Venom was a much-better-than-expected superhero slobber-knocker thanks to its zany energy and a Nicolas Cage-level bonkers performance by Tom Hardy. The sequel, Let There Be Carnage offers up more of the same, and why not? It’s big, loud, dumb fun, and frankly, the world could use a little of that right now.
The first act is its funniest. We find reporter Eddie Brock (Hardy) and his alien symbiote Venom in a less than harmonious place. They bicker like an old married couple, both feeling that one doesn’t fully appreciate the other. Eventually, they break up and Venom goes on to have a wild night of partying, going to a rave, getting drunk, being covered head to toe in glow-in-the-dark light stick necklaces, and hopping on stage to profess his love for everyone in the room. Sadly, he still misses Eddie.
Before the split, Brock gets a scoop to interview serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), who bites him on the hand and inadvertently drinks some of Venom’s blood. Just as he’s about to be executed, the symbiote Carnage takes control over Kasady and he more than lives up to his name, causing carnage and mayhem wherever he goes. It’s then up to Venom and Eddie to make amends and reunite before Carnage brings the city to its knees.
While the first act keeps the swimming-in-the-lobster-tank vibe of the original, it becomes more formulaic as it goes on. That isn’t really a bad thing though. No one can fault the movie for dillydallying as it moves like a freight train. Sometimes, it even feels as it’s rushing itself towards the climax. Sure, you might wish that the pace stopped for a breather now and again, but at ninety-seven minutes, it’s much shorter than your average comic book flick nowadays. I for one appreciate these things when they aren’t bloated, overstuffed, and overlong.
Once again, Hardy brings his own quirky charm to the role. His domestic scenes with Venom are quite winning and he does a good job at struggling to maintain normalcy while talking to your average person on the street. Harrelson is a perfect match for him. He’s clearly having a blast, even if his role is little more than a slight variation on his character from Natural Born Killers. (He even has a demented lover/partner in crime he has to break out of jail.) As Hardy’s love interest, Michelle Williams comes perilously close to having absolutely nothing to do, but she does it quite well.
By the time the film devolves into your typical superhero fisticuffs, it manages to still carry a spark of personality, even if the finale is a little overly familiar. As a fan of Venom and Carnage in the comics, it scratched this fanboy’s itch. The same goes for the post-credits tag.
I’m sure you could nitpick this movie all day. Although it has its share of flaws, it remains zippy, mindless, and entertaining. It kind of reminded me a bit of the old pre-MCU superhero flicks of the ‘90s and ‘00s. It’s messy, cheesy, and takes liberties with the source material, but it's a damned good time, nevertheless.
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