Let’s talk to the symbiote in the room. “Spider-Man 3” isn’t exactly remembered as a masterpiece, especially alongside the two previous films. It has an audience score of 51% on Rotten Tomatoes and there is a lot of criticism directed at the story, which crams too many villains into its 114-minute span. Or, as Roger Ebert said, “Too many villains, too many pale intrigue, too many romantic misunderstandings, too many conversations.”

But let’s specifically look at Topher Grace’s Eddie Brock / Venom. He certainly manages to get Brock’s tenacious attitude when it comes to vilifying Spider-Man, which only intensifies Peter’s rivalry with the villain. J. Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons) fires him from the Daily Bugle, and so begins Brock’s hatred for Peter Parker. Unlike the comics, Venom doesn’t start hunting Peter and using the fact that the hero’s spider sense doesn’t alert him to the symbiote. Instead, he simply teams up with Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) to take down the hero. He’s not particularly likable as a character, and there’s not much room for him to be anything but a tyrant with a little extra muscle.

Grace’s Brock is addicted to the power the symbiote bestows upon him, but there is no real depth to his character – he doesn’t even talk to the symbiote either. Boo. That being said, he’s good at playing an over-the-top villain and he’s clearly having fun chewing the scenery (literally). Yes, he’s still primarily a CGI villain (although he was originally meant to be animatronic), but his design is at least based on Spidey’s costume like the comics.