TAGGED AS: comic, comic books, Marvel, Marvel Studios, movies, Podcast, superhero, Superheroes
(Photo by ©Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection)
Shakespeare gave us “to be or not to be,” Puzo and Coppola gave us an offer we couldn’t refuse, and the three writers of Venom – yes, three people are credited for this screenplay – gave us “rolling down the street like a turd in the wind.” Your thoughts on that now-iconic, symbiote-issued simile likely mirror your reaction to the film in which it’s spoken. Did you, like so many critics, declare Eddie Brock’s solo debut a poorly scripted and misguided mess? Or did you, like so many fans, bow down giddily to your new head-biting Marvel master, thankful for a superhero movie that stood out from the pack by being weird as hell, dark AF, and letting Tom Hardy do all of that?
In the world of Tomatometer-Audience Score divides, director Ruben Fleischer‘s Venom gives us a canyon like few others, with just 30% of critics declaring it Fresh compared with 81% of the Audience. But you don’t need us to tell you the film is beloved: The movie made a whopping $856 million at the global box office and fans are hotly anticipated the Andy Serkis-directed sequel, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, due out next year. (And yes, we’ve heard you in our comments sections and in our DMs and in all those magazine-cut-out stalker-style letters we’ve been receiving: you really, really think the critics got it wrong on this one.)
So, of course, we had to do an episode of our new podcast Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong devoted to lovable loser alien Venom and his Earthling host Eddie. Joining hosts Jacqueline Coley and Mark Ellis this week is pop-culture commentator and woman-who-would-absolutely-go-to-town-on-a-tank-full-of-live-lobsters, Roxy Striar, who is our official Voice of the People, arguing that Venom not only be Fresh, it should be somewhere in the 90th percentile. Is she right? Is RT wrong? Did lady Venom really need boobs? We’re going deep, so be sure to tune in.
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Check in every Thursday for a new episode of Rotten Tomatoes Is Wrong (A Podcast From Rotten Tomatoes). Each week, hosts Jacqueline and Mark and guests go deep and settle the score on some of the most beloved – and despised – movies and TV shows ever made, directly taking on the statement we hear from so many fans: “Rotten Tomatoes is wrong.”
If you have a suggestion for a movie or show you think we should do an episode on, let us know in the comments, or email us at rtiswrong@rottentomatoes.com.
Meet the hosts
Jacqueline Coley is an editor at Rotten Tomatoes, with a focus on awards and indie coverage but with a passion for everything, from the MCU to musicals and period pieces. Coley is a regular moderator at conventions and other events, can be seen on Access Hollywood and other shows, and will not stand Constantine slander of any kind. Follow Jacqueline on Twitter: @THATjacqueline.
Mark Ellis is a comedian and contributing editor for Rotten Tomatoes. He currently hosts the Rotten Tomatoes series Versus, among others, and can be seen co-hosting the sports entertainment phenomenon Movie Trivia Schmoedown. His favorite Star Wars movie is Jedi (guess which one!), his favorite person is actually a dog (his beloved stepdaughter Mollie), and – thanks to this podcast – he’s about to watch Burlesque for the first time in his life. Follow Mark on Twitter: @markellislive.
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