Venom: Let There Be Carnage
After finding a host body in investigative reporter Eddie Brock, the alien symbiote must face a new enemy, Carnage, the alter ego of serial killer Cletus Kasady.
- Released: 2021-09-30
- Runtime: 97 minutes
- Genre: Action, Comedy
- Stars: Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Reid Scott, Naomie Harris, Stephen Graham, Amber Sienna, Peggy Lu, Sean Delaney, Larry Olubamiwo, William W. Barbour, Laurence Spellman, Ed Kear, Alfredo Tavares, Michelle Greenidge, Jessie Vinning, Otis Winston, Etienne Vick, Mel Powell, Andrew Koponen, John Lobato, Sean Michael McGrory, Erwin Felicilda, Rick Richardson, Olumide Olorunfemi, Sian Webber, Rob Bowen, Little Simz, Jack Bandeira, Olumide Olorunfemi, Scroobius Pip, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Beau Sargent, Brian Copeland, Stewart Alexander, Emma Lau, Louis j Rhone, Christopher Godwin, Tiffanie Thomas, Rocky Capella, Sam Robinson, Greg Lockett, Sonny Ashbourne Serkis, Vaughn Johseph, Kristen Simoes, Miguel Angel Arreguin, Shaliz Afshar, Reece Shearsmith, Simon Connolly, Rachel Handshaw, Amanda Foster, Akie Kotabe, Eric Sigmundsson, Chabris Napier-Lawrence, José Palma, Ashlen Aquila, Jamal Ajala, James D. Weston II, Che Amaro, Joshua Eldridge-Smith, Rosie Marcel, Elliot Cable, J.K. Simmons, Tom Holland, J.K. Simmons, Tom Holland, John Lobato, Cabran E. Chamberlain, Erwin Felicilda, Ed Moy
- Director: Andy Serkis
Comments
- vincent0860712 - 24 April 2024
A sequel that doubles down on all its predecessor's problems rather than improves upon them
Although I'm fully aware that there were fans of the original Venom back in 2018, including those who either genuinely liked the bonding chemistry between Eddie Brock and Venom or even those who enjoyed it as a so-bad-it's-good film, sadly I was one of those who couldn't stand the film no matter how I looked at it and even viewed it as not just the worst Spider-Man film out there, but also one of the worst Marvel films in general. However, I still decided to give the sequel the benefit of a doubt when the first film introduced the character of Carnage during its mid-credits scene, which gave me hope that the next film would finally be given an R-rating and deliver the goods of bloodshed and gore that couldn't be featured in the PG-13-rated original. With many comic book properties getting second chances of life after being given the freedom of an R-rating such as Deadpool, Wolverine, or The Suicide Squad, an R-rating would have been the push into the right direction after a rough start of Venom.
Alas, after Venom: Let There Be Carnage was submitted to the MPAA and was once again given the same PG-13 rating of its predecessor, my hopes were crushed once again. But I still went into this film with my remaining optimism being its critical reception being slightly better than its original, and also because Andy Serkis, one of the pioneers behind the use of motion capture technology in film, was taking over directorial duties instead, which should give this film opportunities to introduce some never-before-seen special effects.
Sadly, after seeing Venom: Let There Be Carnage for myself, I unfortunately have to wholeheartedly disagree with those who found it to be an improvement over its predecessor. As a matter of fact, I actually thought it was even worse than the first Venom, as Let There Be Carnage took everything I hated about the original and doubled them down. As for comparison with other Marvel movies released in 2021 that weren't well-received in terms of quality, Eternals may have had its fair share of major problems, but I don't see how someone could look at a film that was flawed but at least tried to aim for the stars with legit filmmaking effort put into it and say that it's worse than something as soulless, studio-manufactured, and unambitious as Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
Starting with the positives, Tom Hardy continues to be the bright spot of Venom: Let There Be Carnage just like he was in the first film, continuing to deliver on the occasionally amusing dual roles of Eddie Brock and Venom. What I mean by "occasionally", I'll get into that later. In terms of the villain, Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady/Carnage is an improvement over Riz Ahmed in the first film, Harrelson looks like he's actually having fun with his villainous role instead of looking bored like Ahmed, and Harrelson's facial expressions convincingly sell his role as a psychotic serial killer. The climatic battle between Venom and Carnage during the last thirty minutes were also a lot of fun, and I'm glad it actually resembles two powerful alien beings fighting each other to the death instead of the CGI glop hugging each other like in the first film. As for other stuff about Venom: Let There Be Carnage that I liked..... Ummm..... Sony finally learned their lesson from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Venom and finally left the ending of Let There Be Carnage out of the trailers, I guess? That's it, that's all I could think of to praise about this film. The rest..... Where do I even begin?
Moving onto the biggest thing I hated about this film, it's the fact that Venom and Carnage barely had any interactions or fight scenes with each other in a movie where both characters are in the title. Now I'm not saying that a superhero movie without much action makes it dull, a lot of my favorite comic book movies such as Avengers: Endgame, Logan, Black Panther, The Dark Knight Trilogy, V For Vendetta, or Watchmen had a lower percentage of action compared to other superhero flicks. But what made those films work even when there isn't any action on screen is that they still had interesting stuff going on without the heroes and villains fighting. Venom: Let There Be Carnage could have worked even with a lower action percentage, such as making the first two thirds of the film a psychological battle between Eddie Brock and Cletus Kasady which begins when Kasady uses something personal to threaten Brock, and then this mental warfare develops into a all-out physical battle to the death between Venom and Carnage during the last thirty minutes. Sadly, Brock and Kasady's only interactions during the first half of the film are the two prison visits, then the two spend most of the runtime doing their separate stuff that have no relation with each other's businesses whatsoever, then suddenly meeting each other for a rushed fight as Venom and Carnage an hour into this 97-minute film by the end.
Speaking of Eddie Brock doing his things, another aspect about Venom: Let There Be Carnage that made it painful for me to sit through was apart from a few amusing lines, the "buddy bonding and bantering" between Eddie and Venom. I know a lot of people liked the previous Venom film for the back-and-forth exchanges between these two, but count me as one of those who found it really grating to listen to. Venom's attempts at one-liners in this film came off as more cringe-worthy than charming, with his use of an outdated meme in that nightclub scene enough to make me want to turn off the film, and I kept hoping Carnage would show up out of nowhere to slice up Venom and shut him up. I'm surprised that Venom didn't get a headache from all his own bickering, and as a matter of fact, since loud noises are weaknesses for alien Symbiotes, I'm surprised his constant babbling didn't become a lethal problem for Venom!
Just like the first film, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is once again hindered by its sanitized PG-13 rating, despite the word "Carnage" literally spelled out in the title hinting at the possibility of bloodshed and gore. We get people being massacred left and right, heads bitten off, or people being eaten alive.... With little to no blood shown at all. The only instance where I recall seeing actual blood in this film was a certain moment during one of the prison scenes (which I'm not going to specifically name in risk of spoilers), and the rest of the violence either cuts away upon impact or is framed off-screen. As a fan of many R-rated comic book movies like A History of Violence, James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, Kick-Ass 1, Kingsman 1, Dredd, the Deadpool films, 300, Joker and so on, I am especially disappointed that Sony still decided to play it safe and try to prioritize making more money through having a wider demographic over actually doing the characters justice by letting them do what they're supposed to do.
I have a lot of respect towards Andy Serkis as an actor and especially towards his contributions towards the use of motion capture in movies (It goes without saying that Gollum and Caesar the ape are some of the best CGI creations in cinema), but his direction in Venom: Let There Be Carnage feels rushed and lacks any tension, excitement, or any sort of directorial flair that gives the film any sort of personality. I find that problem funny given that Serkis is one of the most influential figures towards mo-cap technology in cinema, and we would think he may want to give us something visually unique in such an effects-driven film, instead of the same old stuff we already saw in the previous Venom.
I know a lot of buzz has been generated about Venom: Let There Be Carnage from the surprising mid-credits scene alone given the possibilities it provided for future installments, but as someone who saw Spider-Man: No Way Home before Let There Be Carnage, the element of surprise was lost, and the mid-credits scene of this film only made me go: "So that happened." rather than feeling genuinely excited.
Overall, I know there are those who defend the Venom films, and I wish I were on the same boat. But once again, I was completely unimpressed or even annoyed by Venom: Let There Be Carnage rather than thrilled by it. It dials up everything I hated about the original to 110 with the cringe-inducing attempts at humor and all the watered-down PG-13 kills that makes it more painful for me to sit through than its predecessor, and it's one of the worst films of 2021 in my opinion, if not THE worst. Let There Be Carnage is not quite among one of the worst comic book movies I've ever seen, but it was dangerously close to making into my Top 10. 3/10. If you haven't seen Spider-Man: No Way Home yet, then I guess you could at least check out the mid-credits scene of Let There Be Carnage to get you pumped up before that. However, if you have already seen No Way Home, I would suggest not watching a single second of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, as it doesn't give you any information you don't already know. - JAWSHTV - 4 January 2024
A lot compared to the 1st one, but still has some good bits
Come to think of it, this movie is just.... FINE?
It has okay action, and does have some great acting by Woody Harrelson, even though he is wasted as hell. They should've saved him for the 3rd one, but oh well. We can't always win.
The film also had a bit too much comedy for a Venom film. It's nowhere near Thor: Love and Thunder levels, but it still had a bit too much, coming from a Venom film.
The post credit scene is sick, but No Way Home kind of ruins it, but also doesn't in the same way, because Eddie leaves a trace of the Symbiote, which means Peter will become Bully Holland in either Spider-Man 4, or his college trilogy. The reason why NWH kind've ruined it, was because we all wanted Tom Hardy's Venom meeting Tom Holland's Spider-Man. To be honest, Sony should merge their SSU with the MCU, so they don't have to make these movies be seperate, and just mid, because they don't have Spider-Man in them.
To be completely honest, this movie was just okay to me. It's just an okay, stupid and mindless movie, with the post credits scene carrying the whole movie.
