Poor Venom. This misfit from the Marvel canon has had a decidedly ropy time outside the comics. Between a design that calls for only the most convincing CG and a requisite level of violence that would make investors queasy, it's not hard to see why a quality Venom film that pleases true fans might be a very unrealistic prospect.

Tom Hardy is a fan. Thank him for making what little fans got happen, and while the film surrounding him on his first outing was completely forgettable (down to an atrocious music score and even worse end song by Eminem), his turn in the title role was anything but. The interplay between Eddie Brock and symbiote Venom makes or brakes any attempt at an adaptation, and even part 1 delivered. Part 2, while not quite a triumph for the ages, gives us more of what worked well and minimizes what didn't last time around.

Hardy is no stranger to dual roles interacting with each other (see his wonderful work in Legend), and his solo scenes with Venom, be they of simple banter or domestic conflict, are the best things in the film, and set it apart in a very saturated superhero genre. Some of the more surrealist touches, like villain Cletus's animated story and Venom at a costumed rave, also take full advantage of the inherently bizarre nature of the premise. It is unfortunate then, that the rest of the film doesn't embrace the madness, or tones it down, courtesy of a studio mandated PG-13 rating (the source of much of the ire among fellow users' reviews). At times, what we get feels oddly sanitized, and thus nowhere near what fans of the character(s) hoped for or deserved.

I myself am not a Venom fan (or even a Marvel/DC comics fan at all), though I love the design and premise. It's easier for me to appreciate what did work here. At a slick 96 minutes, the running time did smell of studio interference, but on the other hand, it was nice to watch a more compact superhero film. The humor worked better this time too, with a meaner, darker edge to it that suited the character and again made it feel different from Marvel and DC's output. Same goes with the inky, fluorescent photography, by ace Tarantino-go-to-DP Robert Richardson (of all people...). Add in some loopy scene-stealing turns from seasoned pros like Woody Harrelson, Naomie Harris and Stephen Graham, and there's enough fresh stuff here to endear you to it.

There are far worse ways to spend your time.