Fueled by Tom Hardy and his passion for this franchise, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a massive triumph in terms of fan service and dark comedy that hits its mark.
After finding a host body in investigative reporter Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), the alien symbiote must face a new enemy, Carnage, the alter ego of serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson).
As origin stories go, the original Venom movie was pretty good. The Spider-Man spin-off film introduced some major players that you need to remember and had a healthy combination of action with comedy and ended on a relatively high note. The one thing that was missing from the first film was that it really didn’t solidify Venom as an antihero, so while others were excited to see a sequel with a bigger, meaner villain, I was looking forward to it making Venom into an actual lethal protector comic fans know and love. And after seeing it, I can officially confirm that you will get what you came for with this sequel.
Just as Tom Hardy was the ideal choice for the role of Eddie Brock, Woody Harrelson couldn’t be more perfect to portray Cletus Kassidy. We got just a glimpse of this killer (no pun intended) performance at the end of the first movie, and Harrelson delivers in the sequel. Everything from his body language to his weird haircut help forms this character that isn’t physically threatening but nonetheless terrifying.
I will say that this movie could have easily gotten away with an R-rating, but with its PG-13 rating, much of the actual carnage is done through bloodless body slams and lots of destruction, with the occasional eating of the heads. Showing that Carnage is a lot deadlier than Venom with this rating is challenging, but they manage to pull it off and your imaginations do most of the heavy lifting. There is some awkwardness in Carnages’ abilities, especially during a point in the film where he inserts himself into a laptop and hacking a government database.
Where the movie really begins to shine is in its more emotional moments, as well as in the fight between Venom and Carnage. The relationship between Eddie and Venom is treated like a real relationship, and director Andy Serkis does a great job at showing this through a comedic lens. A great deal of time is given to the question of whether it’s more important to the strongest physically or as a team, and while this is a common message amongst most superhero movies, Venom: Let There Be Carnage actually carries some emotional charge on top of it.
Overall, it’s rare when a sequel outdoes its predecessor, but Venom: Let There Be Carnage does so in style. It’s funnier, the action is much improved and the overall story is more compelling. The movie does a great job at finishing the overall origin story that began in the first film, with our antihero becoming the “lethal protector” fans have been waiting for.
And be sure to stay till after the credits role cause fans will be very happy with what they will see and it will change Marvel movies forever.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is playing exclusively in theaters.
What did you think of the film? Let us know in the comments
