A Review of “Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)”

The first Venom (2018) movie was a very generic and forgettable superhero movie. I came out feeling rather underwhelmed by it but I still had some expectations for the sequel since it teased the iconic villain, Carnage. The premise is “Eddie Brock is still struggling to coexist with the shape-shifting extraterrestrial Venom. When deranged serial killer Cletus Kasady also becomes host to an alien symbiote, Brock and Venom must put aside their differences to stop his reign of terror”. So does it live up to the title or is just another mediocre movie from Sony?

Firstly, Tom Hardy is still phenomenal as Eddie Brock and the voice of Venom. He still gives a very physically striking performance that is entertaining to watch. It is very clear that Tom Hardy is giving 100% and is also having a blast doing it. One of the most important plot points in this film is the relationship between Eddie and Venom and it is the biggest highlight. Eddie and Venom have a conflict that is similar to that of a rom-com. They are both arguing with each other, like a couple, on how they want to be a hero and how they want to live their life. It is so incredibly weird to see a man argue with an alien like they are married but it was so fun to watch.

Just from the description above, it is obvious that this film leans more towards the comedy side while not taking itself that seriously. Notably, a lot of the comedic moments and jokes made me chuckle. This is thanks to some great writing and performance from Tom Hardy. The final fight is also a lot better than the previous film as this time, I could see what was going on thanks to the director using good lighting. Venom: Let There Be Carnage also has a very memorable mid-credit scene that is quite shocking and amazing.

Unfortunately, it is quite bad when the mid-credit scene is the most memorable thing this movie has going for it. The actual plot is a very generic superhero affair that is no different from the first film. It goes through a lot of the same plot beats as Venom(2018). Eddie and Venom clash then they break up, the bad guy is Venom but evil, Venom and Eddie reunite to stop the bad guy. There is a rom-com plot with Eddie and Venom but that is very unconnected to the main plot of Carnage. The first 2 acts is just Eddie and Venom arguing with some carnage plotlines sprinkled in and then the final act with the fight. There isn’t a real strong build-up for the fight between Venom and Carnage. Carnage hates Venom for literally no reason which makes the final fight feel less meaningful.

Additionally, Carnage/Cletus is a forgettable villain which is such a shame considering how iconic and amazing he is in the comics. This film butchers him completely! What makes Carnage/Cletus great is how ruthless both of them are. They are both insane murderers and together they would rip spines and heads off. However, due to the PG-13 rating there never really is a sense of “Carnage” and it feels boring seeing them in action. For some silly reason, they give Cletus a love interest in Frances/Shriek who has screaming powers. Why does she have those powers? Who knows because they never bother to explain it. The film confirms that Cletus murdered her grandmother and her mother in cold blood yet make him somehow really loving of Frances. It completely ruins his character. She is also the second villain in the film and she is also a garbage character that I wish they removed from the film completely. Near the end, some really stupid things occur as well with a certain character pulling a 180 when it makes no sense for them to do so. They also include a line that tries to make Cletus sympathetic but it doesn’t work when you show him murder an innocent guy earlier…

There is also some returning supporting cast like Michelle Williams who they still waste in this film. There is also a new character Patrick Mulligan played by Stephen Graham who does a good job with what he is given but his character is very boring.

Overall, I enjoyed it more than the first film but it certainly doesn’t live up to the Carnage title. Thankfully, Tom Hardy is still enjoyable to watch and the movie is a lot shorter with its 90-minute runtime so it is not as exhausting to watch. However, it is still a shame that Sony still hasn’t managed to create a great Venom movie but the mid-credit scene certainly makes me hype for a future movie even if this one was also quite generic.