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Here's a look at the new movie I saw this week.

Venom
Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, Jenny Slate, and Reid Scott
Synopsis: We've long-since passed peak superhero film status at the cinemas, but they still find ways to bring more and more characters from the Marvel and D.C. worlds to the big screen. That's the case with "Venom," a long gestating property that was released in early October just in time for Halloween. The film focuses on a traditional villain in the Spiderman universe, and tries to center a film on an origin story that makes him a semi-hero. If you're having Halle Berry "Catwoman" flashbacks, never fear, this is better. Not great, but better. Hardy takes the lead role as Eddie Brock, a journalist who hits a rough patch after trying to uncover dark deeds from a nefarious organization. Soon, he finds himself roped in by a scientist (Slate) from said organization, and is infected with something that turns out to be Venom, a mysterious alien that forms a symbiotic relationship with him. But this alien is a little dark at times, wanting to feed on people. Still, Eddie's personality, and the input of his former girlfriend (Williams), help turn Venom around. And, he ends up sort of being a hero. This doesn't feel like a lot of the recent superhero movies, and it wouldn't because it's detached from the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. But it works in its own way, and is a decently entertaining film. That's largely a credit to Hardy, Williams and Ahmed, who is solid as the villain. This movie wasn't incredible, but it was more fun than I thought it would be and it works better than the trailers would lead you to believe.
Rating: PG-13 for for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for language.
Verdict: Two stars out of four.

Upcoming Releases:
Friday, November 2: "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms," "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Nobody's Fool"
Friday, November 9: "Dr. Seuss' The Grinch," "The Girl in the Spider's Web," "Overlord"
Friday, November 16: "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindewald," "Widows," "Instant Family"
Wednesday, November 21: "Ralph Breaks the Internet," "Robin Hood," "Green Book," "Creed II," "The Front-Runner"

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