Venom: Let There Be Carnage

This is a marked improvement over the first Venom film from 2018, which I really did not think much of. This sequel is more coherent, more logical, better directed and more fun (although that’s not saying a great deal), but this is still very much a mid-tier, fun-but-forgettable, comic book movie.

Premise: In the aftermath of the first film, journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is trying to rebuild his career while also adjusting to life with his extra-terrestrial symbiote, Venom. But when the psychotic serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) escapes death row and acquires powers of his own, Eddie and Venom may be the only ones who can stop him.

Review:

I’m on record as saying that I thought that the first Venom film was a huge missed opportunity, and (with the exception of Tom Hardy, who at least got something to do) was a complete waste of the talents of the cast. The good news is that this sequel, while far from being perfect, is a huge improvement on the first film.

As with the first film, it’s probably a good idea not to get too hung up on the (massive) differences between the character of Venom in the comic books, and how he’s depicted in this film series. They are both very different takes on the character, and that in and of itself is not a problem. The problem with the first film is that it had to jump through so many narrative hoops to explain how a villain created (in the comics) by Spider-Man and whose defining characteristic was (at least originally) its hatred of Spider-Man, can exist in a world without Spider-Man. Thankfully, the sequel can skip over all of that, and just focus on telling a new story within the confines of the world established in the first movie.

“…the plot is so much more coherent & the tone is so much more consistent this time…”

The storyline chosen for the sequel is an amalgamation of the origin story of Cletus Kasady/Carnage, and the 1993 comic-book mini-series Maximum Carnage. I mention this because back in the 90s (a) I found Cletus Kasady/Carnage to be one of the most uninteresting, first-base villains in the Spider-Man universe, and (b) I thought that Maximum Carnage was an over-bloated, under-written mess – so the fact that Let There Be Carnage is as fun and watchable as it is, is actually quite impressive.

Much of this is due to the cast and the direction. This is only Andy Serkis’ third film as a director (and certainly his biggest budget to date), and so he deserves credit for making this sequel so watchable, and for choosing and maintaining a consistent tone throughout. Yes, that tone is a little OTT and a little cheesy, but at least it’s consistent and watchable, unlike the tone in the first film which was all over the place. Tom Hardy once again is the best thing in the film, but this time, he’s channelled his love for the character into a co-writing credit as well, which perhaps also explains why the plot is so much more coherent and the tone is so much more consistent than they were in the first film.

“…reaches an action-packed climax that is actually watchable & entertaining…”

But the rest of the cast are also clearly having a lot of fun - Woody Harrelson and Naomie Harris play their psychotic star-crossed lovers with such over-the-top abandon that it conjures up memories of Natural Born Killers’ heightened sense of reality, while Stephen Graham brings an element of gravitas to the otherwise underwritten role of the police detective who put Cletus Kasady behind bars. Even Michelle Williams (who was criminally underused in the first film where she was set up to be the second main character) appears to be having more fun in this sequel, and has more comedic moments to play instead of just being the disapproving love interest. And the film’s secret comedy weapon may actually be Reid Scott as Dan, fiancé to Michelle Williams’ Annie and general all-round nice guy.

The plot to Let There Be Carnage may be fairly straightforward – a combination of the usual ‘hero dreams of a normal life’ theme from countless superhero sequels, coupled with a fairly forgettable plot regarding Carnage’s rampage – but unlike with the first film, the sequel’s plot is coherent, makes sense, and reaches an action-packed climax that is actually watchable and entertaining (rather than the eye-straining CGI mess of the first film). Similarly, the character moments and comedy beats throughout the sequel are genuinely entertaining, rather than being disjointed and contradictory.

“…an enjoyable & entertaining watch…”

Don’t get me wrong, Let There Be Carnage is still not a ‘great’ film by any stretch – but unlike the first film, it is an enjoyable and entertaining watch, and not only would I be happy watch it again, I’d also happily watch future Venom films following on from this one. It’s nowhere near the standard of the top-tier comic-book movies, but it’s an enjoyable mid-tier entry into the genre.

Oh, and make sure you stay for a very intriguing mid-credits scene.