Venom is getting trashed by critics. Although they seem to all be in agreement that Tom Hardy shines in the film, critics point to the tone of the movie as the weak point. They claim that the film can't decide if it's a dark movie, a comedy, or a hero flick. In reality, it's all of the above. Critics are having a hard time placing Venom in one category, but fans don't seem to mind. The mix of comedy, violence, and action seems to mix well for fans of the Marvel character.
At this moment, Venom holds a score of 31% on Rotten Tomatoes. The aggregated review site has taken into account 178 reviews for their score. "Venom's first standalone movie turns out to be like the comics character in all the wrong ways - chaotic, noisy, and in desperate need of a stronger attachment to Spider-Man," reads the quick review. Fans, on the other hand, have ranked the movie much higher. Venom currently has an 88% audience rating from 9,844 reviews.
The disparity between critics and audiences has been seen throughout many movies. For example, Kevin Hart's Night School currently has a lower rating than Venom (28%), but it's currently the number one move in America.