Outlaw King v. Venom (Cultural Proof #7)

Location: New Carnegie and Vue Cinema, Aberdeen
Date: December 15th, 2018

"Watch a film produced in this country and an American film shown to local audience.  Compare the experiences and audience reactions."

          Some of the most popular and awarded films and TV shows in the recent years all have one theme in common: history. History Channel's Vikings, Duchess, and Hotel Rwanda are just examples of such critically acclaimed and watched media that's made it to the screen. With the genre growing and gaining such immense popularity, the film industries of the countries these films are based in have grown as well. Scotland's film industry has been boasting a massive list of talented actors as well as some of the most gorgeous and sought-after locations for filming. One of the more popular recent films made by Netflix, a movie called Outlaw King, is produced by the Scottish company, Sigma Productions. When shown to a small gathering of a few Scottish viewers, the experience can be adequately contrasted to the viewing of the American made superhero film, Venom. The differences between each experience were mainly seen through the audience's reaction to the scenes as well as the production's ability to entertain their audience.
         Before beginning to compare the experience between the two, it's important to make a quick note of the difference between the films. On one hand, Outlaw King is a Netflix film that was shown to a small group of friends in the casual setting of a flat living room. It is also a historical drama. On the other hand, Venom is a major production that was scene in a cinema with only a small handful of people viewing it. Venom is also a superhero action movie, not a historical recreation. Although both movies are in unalike genres, the crowds were about the same size and the location of where the film was shown is not too dissimilar. By keeping these notes in mind, a more accurate analysis of the experience can be conducted.

Robert the Bruce played by Chris Pine ("Outlaw King")

          One reason Outlaw King's audience's reaction is starkly different to Venom's reaction may be because of the current political situation occurring in the United Kingdom. Venom had an audience that would occasionally laugh at the humor between the action shots, but the weak laughs were not a match for the cheers that went up during Outlaw King's battle sequences, especially towards the end. The Netflix film is based around the reign of Robert the Bruce, Scotland's national hero, and his attempts to free Scotland from the English's bloody reign. This same feeling of contempt to the English has reignited recently with the looming Brexit deadline. While much of Scotland, particularly the youth, resent this idea, it has made any slight against the British (even in film format) an enjoyable topic and point to rally around. This could then explain why the historical film received much more participation and reaction than Venom, which had about an equal amounts of action scenes.

Lobster scene in Venom ("Tom Hardy's Lobster")

          Another way the two films differed was through each production's ability to captivate their audiences. Disregarding the periods and settings both movies are based in, the American film utilized humor much more than the Scottish film. A notable scene in the superhero (well, antihero) movie was Eddie Brock jumping into a tank of lobsters while going absolutely insane due to the symbiote taking over his body. The scene lasted only a few minutes but got a few rousing laughs and showed how American filmmakers utilize comedic elements in scenes to grab audience attention. Meanwhile,Outlaw King focused on gritty detail and dialogue to hold audience attention. Humor was relatively sparse and when it did appear, it was subtle. An example of this is within the first few minutes, a trebuchet is launched, with King Edward I declaring, "Everyone needs understand that this surrender if final...also, it took three months to build so I don't want to waste it." This subtle, dry humor is quite identical to a modern Scot's humor, which is also quite stark and not as over-the-top as some American humor. The difference between physical and dialogue humor emphasized the different approaches that both film industries use.

          Overall, while both films received both criticism and praise from critics, the two films had major differences that made the movies stand out when compared side-by-side. Venom provided an example of the physical comedy that can often be formulaic and overdone, but still holds audience attention. Outlaw King takes another approach and focuses mostly on dialogue to get viewers into the historical drama that surrounds Robert the Bruce. Although most films that are widely consumed are American, Scottish production agencies such as Sigma Productions prove that there films outside of Hollywood can hold their own.



Bibliography:

Mandell, Andrea. “Tom Hardy's Lobster Snack in 'Venom' Was Actually a Candy-Coated Marshmallow.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 6 Oct. 2018, www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2018/10/06/venom-star-tom-hardy-ate-candy-lobster-instead-live-one/1517204002/.

“Outlaw King Director to Trim 20 Minutes from Film after TIFF Premiere.” ComingSoon.net, ComingSoon.net, 25 Sept. 2018, www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/986767-outlaw-king-director-trimmed-20-minutes-tiff-premiere.