A lot of questioning went into that first Venom movie that was released just a few short years ago. The biggest question being “can you really do a Venom movie without having Spider-Man in it?” and the answer to that question is 100% yes. The first Venom movie, while not super hot with the majority of critics, wounded up making over $800 million at the global box-office. Suffice to say, the fans seemed to be the ones that were eating us up because a movie garning that kind of money has to stem from some form of appreciation. Be that as may, the first Venom, despite its huge financial success, was in fact spilt within the fandom (in certain retrospects). The first Venom, for what its worth, is a silly movie, but if there’s one element that resonated and won people over it was the relationship that Eddie Brock and Venom had together. It’s by far the best part of the movie and it’s the one ingredient that gave the movie any kind of weight. One could even call Venom an odd buddy cop adventure, in the body of a comic-book movie. While their are defenders of the first Venom (such as myself), it still never had that spark that other comic-book movies seem to get. When it was announced that Venom would get a sequel (now titled Let There Be Carnage), fans expected that the formidable opponent Carnage (a famous supervillain of Marvel Comics) would be the main antagonist, thanks to the mid-credits scenes in the first film. Thankfully, Carnage was indeed to be included with Woody Harrelson playing the part. Originally set for a release in October 2020, Venom: Let There Be Carnage marked its way exclusively in theaters and delivered even more goods and craziness. Venom: Let There Be Carnage doubles down on more carnage (no pun). Featuring spectacular, visceral and heart pounding action, terrific performances from Tom Hardy and especially Woody Harrelson and an insane level of pure unadulterated craziness.
Set after the events of the first Venom, Venom: Let There Be Carnage sees Eddie Brock struggling to live his life now with a symbiote attached to him. When a demented serial killer by name of Cletus Kasady begs for an interview with Eddie before Cletus is lethally injected, things take a turn when Cletus gets a taste of getting the same symbiote that Eddie has. The result of Cletus Kasady’s decision turns him into one Marvel’s most brutal and chaotic villain, Carnage. This creates a problem that only Venom and Eddie can put a stop too.
You’re either on board with bro romance that Eddie Brock and Venom shared in Venom, and with Venom: Let There Be Carnage, that relationship is absolute gold. It carries the comedy, the eccentric banter and the probably the most amount of fun as far as characters are concerned. But thanks to Andy Serkis at the helm, Serkis channels into how attached these two are by offering a sincere and genuinely heartwarming lens. Obviously, Venom: Let There Be Carnage isn’t earning any Oscar love, but juxtaposing that to it’s predecessor, this sequel focuses even more on that relationship and diving more into the struggles of that correlation. Venom: Let There Be Carnage is also quite unrestrained with its comedy and that’s not to say this movie is by definition a comedy, but it’s full of lot great comedic moments, more so than its predecessor. Again, all that stems from just how great of an alliance Eddie and Venom have.
Tom Hardy is one of the best actors of his generation. He can do the big block busters with The Dark Knight Rises or Mad Max: Fury Road and even show his range in smaller projects such as Warrior or The Revenant. Needless to say, Tom Hardy is a bona fide actor, one that will continue to get great work in the future. He’s solid in the first Venom, but he really does a better job with material in Let There Be Carnage. But esteemed newcomer Woody Harrelson 100% dominates as Carnage. Maybe not the way that Heath Ledger relished as the Joker, but for capturing the tumultuous and homicidal nature of Carnage, Woody Harrelson absolutely nailed it.
The PG-13 rating is basically an R-rated movie in disguise. A movie with a PG-13 rating can’t get away with so much, whether it’s violence or even the use of one F-bomb. Show all the violence and destruction you want, just don’t show any blood and you’re set. However, the things that Venom: Let There Be Carnage gets away it is almost unbelievable. This is an edgy, brutal and heavy movie that if fans wanted to see Carnage wreck shop, they will surely get that wish promised. In regards to its action, there’s some magnificent and visually impressive action sequences that speak very well for the tones and the atmosphere of the movie. The sequence involving Carnage, in particular, escaping from prison captures everything about the complete chaos that lies within this movie.
Is Let There Be Carnage better than first Venom? That’s hard to say but it’s definitely on the a same level of quality, just with more crazy too it. Does the 97 minute runtime hurt it? Not even in the slightest. This is a fast paced and clean movie that gets right to the core. Fans of the first Venom will surely get their money’s worth this installment.
Mu grade for Venom: Let There Be Carnage: A-
Zane's take at the Cinema's 