil for Peter, and I was fully onboard with that version of the character. Unfortunately, he never felt like he had a place in the film when crammed between Sandman and Green Goblin Jr. I wouldn't mind Venom only appearing toward the end, but I don't want to see him playing third fiddle, either.
There's 2 things I don't like about Topher Grace's Venom, he lacked the bulk that Tom Hardy's Venom has, and the pure villain aspect, personally if Spider-Man 3 ended with Eddie Brock becoming Venom then have 4 immediately pick up from there would've made the film better
since the 90s animated show, Venom is my favourite spider-man villain and I have to say... yes Topher Grace is no Eddie brock, but for a character that basicly was forced into the movie, he and Raimi still did a fantastic job. Still love venoms portray here. In general I'm probably one of the very few people who likes spiderman 3 the most. Yes it's even more cheesier than the first 2 but damn do I love me some extra cheese (also sandmans birth is pure cinema)
I personally don't enjoy Venom unless he is with Spiderman. I enjoy Venom because he's a character created out of Peter spite and hatred and Peter had to learn to live without the force that makes his life easier but makes him worse, Venom is a great character study for Peter Parker and a great villain with a cool design and great strength. But if you remove Peter and only have venom and Eddie, you're left with characters that feel like they're not living up to their potential, and somewhat boring.
I will say that I love and adore the entire Raimi trilogy. In fact,they are my all time favorite films. And I loved Spider-man 3. I did in 2007 when I first saw it,and I still do today. Sure,it's flawed,but in no way is it bad. In fact,I think it's pretty damn good. I really do wish Venom got more screen time and development though. Speaking of which, Venom is my all time favorite Spidey villain. I remember the character's introduction in the late 80's. McFarlene's take on him was wonderful. Making him this creepy, hulking monster that even Spidey was afraid to fight. But...I can't help but agree with you. Venom has been wasted so much over the years. He was so popular that whenever Marvel needed to sell some issues,they would just bring out Venom for a few issues,have Spidey defeat him and then rinse and repeat. They never really gave the character much purpose or depth. But I do think he's progressed over the last few years. Spider-man 3 and the Spectacular Spider-man cartoon being some of my favorite versions of the character.
This video literally read my mind, this has and always will be one of my favorite versions of venom. It mostly started with his design, I like any venom with a web pattern design, I like his slim design, I know people wish he was a little bulkier and I do too a little bit aswell but I like bulky but not too bulky, I feel like it would’ve been the perfect venom if he was bulky like tom Hardy’s venom and not comic venom bulky, and it felt like a true mirror to spider-man with his body size.
Spider-Man 3 used to actually be my favorite Spider-Man film till No Way Home came out, so I know exactly what you mean! Such an underrated and fun movie
More and more the Sony films just make him another version of The Mask, the more i appreciate this take, least from a storyline tale about the dangers of addiction. He's not 6'5 and built like someone like Tom Hardy or a Brock Lesnar but he's got that vindictive streak Eddie had in cartoons.
As someone basically obsessed with Venom, I tend to agree that his weakest use is as a Spider-Man villain. It's when he gets reflective and starts being a "hero" with no restraint is when we get to the character I love. He doesn't capture guys and leave them for the cops, he just bites their heads off, he's twisted, he goes too far, it's enjoyably goofy.
I liked Spiderman 3 Venom as a kid because he was a cool monster. As an adult, I can appreciate everything that Raimi was trying to do with the character that was forced into the story. So even if it was for different reasons, my childhood me was still right about a thing or two.
Venom wasn't even planned to be in Spider-Man 3 originally. It was only about Sandman and Harry Osbourne. It was Avi Arad decision to add Venom in the third movie, thinking that it would get bigger audience and sell more toys (not a joke). He admitted it eventually.
You’re not gonna talk about Spectacular Spider-Man’s portrayal of Eddie? That, imo, is very well done and connects Eddie with Peter. They have a history and a falling out. Eddie is a fantastic character in that show.
What do YOU think about how Spider-Man 3 handled Venom?🕸 Are you a fan of Sam Raimi's interpretation? Comment below!💥 Thanks again to Scentbird! 🪽 Use code FILM to get 55% off your first month at Scentbird sbird.co/4aY3yLk
If you want to read a Spider-Man comic that does venom in the way I think you want to read the 2000s ultimate Spider-Man. it literally makes Eddie this college student loser who is obsessed with women and in the past too much and he is the exact opposite of Peter in the series. he doesn’t appear a lot. I think he’s only in like one story but it’s a really good one and if you ever wanna scratch that itch it’s really good. The writer of the comic also hated venom and wanted to do something new with him.
Pretty bad but I do think venom should be his main villain
I like your interpretation of Raimi's Venom, but I feel like your misinterpretation of Venom in the books is due to you not realizing what Eddie represents on a metatextual level. I elaborate more on it in my comment
@filmspeak look, man, i love spider-man 3 and i love that inspiration of venom but please stop talking about things you don't know about because it is obvious you don't read comics . If you want i can recommend some good venom runs like the donny cates run , The hunger mini-series , ewing ongoing,
@@austinkieckhefer8047 Oh, oh don't worry I LOVE Ultimate Spidey. My favorite Spidey in the comics and I think my fav version of the venom story in the comics.
Spider-Man 3 is just an overall overhated and underrated film. Sure it's got it's issues, but I feel like it does a good job at ending the trilogy and telling a compelling story... which if we are going to be honest, are the only 2 things the final movie in a trilogy really needs to achieve.
spider-man 3 is 2 2.5 hour movies squeezed into 1 2 hour movie. we needed another movie to give every character here the spotlight
I know the feeling, I don’t like when people call Kung Fu Panda 3 bad just because it’s the least good outta the 3.
Bad in Raimi trilogy standards still means it's great film tbh. I do like it more tho hahahah
@@redi.c.e.6046wow this is facts lol. Both part 3s are great imo.
There was gonna be a 4 and 5
Where Pete and Harry fight SandMan and Eddie (SandBoy redemption)
And then Venom comes back and Spider-Man fights him as a final battle
What I like about Topher Grace's portrayal is how almost Nick-Cagey he is.
"My spider sense is tingling, if you know what I'm talking about..."
hahaha he was ABSOLUTELY channeling Castor Troy from Face Off lmao
@@FilmSpeak That was so cringe IMO.
😂
I didn't and still don't know what he was talking about but I want to know!
@@RichLunaMusictrust me you don’t want to
they will never make me hate you spider-man 3
Well said mate, amazing movie
Same here. The ending make me cry the first time I watch it.
Spiderman 3 was always my favourite when I first got introduced to Spiderman and these movies back in the late 2000s when I was a young kid. Spiderman 3 started my love for Venom and ever since he's been my favourite villain. With green goblin at 2nd. Spiderman 3 will always be my favourite 💯.
And also, Amazing Spiderman 1 is my 2nd favourite, that movie is criminally underrated
I loved it when i saw in theaters and i still love it. Finally got it on blu ray.
same with TASM 1 too
I can't believe I never realized it before! The more you laid the groundwork for your point, the more it clicked. Brilliant work from both you and Raimi
Not so much from taimi
Nah, raimi should've just follow the source material this guy is a joke
@@stellviahohenheim I don't think that would have worked for this film cuz of the whole dumb anti hero shit
@@stellviahohenheimHe’s not a joke, the dude said Venom to him always being “boring”. He makes a lot of sense that Venom is a duality of Spider-Man. Makes sense to me.
@@stellviahohenheim Raimi not simply "following the source" is what made Spider-Man 1 & 2 the best of the trilogy. Spider-Man 3 is good too imo but Raimi LITERALLY did NOT want to do a Venom story in the first place, he was forced to use a character he simply didn't have motivation to do at all.
Also, Eddie and Gwen technically aren't in a relationship; the novelization explains it's all in Eddie's head, and he's stalking Gwen obsessively. Meanwhile, Gwen tells Eddie to back off since there’s nothing between them, but he can’t take the hint and soon goes off the deep end.
Wow.
Topher Grace's Venom was nice, he was desperate, revengeful but I would've still made him bulkier. It could've shown how insecure he was and what seemed intimidating to him. If you have the teeth, why not the size.
That's Why I Used To Think Bro Why Didn't You Made Him Bigger.
@@RohitModiyani i think would take too much CGI , and thats all the team was working for sandman
He was indeed bulkier. Just not… Hulk bulkier, you feel me?
@@NicolasSorzano-nm3uw yeah bro
Venom was never Hulk’s size but still bulkier than Spider-Man. I said it once and I’ll say it again, had Venom lived, he could’ve maybe grew in size and definetely as a character
I think the biggest thing Raimi missed was the relationship between Eddie and Venom - the symbiote had sentience and talked to him. Leaving that out was the biggest flaw. I didn't really mind how they changed the character other than that detail.
He missed alot
Honestly relationship between symbiote and host was not portraited well in any media including comics untill 2010s. Then Remender and Cates played with it (mostly Cates). You cannot blame Raimi for not adapting something that was not existing back in his time.
still had this movie series been allowed to continue that would have come later. the symbiote was shown to affect the people he bonds too. a second movie with venom could dive deeper into this. where spider-man rejected it eddie embraced venom. this difference could have been the catalyst that allowed them to speak to each other. spider-man 3 has so many hallmarks of an amazing movie. it could been on of the greatest but some clunky red-conning and communication with the bloat of having 3 villains in a short time time just made it fall short. they should have left sand-man till movie 4 and tell the deeper story of reflection through the new goblin and venom, those 2 hit peter in a very personal way
There was only so much Raimi could do. For what he had to work with he nailed it.
@nope5657 not nailed but its not terrible
Best portrayal we ever got on film. The problem is he only got so little screen time. I genuinely genuinely wish in another reality Sam Raimi's Spiderman 3 has only symbiote Sandman and Goblin and then the Spiderman 4 is all about Venom
if only sony allowed, the eddie transformation in venom as pos credit scene or in the end to make hype for the next movie
Between Sam raimis interpretation and the comics there’s a villain to anti villain to anti hero thing venom kind of went through could be a great character arc
There’s a resurgence of Spiderman 3 content on yt and I’m here for it
I personally hope they bring Topher Grace back in Venom 3 so he can add more to the character and maybe become a fan favorite too
Like how Andrew did his Spidey better justice in No Way Home?
That is not happening.
@@PositivelyNegativeOfficiallame!
Why and how would that make any sense to do? Is everyone just hoping multiverse movies gets made now without it having any connection whatsoever? 😭
@@rbacon8922 Knull. The god of venom is a multiversal threat.
Raimi/Topher's Venom is actually the most comic accurate Venom we've gotten in live action.
He's imo, the best Venom we've gotten in live action.
Hardy's take doesn't hold a candle to what Raimi/Topher did, making him a dark mirror of Peter, while still keeping the trait of him being delusional, and seeing himself as the good guy and the world screwing him over.
If you're going to argue, 'OH Venom supposed to be big, even McFarlane said so."
No disrespect to McFarlane, but only caring about a look of a character and not their character themselves is ridiculous
Oh my god THANK YOU. finally someone else said it besides me
As much people didn't like him, at least he fought Spider-Man in live-action.
And he's literally the Romita Jr. Venom, so there's no excuse to people who says it's not comic accurate
Not really a huge price considering the competition.
This. I fully agree here
The way I view it, the symbiote is a "venom" but Eddie + the symbiote IS "Venom", if that makes sense. The team makes the character but the alien is the driving force, without it Eddie is just a bad Peter but together they become the anti-Spider-man and a perfect foil.
The symbiote is its own character seperate from venom, no adaption has ever ever really connected this especially the dynamics between Peter and he symbiote
@@skinless5136Venom personality is amalgam of Eddie Brock and the symbiote.
The animated Venoms had some good stories. The way the 90s series portrayed him, Peter was terrified for all the people in his life becaue he knew Eddie and the symbiote knew all his secrets and were angry enough to ise them. Imagine a psychopath who wants to hurt you, knowing everything about you.
Then along came Carnage.
Venom was awesome in Spider-Man 3
Glad you agree!
I agree
Especially considering the fact that Raimi was forced to include him in the movie.
#IBlameAviArad
No, no he wasn't.
He was a Scrawny body version of the One true VENOM
THE REAL VENOM IS GIANTGANTICLY taller than Spider-Man and most importantly A MUSCLE BOUND beast
I love how Peter's line to Eddie "you want forgiveness? Get religion" sets up both of them being at the church for the same reason.
Pete's following his own advice after regretting his decisions under the influence of the symbiote, and his dark reflection, Eddie, is seeking that same advice for having everything taken away from him, further connecting the two. They really are two sides of the same coin.
I just really like that Peter, in his abuse of power and lack of responsibility/accountability, creates Venom. Yes physically, but everything leading up to that. He pushes Eddie over the edge because he felt so threatened by him. He makes his life miserable. And out of that misery, Eddie bonds with the symbiote, creating an even worse monster than the black-suited Spider-Man.
Also, watching the Editor's Cut of the movie has sent my respect for the film into the stratosphere. Please everyone go watch it if you have the chance, it's brilliant.
Well, what I think Venom foils in Spider-Man in the comics is twofold:
-Envy
-Responsibility
People tend to forget, DUE to multimedia exposure and the advent of the Raimi movies, that Spider-Man is one spiteful motherfucker in the books. Especially during the original Lee and Ditko run. Peter was always such a dick that it detered people away from him. Like the time he joined the Avengers, only for him to be such a nuisance that they kicked him off. Eddie parallels that in a sense. When his career is ruined on the Sin Eater case, he doesn't accept the problem was himself for being impulsive and picking the wrong person, he turns to blame Spider-Man. He blames Spider-Man because he was the one who exposed his faulty reporting, which is a weak reason. But it's also something that Peter Parker would get angry about (especially as back then, the black suit was just a suit with a conscious and didn't affect Peter's emotions). So, not accepting responsibility, Eddie goes to the church, further blames Spider-Man, and is "blessed" with the symbiote. He is the inversion of Peter's traits to be the antithesis of his most important lesson, "With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility." That power first lied in his reporting ability, now it lies in his mantle of Venom. Then the theme of responsibility is elaborate on in subsequent runs where he becomes the Lethal Protector, and nowadays, resembles more of a superhero than an anti-hero, because he accepted responsibility.
Edit: I forgot to include it in my main analysis, but the Symbiote is mad because it was only trying to help Peter, but because of Peter not sympathizing with it and rejecting it, it develops an anger towards Peter/Spider-Man. This hate towards Peter as a person is added onto by Eddie's hatred towards Spider-Man. Another angle that you could view it from is that he shows the aftermath of the everyman who Spider-Man doesn't really care about in the long run being dragged into something bigger. Sort of like Spot in ATSV. That is a bit of a stretch, but it's something to think about. The best version of Venom, however, is Spectacular's without a shadow of a doubt
Finally someone else that actually knows about how the original story went. Kinda hate how everyone thinks the symbiote made Peter evil or darker when the reality was Peter was just a dick lmao. The symbiote only goes after Peter because it felt rejected and was being influenced by Eddies hatred for him. The original story is in my opinion is better because venom is ultimately a consequence of Peter being not responsible. Peter should have tried to understand the symbiote better but instead freaked out and tried to remove it from him. Thus making it his responsibility that the symbiote then went and bonded to Eddie. Making the symbiote evil to begin with and alter his personality just completely removes Peter’s responsibility because of course Peter should remove the alien affecting his personality
@@CyberNorth-fc6wi If the last bit of your comment refers to Raimi's SM3, I think it's a stretch to say it's "evil" by default or by its core nature. It catalyzes the darker parts of Peter's personality but that's not necessarily fair to call evil; in psychological terms it brings out Peter's Shadow to the surface, almost like a personality inversion where his good parts switch over to the repressed side and his darker parts switch over to the externally visible persona side (although the transition isn't immediate, but a painfully slow process of succumbing to his primal impulses as it slowly tears down his life as he knew it until he hits his rock-bottom and has only the choices of giving up/in, or rising back up with what he's learned through this ordeal).
It could very well be argued that this is a sort of blessing in disguise as it speeds up the process of hitting rock bottom so he can rise out of it and reach new heights of wisdom and personal growth. But I won't try to claim that as *the* objectively correct interpretation, it's only mine (and whoever else shares this perspective because of their own life experience, both in general and through doing the truly difficult, heavy, confronting, vulnerable, and intimidating, yet also endlessly rewarding Shadow Integration inner-work).
I agree with roughly 90% of your assessment here.
Im happy that someone on youtube has finally came out and dug into the character of venom in Spider-Man 3, and how its deeper than they think.
Your assessment is spot on damn near.
They originally cut out alot of the horror aspects of the venom in the film..... originally his death was alot more sinister and dark. The symbiote absorbed eddie and died trying to bond to peter one last time.
It scared the kids in the test audience so they had to remove it.
One reason venom wasnt as big was because the special FX department wanted topher to be wearing a practical suit amd rely less on cgi as possible.
They were also HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY JOHN CARPENTERS "THE THING" and his design in film reflects that. Thats why the symbiote has more weight to it. You see how aggressively the symbiote bonds with eddie. Twisting and mangling his flesh. Affecting his body by adding muscles, changing his cell structure. Sharpening his teeth, giving him all of spidys powers. You see the symbiote inside his body as well. Clawing and pulling at his face when facing peter.
Rami did a good job with what he had. And wanted to do more, considering hes a horror director at heart. Venoms role in this films fits a greater purpose and narrative to the theme of spidy 3 which is forgiveness. He serves as his dark reflection and his past sins come to light. He is what peter could have become had he fell completely to his ego and anger. The tom hardy movies have no soul. People see the big muscles and the mouth and thats all they need to be happy for venom nowadays. If you care more about how a character looks rather than actually have it written well, then your the problem. Your telling these companies that thats all you need. "Just throw venom in there and make him big and goofy" i love venom as a character and i always will.
But it kills me to see him be bastardized in modern media today. To have my fav charcter be in two terribly written and directed films, then have people praise it just simply for "comic book accuracy" hurts. You should ask your favorite comic book character to be in a good movie and written well. If i see venom on screen one day and he looks exactly like how he did in the comics..... but his movies are terrible and wrtten like dog water im not gonna just blindly except that. Because fans deserve better. Sam rami di the best he could with the story of venom. His place in spidy 3 will be remembered nore fondly over time than the hardy version. Simply because you can see the heart and passion they had with each film and the lessions it taught peter. Spider-Man 3 has its flaws but the films and its interpretation of venom will be remembered fondly over time compared to the souless goofy interpretation we have today. In my opinion
Didn't people criticize the venom movies for not even having spiderman, and weren't they hated because of how they were written.
@@malikpierre-louis3343 for the most part yes. But unfortunately the cultural zeitgeist of modern day venom is that he is big, goofy, and a separate being from eddie. Making the person inside of it mean less if anyone can were the symbiote and still be 7'ft10 monster and roided out of their minds. Venom nowadays is being stripped down to his bare tactics because sony is absolutely failing in their movie department. Venom and Spider-Man on film is the only thing they have going to keep their films a float and in competition with marvel. If it weren't for the ps5 sony would be damn near gone. Making venom the way he is in the hardy movies makes him more marketable and gives his movies more legs to stand on their own. The trade off for that is the downfall of his character and his movies were written like garbage
Exactly. And In the original comics, Venom dosen't have his own separate identity. It is just goo that wants to obtain symbiosis. Venom is Eddie Brock. Venom says "We" because it is Eddie Brock, while under the influence of the Symbiote, talking.
In modern interpretations of the character, venom speaks and acts like a separate character with his own goals and desires.
It's dumb.
Raimi actually adapted the source material more faithfully in this regard.
@@jordanMJKI also find it sad how Insomniac's Spider-Man 2 took a nose dive in terms of overall writing quality and believability. I enjoyed Venom in Ultimate Spider-Man as a kid but I think Raimi's SM3 will remain my most favorite-written adaptation of Venom for a while, until/unless something else tops it. Not holding my breath for that. I wish Insomniac's sequel was up to par with the original on PS4 (imo the definitive way to play it over the remastered version, I'm of the crowd that thought Peter's "new" face looked too boyish for a 27 year-old. I'm 27 and I look more along the lines of the original myself haha, plus the lighting in the cutscenes somehow looks better than in the remaster). Maybe that suggests bias but I'm ok with that. SMPS4 is my favorite iteration of Spider-Man overall aside from Raimi's trilogy which has always and will always hold a special place in my mind and heart for how it impacted me as a kid and to this day.
@@jordanMJK I agree with everything you said
It's interesting that you see Eddie is the dark mirror of Peter, and by aquiring the symbiote in the final act, it makes Eddie/Venom basically evil Peter Parker himself, and Peter needs to defeat that in order to redeem himself and learn forgiveness about Sandman. Peter is basically fighting his own inner darkness throughout the film and he must face it in the form of Venom, and destroy it to become good again. Whether this was intentional from Sam Raimi(cause he is really good at creating symbolic emotional journies for his characters and have villains representing personalities of the heroes) this is actually brillaint and you make me want to rewatch Spider-Man 3 now with that thought in mind.
I agree with your assessment, and like most of Spider-Man 3, only falls short in execution. The only element I find to be flawed in conception is the writing, as just like Amazing Spider-Man 2, there’s too much going on for anything to feel fully fleshed out.
The fact insomniac just forget about Venom being able to bypass Spider Man's Spider Sense kinda bothers me.
Outside of the old comics and Neversoft Spider-man, most people forget that Venom can literally become invisible
@@solo_warr10r Like Drax?
@@solo_warr10r the Symbiote powers changes after every adaptations also nah Symbiote Peter can use camo in the game like this ua-cam.com/video/MP8VRHodWUU/v-deo.htmlsi=DbTbHrcs2TdWz2Vh
I highly doubt they forgot about it. More accurately, they deliberately chose to ignore it because having an enemy that doesn’t trigger spider sense would fundamentally break the game’s playability. Imagine having to react to attacks with absolutely NO warning whatsoever.
Would it be cool? Hell yes. Would it be practical for 99% of the player base? No. Especially with the intense focus on accessibility settings.
@@PositivelyNegativeOfficial fair enough, you'd need have his spider sense work or do what Web of shadows did and have a special symbiote sense which was a by-product of having the black suit.
the thing is raimis Venom is actually pretty spot on, the only thing wrong was his build and physique, and some of the cockiness just came off as jackassy instead of tough guy esque, Topher actually captures his character pretty well but in the end he wasnt right for the part due to his build, its funny raimi says Venom isnt relatable, but to the average fan he actually is, everyone can go through hard time just how eddie brock is usually portrayed, and find someone or something to blame, and in turn they want revenge/vengeance when they are not in the right mindset, hes also relatable in the form of his comeback going from bad to good and finding forgiveness and realization, if anything eddie brock is the most relatable villain in Spider-man history, cause just like peter hes just your average guy
You could say that about a lot of villains. Doc ock’s obsession caused him to go off into the deep end and eventually he redeems himself by drowning his creation into the depths of the dark water to prevent any further damage and destruction
I love all versions of Venom. Aside from the design (which is awesome, ecen the Raimi version), the character is just so tangible and has so much range. He's works amazingly as a buddy cop to a goofy Venom in the Hardy movies, he works great as a sleazy jealous and toxic version of Peter in SM3, and works as a deeper more morally challenged character in modern comics. He's both a great comic relief and extremely troubled loner suffering from an almost mental illness as a result of his inner conflict.
Spider-Man 3 was definitely a great movie with the theme of forgiveness done right
I feel like ultimate spider-man and spectacular spider-man did Eddie Brock/venom right since they made Peter and Eddie somewhat like brothers and then soon are set against each other. Overall it gives more emotion to Peter when he ends up facing venom and defeating him in the end.
Spider-man 3 was my first interaction with venom. I was a child but I LOVED the character for these exact reasons. Crazy to me that as I child I had more vision than adults about the character… people’s opinions are too heavily influenced by their own previous biases
i like spidermans
white spiders fart in my face
I think aesthetically this is the best looking venom on the big screen
Personally I just never thought Venom needed to be the foil for spider-man. We always had Norman's goblin for that and he had a much more personal attachment there. That being said this was a really interesting video man and it makes me want to rewatch Spider-Man 3 so I'm glad I clicked!
Great video and agreed!
I always enjoyed the symbiote storyline of Spider-Man 3 in the way it affects Peter. I even enjoy Eddie in the movie as a rival/“Foil” as you say to Peter and later Spider-Man. (It’s when the symbiote becomes “Venom” I feel is rushed in the movie)
The video made me think of the venom character and Spider-Man 3 in a new light too Which is what a good essay does;)
Amazing! Glad it had that impact on you. Yeah, I definitely agree the 3rd act feels rushed and Eddie needed to be more present, BUT buy and large, Sam took the mandates required and did wonders.
Thank you for sharing this take
I knew I always loved spider-man 3 unironically especially as someone who grew up with venom from the animated series and this movie and what you’ve shared makes me appreciate Sam raimis take on characters even more than I did and again I thank you for it
I liked this essay, very interesting.
Also you gotta admit, the scene in the church was kinda hilarious from Eddie's POV before he got gooped.
"Dear God, please kill Peter Parker" ::Peter wailing in agony the distance:: " Thank you God!"
I would love to see a more horror version of venom. A violent scary creepy killer. Same with the lizard.
with tom hardy movies making a lot of money this horror version is far from reality
@@kyomoto2084 the 2nd movie didn't really make that much
I've been saying how Raimi's Venom is a mirror to Spider-Man for years. Not just superficially. Eddie & Venom are more physically like Peter and Spider-Man. Eddie is more characteristically like Peter. It's a nice change. And Eddie/Venom fit thematically with the story. It is a broken movie, but one that I enjoy. It still works despite some problems. I also like what you said about Venom in the 2000 video game.
Sam Raimi’s Venom was based on the Spider-Man: TAS, actually. In fact, the Raimi Trilogy was mostly based on Spider-Man: TAS! (with elements of the ‘00s Ultimate Spider-Man comics)
The symbiote is actually just the Symbiote
EDDIE named the unification of himself and the Alien as Venom.
If you look at every main Spider-Man trilogy villain, Norman, Otto, and Eddie all mirror a dark version of Peter who isn't beholden to Peter's strong moral code and sense of responsibility. All of them are positioned as the person Peter could be without his mantra of "with great power comes great responsibility."
Thank you so very much for the video on "Spider- Man 3" Film Speak. What you addressed here is EXACTLY how I felt about the movie all this time going all the way back to 2007 when I saw this in theaters, and people just weren't listening to men. So thank you very much for this video.
I think you miss the direct parallel between comics Eddie and Peter which really isn’t your fault because it’s been forgotten over the years. Eddie’s whole motivation is a distinct rejection of responsibility, he refuses to accept that he’s responsible anything wrong in his life, blaming spider-man for the loss of his career as a writer instead of himself for not fact checking his story, this is something that Peter was very prone to do himself in the early Ditko days and Eddie’s original characterization highlights the growth Peter has had since the late 60s to the mid 80s
This is really a nice work of you. I see the point very clearly and I loved the skills when it comes to saying the point out loud. Great writing too. I like this channel wish it could be big!!!
I really loved the symbiote in the Spider-Man 2 PS5. I love being able to see Peter’s frustrations and dark thoughts come to the surface, and when MJ becomes Scream, I love seeing her frustrations and hurt come out. It’s exacerbated by the symbiote, which brings forward the worst of them.
I've said it for years and il say it again here. sam raimi's venom is THE BEST VENOM. his design is perfect! his character is amazing. FUCKIN FIGHT ME!!!!!!
The original line when Venom identifies itself as Venom goes as follows:
“Not Eddie
Not Spider Parker
We are Venom to Spider Parker
We are Venom”
As such you are right
Venom’s original character concept was to be the antithesis of Spiderman💯
“I know why Venom is such a popular character…”
No. No you do not. But that’s okay. How could you know? Everything you think you know about Venom comes from movies, TV shows, and Wikipedia. If my introduction to the character came from SM3, Disney cartoons, and Insomniac’s Spider-Man, I would also call him boring. After all, there has not been a single good adaptation of Venom in any media since Spectacular Spider-Man. The closest thing we have gotten to a faithful adaption in recent years is from those ridiculous Venom movies; and that’s sad. Allow me to reveal to you who Venom really is. For this discussion I will be referring to him purely as a Spider-Man villain. I will not be discussing his modern reimagining as an anti-hero. Soon you will understand that Venom is an excellent character…and he always was. Be warned...this is a loooong comment.
#1-The Anti-Peter
First lets start with the misconception that Venom is an evil reflection to Spider-Man. I guess on the barest and most surface level that is technically accurate but on every other level he is not..like...at all. At least not when Eddie Brock is the host. Quite the opposite actually. Unlike Doc Ock and Norman Osborn, who are dark reflections of Peter, the comics portray Brock as being the “Anti-Peter.” The opposite or inverse of Peter Parker. Peter is a science nerd who has a slim gymnast-like build and was picked on in school. Brock is a gym bro who’s built like a tank and was probably more likely to be stuffing kids in lockers than being stuffed in one himself. Peter has close loved ones like MJ and Aunt May while Eddie is disowned by his father and divorced by his wife, leaving him completely alone.
#2-A Compelling Backstory
Second, let’s address the slanderous lie that SM3 did Venom justice.
Brock has a fairly good motivation for being angry; as misdirected as it might be. Brock loses his career, his wife leaves him, his father (who also happens to be his only living relative) turns his back on him, and he falls into poverty. Now you might say “But wait that’s his own fault not Spider-Man’s.” And you would be absolutely right...and that’s the point. Like I said, Brock is the “Anti-Peter”. So what is Peter’s most defining characteristic? What is the reason he became Spider-Man in the first place? His sense of responsibility. Peter’s sense of responsibility is the very thing that makes him a hero and Brock’s lack of it is his fatal flaw and what makes him a villain. Villains are not always built from tragedies alone but often times by character flaws that come to light in times of hardship. Unlike, Spider-Man 3 who depicts him as a one-dimensional a-hole who’s mad at Spider-Man for petty reasons because he got exposed for framing him for equally petty reasons.
#3-He Makes Spider-Man an Underdog
When Spider-Man battles Venom, it’s ALWAYS an uphill battle for Spider-Man. Venom has all of Spider-Man's powers, he's stronger, knows everything about him, and doesn't trigger his spider-sense. He is physically superior to Spider-Man in every way. Venom has every advantage in fights with Spider-Man. Spider-Man has to use his wits in order to stay alive because his powers just aren't enough. When Spider-Man fights Green Goblin or Doc Ock, AT BEST, they are Spider-Man's equal. But Spider-Man is lucky if he SURVIVES a battle with Venom, much less wins it. There is a sense of dread and terror that is not present in most Goblin or Doc Ock stories. The Green Goblin can make Spider-Man fear for the lives of his loved ones. Venom can make Spider-Man fear for his own. Make no mistake: SPIDER-MAN...FEARS...VENOM.
#4-He Lives to See Spider-Man Die
Venom's entire reason for existing is too see Spider-Man dead. He is fanatically devoted to that goal and is all the more terrifying because of it. Brock and the symbiote's hatred for Spider-Man is the fuel that pushes Venom. There are a lot of vengeful villains in comics but I can’t think of many who have owned it the way that Venom has. The idea that someone is out there and cares about nothing, has no ambition, but the singular goal of seeing you die is terrifying. It’s almost terminator-like.
#5-You Can’t Spell “Slaughter” Without “Laughter”
Another key element in Venom's character is his charisma. Characters who have that much hatred inside them are usually portrayed as cold and stoic (like the Punisher) or as screaming berserkers (like the Hulk or Wolverine) but Venom is none of those things. He's humorous, he's jovial, he's boisterous, he's playful, he's a troll. The sheer joy the character displays while trying to murder Spider-Man gives him a very unique personality. Spider-Man TAS and the N64 Spider-Man 2000 game captured it perfectly. I remember one obscure 90s Spider-Man story where Venom is sitting on a rooftop or something and he’s holding this sheet of paper in his hands and on that paper is a checklist. At the top it says “#1-Kill landlord (which has already been crossed off), #2-Destroy Spider-Man, #3-Get Carnage symbiote back from Kasady, #4-Destroy Spider-Man, #5-Hunt down and kill the Sinister Six, #6-Destroy Spider-Man, #7-Destroy Spider-Man, #8-Destroy Spider-Man…”. Venom is more than just a dime-a-dozen psycho with obsession. His psychotic tendencies are often played for laughs as well as horror.
#6-An Honorable Villain
On top of all that he even has redeeming qualities. Yes. EVEN WHEN HE WAS STILL A SPIDEY VILLAIN. Venom is kinda like "The Predator" in the sense that he has an honor code. He wants to kill Spider-Man but would prefer not endanger innocent people. Admittedly, this particular characteristic is not always consistent when it conflicts with his goal of murdering Spider-Man.
After all, in his mind, HE is the hero protecting the world from the monster that is Spider-Man. Not the other way around. He is a madman with delusions of heroism.
#7-The Cerebral Horror
Finally, I will give you one example from one of Venom’s earliest Spider-Man stories going back to ASM #317 (1989) as an example of what makes Venom so chilling as a villain:
Peter visits his aunt and finds Eddie Brock there, helping her remodel the house; pretending to be a charming gentleman but we, the readers, know better. Now Peter could warn her but Peter knows that if he does Eddie might turn into Venom and kill her on the spot or he might reveal to her that Peter is Spider-Man. So Peter is forced to pretend that he and Eddie are good friends and try to escort Eddie away from the house without alarming her. Peter is standing next to May's left shoulder while Eddie is standing next to the right. Eddie places his arm around May’s shoulder and his hand becomes venomized like he’s about to kill her. Peter, who is behind May's shoulder that is opposite to the shoulder nearest Brock, grabs Eddie’s arm with both arms and tries to pull Eddie’s arm back with all his might but even with both arms it won’t budge. Meanwhile, May is completely oblivious to the danger she is in as Eddie is having a casual conversation with her, showing no sign of strain. Eddie casually yanks his arm free from Peter’s grip and his arm becomes normal again. Proving that he never had any intention of actually hurting her. Through this action he made 3 points to Peter. 1-He knows where Peter's Aunt lives. 2-Peter is not strong enough to protect them from him. 3-The only reason Aunt May is still alive right now is because Eddie CHOSE not to kill her. All of this was a power display. To make Peter feel helpless to protect his loved ones.
Moments like that were 10x more tense and scary than when he roared like a velociraptor in SM3, turned MJ into Scream in that new game, or bit off some thug's head in that Venom movie.
Conclusion
Venom’s hatred, fanatical obsession with seeing Spider-Man destroyed, the psychological warfare that he deploys against Peter, and the sociopath-like superficial charm that Brock deploys to hide the psycho he is, and his irresponsibility and victim mentality enabling him to be completely disconnected from the heinousness of his actions and believe that he is not only a victim but a hero in his own right has endeared him to many and is likely the reason his character has endured for as long as he has and not simply being killed off and replaced by a new host as his creator had originally intended.
So please stop condemning Venom...you never knew him. And if you did…you never understood him.
This is probably the most accurate explanation of why I loved venom as a character. Too bad most of these qualities have dulled over the years.
@@khumomasokoane3722 An entire generation of fans have been following an imposter.
Bro, this is so effing good. You should make this into a UA-cam video. Like, everything in here is already your script. This would be a great guideline for those who want to write Venom, such as fans like me.
And I just wanna let this out: Venom 1 (live action) is SHIT and Venom 2 is pure trash.
@@bigevil1001, that presumptuous that you think that. I may have seen spider-man 3, but I never found him boring. I found him intriguing.
@@marxvargas7697I’m a little preoccupied these day but one day I hope to do just that. And more.
The Symbiote story isn't about inner Darkness it's usually about Addiction to the Power
Let me just say, as a diehard venom fan, you fucking NAILED it with that synopsis in the beginning of the video of what Venom should be, a literal venom to Spider-Man. Thank you bro
Comic book Eddie has much more to him that you realize, much more than Raimi's Eddie.
ngl I never did like the spiderman 3 Venom but the way you put yourself out and describe the overall greatness of Venom in this movie is just great and I've gone to appreciate it
I just wish they didn’t kill the character at the end of the film. They could’ve left Eddie alive at least and have that symbiote piece left with Connor’s make it’s way to him somehow. Idk
Honestly, my favorite interpretation of Venom is from the cartoon Spectacular Spider-Man. In the show, Eddie is a college student working in Dr. Conner's lab for research; as Peter often visits Dr. Conner, the two often cross paths, enough for Eddie and Peter to refer to each other as "Bro", not in a superficial way, but as a genuine term of kinship. As Peter becomes Spider-Man, he starts neglecting a lot of his obligations; Eddie notices this and starts to develop a distain for Peter. It all comes to a head when Peter has the Symbiote and actually starts to act like a complete asshole to everyone. Eddie is just done with Peter, and now genuinely believes Peter is a bad person. When Peter finally gets rid of the Symbiote it latches on to Eddie, giving him the insight to see that Peter is Spider-Man. Venom is born out of the shared hatred of Eddie and the Symbiote; for Eddie it's his hatred for Peter and his past actions, and for the Symbiote it's Spider-Man for abandoning it the way he did. There's a lot at stake with this version of Venom as not only do both halves of Venom have a rich past with Peter, but he's also constantly trying to reveal his secret identity, or rid Peter of his powers as he really believes that Peter as Spider-Man is a genuinely bad person.
Raimi didn't have the chance to make venom correctly, but he did try as hard as he could to make a "doppelganger". He specifically said he saw it as "whatever you can do, I can do better.". I still love that film.
That was honestly one of the best edits for an ad I’ve seen in a LONG time.
One of, if not THE biggest reasons I've always loved Raimi's take on Venom is because his take was, not only my FIRST take on Venom I'd ever seen, it was the first superhero movie I'd ever seen when I was little. HOWEVER, I've always felt that, objectively, Raimi's version was not a bad character in the film. It's SO satisfying to see someone else defend his version of the character.
This is why I think Mac Gargan is the perfect host for a villainous Venom. Eddie's did start out as a villain in a way. Both he and the symbiote had mutual hatred for Peter and Spider-Man, but derived from different emotions. Peter was better photogropher and Eddie felt he needed to cheat in order ti be successful, which led to him being fired. The symbiote was never evil. It loved Peter. It tried to let Peter catch some sleep by fighting crime on autopilot before realizing that was actually doing more harm to Peter than good. It eventually stopped because it cared. And then when Peter went to get it tested, Reed Richards told him it was an alien and Peter disgarded it, making it feel alone and abandoned. But despite this, neither Eddie or the symbiote were monsters or evil. They hated Spider-Man with a passion, but would usually put their feud on pause to make sure others didn't get hurt. And the redemption arc and Venom becoming an anti-hero showed that even those that seem bad can do good and self-improve.
Mac Gargan however is the polar opposite. Before becoming a host, he was already a mirrored Spider-Man. Scorpions are also arachnids and are typically more dangerous than Spiders. Similar to how Owlman is a good mirror Batman because owls are predators to bats. So having someone who is already the "evil Spider-Man" get his hands on the Venom symbiote is a great threat to Spider-Man. He might lack the foil to Peter Parker that Eddie had, but I see that as plus. Peter tries to balance both lives. He can't be Spider-Man full time because he needs the money to fund his heroics. Food, sleep, suit/utility repairs. Venom doesn't need that. Venom eats brains(or chocolate). He can eat people. Symbiote can heal the host too, eliminating the need for sleep or repair. No bigger threat to a hero who needs to take breaks is a threat that doesn't need to take breaks. Peter's side of life and experiences is what makes Spider-Man do good. Without Uncle Ben, Spider-Man lacks the responsability. So a foil to Spider-Man that has no Peter to guide him is great.
Agent Venom from the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon is STILL my favorite potray of both Flash Thompson & the venom Symbiote to this date 🔥
Honestly I don’t think there’s a bad Sam Raimi Spiderman film. SM 3 is the weakest but it’s still really enjoyable and fun.
I would say Spiderman 3's biggest issue is that a lot of ingredients were added into the dish and it killed the dish's identity. There were whole films worth of potential for Venom, Harry Osborn, and Sandman. Each of these characters needed room to breathe as Spidey's foil. But they couldn't all work together in one film. Each of them compromised the others, and we got a very dense and chaotic film.
Yes but that fault lies mostly with the Sony executives who were pressuring raimi to make Spider-Man 3 more accessible and mainstream
@@AM_61102 I agree with that.
Venom isn’t Spider-Man’s foil. The Green Goblin is. The Green Goblin has always been Spider-Man’s actual foil. People forget that because-well-Venom is designed to *look* similar to Spider-Man, but to not actually be a true foil. He is just as you said at 8:14, Venom is Spider-Man’s shadow.
I've always felt this way but never knew how to articulate it so concisely. Thank you. Now I want to show my close friends haha
They should've only had Peter dealing with the symbiote and Sandman and first half Harry Goblin in this film and then did second half Harry Goblin and Venom in the fourth installment
The problem isn't just the screen time for Venom in minutes... It's more so that Eddi Brocks story was also competing with screen time against Harry and Sand Man. Im not against the idea of more than one villain, I just think the movie could have done without Sand Man.
We already had this "forgiveness" story arc with Harry. The symbiote really made Parkers feud with Harry more interesting because it was built up for so long. Sand Man is the one that felt more shoehorned in
out of all your takes, this is the only one i agree with, great video man 👏
Venom felt uncooked. I wanted to see Peter spend more time as a villain, see him interact with Ann Marie, to see her reaction. What would his Uncle Ben think after warning him “with great power comes great responsibility.”
A lot of people said, Venom thing felt rushed. But you got it perfectly, whole thing was there right from the start when that meteor hit near Peter and MJ in the park. It attached to Peter got stronger with his rage about Flint Marko and Uncle Ben thing, then it attached to Eddie and got even stronger with Eddie's rage towards Peter💯
I’m a simple man. I see a brilliantly executed contextual segue into the sponsor and I stop to say, hey, great job.
I’ve been saying this for years! It’s not my favorite version of Venom, nor is it comic book accurate, but it actually fits perfectly with what Raimi was TRYING to do with the movie.
Spider Man 3 should have had Sandman and Green Goblin as the main villains with this more so being the complete conclusion to Sam Raimi's trilogy with Peter having to face his demons in Flint Marko and Harry Osborn.
Venom on the first comics did want revenge againts spiderman but saw no meaning in slaughtering other people,he was a really heartfelt christian that when he was at the lowest point of hes life after spiderman ruined it because he proved fake one of eddies stories,he goed to the church to end it all,when he fused with the symbiote he thought that it was a blessing from God himself,that he gave him the power to end spiderman,that was hes duty for him because he genuenly thought that peter was a monster and not just because he made him a bad day,the symbiote amplified even more of that hatred until making him think that peter was an ungodly creauture killer of innocence,the thing venom values the most,so there is humanity in him,and a lot really,he once protected peters parent form spiderman because he really thought that spidey was evil,he valued their innocence so much that he wasnt willing to tell them that spiderman was their son,once he thought he finally ended spiderman he decided to live the rest of hes life in an empty island without causing trouble,showing that he wasnt even a real villian
He never read the comics, this video alone proves that normies will criticize the source material without having actually read the source material and are mad that fans of said source material had every right to criticize a character from a film made by a guy that openly admitted he never understood to begin with
@@LegendXD00 a right sorry
Honestly? That scentbird ad transition? Pretty smooth ngl
Finally! Thank you! Have so many issues with Spiderman 3 but Venom himself wasn’t one of them. He works as a true opposite to Peter in 3. Amazing Spiderman 2 is the movie that really aged well and climbed up my rankings after a theater revisit recently. Great video as always!
TASM 2 is worse than SM 3
This point is proven by the comics themselves, where the venom symbiote moves on from Eddie to Flash Thompson. The writers knew what they were doing when they made that change.
I'm with you 100%. Rami's seemingly honest attempt at fitting the character of Venom into the movie in a way that felt organic might not have fully worked - but hindsight proves this film isn't as bad as we all remember. Killer Vid!
Topher Grace is my favorite actor and to hear so many good words is a pleasure
I do feel with Tom Hardy it was because Sony didn't own Spider-man now. They have to jump through hoops to get him in. The only reason they didn't yet is because they got Toby and Andrew in No way Home. Venom was supposed have a bigger role since at the time they didn't know if they'd come back or not.
Eddie brock jr.( played by topher grace), is mostly inspired by ultimate spider-man comics where eddie is a creep, (trying to get with gwen when she's not into him), and skinny. Heck, even his name is Eddie brock jr. However he also has a bit of the 90's animated series for working at the same place peter works. The daily bugle, and forging a picture to make spider-man guilty and then getting fired when exposed by spider-man. Even getting empowered, both try to get revenge on spider-man because spider-man ruined his life, and got fired. Both earth 616 comics and 90s animated series both have Eddie being at the same church where peter rids himself of the suit, unaware it latched onto eddie. I think Topher did good, but needed more to show. The no way home andrew treatment of getting some spotlight.
OH BABY FINALLY SOMEONE GETS IT
I understand people not liking Venom as an adaptation, but God damn it's the biggest complaint people levy towards him
which always really irritated me, not only because of how the rami trilogy is general dubious with his accuracy but
I feel it's a petty limit on an artistic/creative level and the harsh push of accuracy in general ironically discourages me from going towards the og source
I think Venom is supposed to represent what would happen if Peter gave in to his hatred. Eddie does not have to have a special dynamic with Peter. The idea is that Eddie is Willing to give up his humanity and regular life for Revenge against Peter. If Peter ended up in the same situation and mindset with the Symbiote as Eddie then Peter and Spider-man would cease to exist. Also there is the fact that the hatred for Peter that Eddie and the Symbiote share makes them stronger when they are together. The Symbiote is bitter because Peter rejected it's power and it lost a powerful vessel. Eddie on the other hand trains and bulks up so that the Symbiote enhances him even further and with this boost Venom becomes stronger than Spider-Man. Eddie Basically does everything Peter refused to do for the Symbiote and even compensates his own Physical shortcomings so he is the almost perfect host, but the Symbiote still prefers Peter because of his superpovers and deeper bond which must be on a cellular level since the Symbiote was able to copy the powers of Peter and avoid his Spider-sense.
Great video bro. Phenomenal explanations🔥
Solid breakdown! The hill I’ll die on is that screen adaptations don’t need to be accurate to the source, it just needs to be adapted well… especially if it’s an improvement (s/o The Boys). Your final point on the incarnations of Venom solidified that & it’s likely why, in retrospect, I’ve never hated Raimi’s Venom either.
Nah, you missed the fundamental level of it.
Getting transformed by an alien is hot🗣️🔥
Eddie, in the books is an extremely compelling character.
The symbiote, later on, is also very dynamic and interesting.
I think a lot of Venom's public reception has been tainted by all of the Spider-Man media that just makes him a big boring goop monster.
Eddie had a twisted sense of morality, under which he could justify just about anything he did to peter.
He later grew and learned to reflect on his tragic life, learned to take responsibility for his actions and became a better person.
You really should give the actual comics a read.
Eddie Brock is a great villain in this movie because Peter created him. He smashed his camera and got him fired while bullying him physically just like Flash did to him. When Eddie was pulled from the symbiote he was hysterical because being Venom was all he had in a world where he was helpless.
I was first introduced to Venom through the 90s animated series, and I think that they very much had the same intuition. Venom's introduction in that cartoon was fantastic, especially the way that Brock revealed himself to Peter after nearly killing him, and then he proceeded to drop the names of people who Peter loved. When he shows up at Aunt May's home, or interjects himself into Peter's date with MJ, we constantly have to wonder what he is going to do next. There's no place for Peter to hide anymore, and at the same time, he has no idea where Venom will show up next. Combine this with the brilliant way Raimi transformed Brock into a foil for Peter, and I was fully onboard with that version of the character. Unfortunately, he never felt like he had a place in the film when crammed between Sandman and Green Goblin Jr.
I wouldn't mind Venom only appearing toward the end, but I don't want to see him playing third fiddle, either.
There's 2 things I don't like about Topher Grace's Venom, he lacked the bulk that Tom Hardy's Venom has, and the pure villain aspect, personally if Spider-Man 3 ended with Eddie Brock becoming Venom then have 4 immediately pick up from there would've made the film better
since the 90s animated show, Venom is my favourite spider-man villain and I have to say... yes Topher Grace is no Eddie brock, but for a character that basicly was forced into the movie, he and Raimi still did a fantastic job. Still love venoms portray here. In general I'm probably one of the very few people who likes spiderman 3 the most. Yes it's even more cheesier than the first 2 but damn do I love me some extra cheese (also sandmans birth is pure cinema)
I personally don't enjoy Venom unless he is with Spiderman. I enjoy Venom because he's a character created out of Peter spite and hatred and Peter had to learn to live without the force that makes his life easier but makes him worse, Venom is a great character study for Peter Parker and a great villain with a cool design and great strength. But if you remove Peter and only have venom and Eddie, you're left with characters that feel like they're not living up to their potential, and somewhat boring.
I will say that I love and adore the entire Raimi trilogy. In fact,they are my all time favorite films. And I loved Spider-man 3. I did in 2007 when I first saw it,and I still do today. Sure,it's flawed,but in no way is it bad. In fact,I think it's pretty damn good. I really do wish Venom got more screen time and development though. Speaking of which, Venom is my all time favorite Spidey villain. I remember the character's introduction in the late 80's. McFarlene's take on him was wonderful. Making him this creepy, hulking monster that even Spidey was afraid to fight. But...I can't help but agree with you. Venom has been wasted so much over the years. He was so popular that whenever Marvel needed to sell some issues,they would just bring out Venom for a few issues,have Spidey defeat him and then rinse and repeat. They never really gave the character much purpose or depth. But I do think he's progressed over the last few years. Spider-man 3 and the Spectacular Spider-man cartoon being some of my favorite versions of the character.
the spectacular spider-man has a rlly good venom
This video literally read my mind, this has and always will be one of my favorite versions of venom. It mostly started with his design, I like any venom with a web pattern design, I like his slim design, I know people wish he was a little bulkier and I do too a little bit aswell but I like bulky but not too bulky, I feel like it would’ve been the perfect venom if he was bulky like tom Hardy’s venom and not comic venom bulky, and it felt like a true mirror to spider-man with his body size.
Spider-Man 3 used to actually be my favorite Spider-Man film till No Way Home came out, so I know exactly what you mean! Such an underrated and fun movie
More and more the Sony films just make him another version of The Mask, the more i appreciate this take, least from a storyline tale about the dangers of addiction. He's not 6'5 and built like someone like Tom Hardy or a Brock Lesnar but he's got that vindictive streak Eddie had in cartoons.
I always wanted him to be spider-mans main villain too. His original comic adaptation doesn't make much sense. But venon isn't boring still
As someone basically obsessed with Venom, I tend to agree that his weakest use is as a Spider-Man villain. It's when he gets reflective and starts being a "hero" with no restraint is when we get to the character I love. He doesn't capture guys and leave them for the cops, he just bites their heads off, he's twisted, he goes too far, it's enjoyably goofy.
I liked Spiderman 3 Venom as a kid because he was a cool monster. As an adult, I can appreciate everything that Raimi was trying to do with the character that was forced into the story. So even if it was for different reasons, my childhood me was still right about a thing or two.
Venom wasn't even planned to be in Spider-Man 3 originally. It was only about Sandman and Harry Osbourne. It was Avi Arad decision to add Venom in the third movie, thinking that it would get bigger audience and sell more toys (not a joke). He admitted it eventually.
Spider man 3…. As a kid the visuals are awesome. As an adult I completely understand this film. It’s an awesome film.
And this is why it's the only Soider-Man movie I have saved on my phone. I'm glad others are starting to enjoy it as much as I do... 😊
You’re not gonna talk about Spectacular Spider-Man’s portrayal of Eddie? That, imo, is very well done and connects Eddie with Peter. They have a history and a falling out. Eddie is a fantastic character in that show.
I mention it towards the back-half of the video briefly, but yes. I agree, it's one of the better interpretations of the character for sure!
I can't be the only one who prefers topher venom over tom hardy venom