On a budget of $100 million, Venom grossed over $200 million domestically and over $850 million worldwide. Though financially successful, the movie mostly received mixed to negative reviews, with many criticizing its inconsistent tone and poor narrative. Despite this, Sony had a bonafide hit on their hands, and pre-production on a sequel started in 2019. Unfortunately, Ruben Fleischer couldn’t direct the sequel since he was busy working on Zombieland: Double Tap. While considering Travis Knight, Rupert Wyatt, and Rupert Sanders, Sony hired Andy Serkis due to his experience with motion-capture technology. Most of the original cast returned, with Tom Hardy co-producing and co-writing the story with writer Kelly Marcel. Principal photography wrapped in early 2020, but the film saw numerous delays due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Following the success of Shang-Chi, the studio decided to release Venom: Let There Be Carnage in October 2021.
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Synopsis
The police have contacted Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) to interview notorious serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson). For whatever reason, Kasady chooses to only speak with Brock, much to the chagrin of officer Patrick Mulligan (Stephen Graham). However, during one visit, the alien parasite living within Eddie, Venom, attacks Kasady, but Kasady accidentally ingests some of Venom. At his execution, the parasite within Kasady transforms him into the red symbiote Carnage, and he escapes from prison. Now free, Casady frees his lover Frances Barrison (Naomie Harris), held captive due to her mighty sonic shriek. Meanwhile, Venom has chosen to leave Eddie due to feeling confined to listening to what Eddie told him to do. Also, due to his connection with Kasady, Mulligan believes Eddie might’ve assisted in his escape. Soon, Anne Weying (Michelle Williams), Eddie’s ex, gets involved, so he and Venom must settle their differences and stop Carnage.
Review
While Venom: Let There Be Carnage is an improvement over the original, it has some of the same issues. For one, the filmmakers use the same quick-cut editing to ensure the film gets a PG-13 rating. It’s somewhat frustrating how the comics are far more violent and R-rated than either of the movies. Also, while the Eddie and Venom bickering scenes were fun in the first, they’re drawn out here. It sometimes gets to the point where the movie will go for long stretches without an action sequence. As much as Michelle Williams was just there in the original, she had some stake in the plot. Yet here, she’s just thrown in so that Eddie and Venom have the motivation to get back together. That said, this still improves over many of the original’s flaws, making this the superior film by comparison.
Whereas the original took itself way too seriously, this one embraces its silliness and swings for the fences. Like the first one, Tom Hardy gives an outstanding performance, and his back-and-forths with Venom are entertaining at times. Woody Harrelson makes for a much better villain than the previous film, though Harrelson always delivers in every role. He and Naomie Harris have solid chemistry with each other, and they both embrace the craziness of their characters. Even Michelle Williams seems to be having more fun here, even if she’s just there for convenience sake. Another way this improves over the original is the climax, where Venom and Carnage go one-on-one in a church. At barely over 90 minutes, the film gets in and out, and you’ll leave the theater primarily satisfied. Overall, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a flawed but vastly superior film to its predecessor for what it’s worth.
See Venom: Let There Be Carnage only in theaters: https://fandan.co/3FgkEVA.
