Kicking off October with monsters and mayhem, Sony debuts one of Marvel’s favorite comic book villains. Venom: Let There Be Carnage delivers an abundance of high-paced action and more of the humor you’d expect from the Lethal Protector, but it doesn’t give the story idea or its new character much room to breathe with a short runtime.
Andy Serkis’ sequel to 2018’s Venom isn’t short on action or laughs, but it’s a bit of oil and water. Don’t get me wrong, the humor and action both work. I enjoyed those aspects, but it doesn’t give the proper respect to the super-powered serial killer on the other end of the equation. This is an R-rated idea that’s trapped in a PG-13 box. So the threat never felt imminent and couldn’t be given the proper gravity.
Similar to his character Mickey Knox, in ‘Natural Born Killers’, Woody Harrelson makes for a charismatic psychopath. I have no doubt that Serkis and the casting team wanted him as Cletus Kasady for that reason, but his personality is almost too big. Harrelson is good in the role, but it takes two to tango.
What made the first film work so well for me was the dynamic between Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote itself. They both had distinct personalities and character motivations, with arcs. That’s still the case in the sequel (Hardy’s still great and he co-wrote the story with screenwriter Kelly Marcel) and it doesn’t steer too far from where we left off in the first movie, but I can’t say the same for Carnage. Despite its impressive look and ferocity, the symbiote side of the equation is little more than blades and teeth. Part of that is by design and you’ll see that in the film, but not getting to know Carnage in the way we know Venom detracts from its presence and purpose.
The visual storytelling is quite strong, from Brock’s Axel Foley-inspired jacket to Kasady’s flamboyant choice of suit, and the visual effects are excellent. It was cool to see the full repertoire of the alien symbiotes’ abilities on a much more significant scale too, so the VFX team deserves a shout-out for that. There are some other limitations that impact what this movie can and can’t do, but I won’t go into detail on that.
A lot of critics and fans alike didn’t care for Venom, but I did and other fans responded with a strong box office. That looks like it’s going to be the case once again with this movie as the box office was excellent on opening night ($11-mil) while the critics’ scores have been less than flattering. I liked it.
Recommendation: If you enjoyed the first Venom, then there’s no reason to think you wouldn’t like this one too. You are going to want to stay for the end credits on this one too.
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