The Sony Spider-Man villain cinematic universe is not off to a great start, but that is if you believe the word of film critics.

Released last Friday, Oct. 5, “Venom” stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock/Venom, and Michelle Williams as Anne Weying. The acting talent of both stars do not go to waste.

Hardy plays a very inquisitive and talkative Eddie Brock. When faced with the Venom symbiote, he begins to freak out, and it is hilarious to watch as he struggles with the voice in his head.

It would probably be good to clarify what exactly is meant by the word symbiote. For those who do not know, the comic book character Venom came from a comet, and his species needs to infect living creatures to stay alive, like a disease, but the person must be right for that specific symbiote. Eddie Brock was just the right fit for Venom.

“Venom” is Sony Pictures’ first attempt at a solo Spider-Man villain universe while Marvel Studios gets to play with Spider-Man for a few more movies. This movie is separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and does its best to set up a new cinematic universe with impressive potential.

The only other time that we have seen Venom in action was in the 2007 film “Spider-Man 3,” and that was not the best portrayal. “Venom” is a far better portrayal of the comic book character and a much more fun one at that.

To be warned, this is not your typical PG-13 Marvel movie with jokes and fun light-hearted action. There are jokes, but there are also some very grotesque scenes, and if you do not like seeing those kinds of things, then this movie was not made for you. If you prefer a darker comic book movie that also does not take itself too seriously, then this is perfect.

The movie takes a little while to actually start “Venom-ing,” with the first half of it focusing on who Eddie Brock is and why he is so accepting of the symbiote. This does not detract from the quality of the film, as those parts are also intriguing, even if there is not much action, as they allow Hardy to shine.

Once he is introduced to the symbiote, the movie is almost nonstop fun with great action scenes and hilarious moments. You get to experience Venom in all his glory.

Williams plays his love interest and sidekick Anne Weying. While she does not get much screen time compared to Tom Hardy, she shines in the parts she is in.

The villain (technically Venom is a villain as well) Carlton Drake, played by Riz Ahmed, is your standard rich CEO who wants to improve the world. While it does not detract from the main focus of the film too heavily, it would have been nice to see a much stronger villain to match up to Hardy’s amazing performance.

Following Drake are your typical nameless goons that are in every action movie. None of them are very memorable or threatening once you see the abilities that Venom has at his disposal.

Near the end of the film, however, the final action sequence is hard to follow with it being set at night and a lot of stuff happening. It is not a satisfying last battle, but the rest of the movie makes up for it.

Many critics said the movie was full of plot holes and a computer-generated imagery (CGI) mess. Well, that is far from the truth. This film was not created for critics, but for the moviegoer. The Rotten Tomatoes score shows this with the critic’s score sitting at 31 percent “fresh” compared to the 89 percent audience score.

The plot holes that the critics talk about were hard to discover. There was only one that was more vivid than others, but it can be justified after some thinking and analyzing.

The CGI use is heavy in the movie, and it does not become a problem until the final fight scene when it becomes hard to focus. The CGI is strong, and the hard work put into it shows.

“Venom” is a strong start to the Sony Spider-Man villain cinematic universe. Hopefully the critics do not scare potential viewers off, and the fans can be heard.

Don’t forget that if you decide to go, there are two after credit scenes to look forward to. Each one is worth the wait.

Go check out “Venom” and decide for yourself if it really is as strong a movie as I believe it is. This is just one man’s opinion after all.