Venom. Great potential which was almost entirely thrown away.

https://youtu.be/u9Mv98Gr5pY

One of those films where the trailer promised much but the final product did not deliver.

It did start well. I was engaged by the time spent in setting up Tom Hardy’s character as a trouble-shooting journalist with A PAST of course - and his relationship with his girl was set up nicely. The pace picked up once the contents of the crashed rocket of the Bond-style villain were established and the sci-fi/horror elements kicked in. the idea that the alien life forms had to find a wholly compatible host was a neat one and when one settle in Tom hardy with its snarky attitude and hos bafflement, the signs were good.

However, it went rapidly downhill form there, relying increasingly on over-extended fight sequences, the nadir being reached when two alien life forms fought and I thought - ‘Oh no, lost interest now…’

Hardy was good - who would have thought he could be a fine comedian - but by the end, the plotting had got unclear - exactly how many alien life forms were there and who are their hosts -and while at the start three were retrieved, one is still, by my count, missing - perhaps that is for Venom 2. This could have been enormous fun but sadly, not to be.

Alex Strangelove. Sweetly thoughtful high school coming out story that avoids cliches

The Privilege. 'the silliest thing that I ever did see'.