Barrett Brief Movie Review: Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Barrett Brief Movie Review – Venom: Let There Be Carnage 

Summary: Tom Hardy returns to the big screen as the lethal protector Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters.

Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller 

When the first Venom hit the screens in 2018, it blew expectation out of the water. Why? Because they were at the bottom of the pool. Most of us were charmed with the pre-MCU script and the performance of Tom Hardy playing both Eddie Brock & the title character of Venom. So the question with Venom: Let There Be Carnage is: where do you go from here? Venom is a part of the rogues gallery of Spider-Man villains. He doesn’t have a deep catalogue of stories to base itself on. That is at the heart of the problem for Venom. He is a bad guy. He is one of the deadliest bad guys that Spider-Man faces. The first Venom addressed this by playing up to the monster aesthetic and it worked. Now in this second run he has to be established as an “anti-hero” and instead of getting a fun monster romp, we get a film that struggles with the protagonist and leaves everyone else spinning their wheels. 

Too Much Of A Good Thing

Tom Hardy (Eddie Brock/Venom) really gives it his all in this performance. He is playing 2 characters and each has their own personalities. Eddie is a loser, we know this and that is played well. The real issue that stuck with me is Venom. He comes off not as the dangerous threat he has always been, but as a needy jerk. Sure he gets the best lines in the film, and I did actually laugh at some of them, but it takes away who he is. One liners? Fine. But there is a scene early on that is suppose to be hilarious and I just wanted it to end. Also, he gets the crap kicked out him by Carnage (Woody Harrelson) just like he did in the first film. What is my issue? He is Spider-Man. A snarky, underdog hero. Yeah he wants to eat bad guys, but that isn’t treated as anything more than a joke. That lust never feels like a true threat to their relationship. The audiences expects more Venom in the sequel. Just because you get more, doesn’t mean you get more. 

 The Cast

Tom Hardy is always solid. He makes any film he is in watchable. Harrelson, despite years of being fan casted in the role of Carnage, gives you the Woody Harrelson performance. He doesn’t really stretch too much. He isn’t bad per say, but nothing about his performance really stood out. Everyone else in the film is superfluous. Michelle Williams (Anne Weying) was doing the exact same thing she did in the first movie. She had a minor bit of development in that she knows Venom is still around, but outside of that, nothing. Naomie Harris (Frances Barrison / Shriek) was of a talented actress. Reid Scott (Dr. Dan Lewis) could have been removed from the film and I wouldn’t have noticed. Stephen Graham (Detective Mulligan) is there as well. 

Plot & Pacing

Three years after the events of the first film,  Let There Be Carnage picks up with Eddie/Venom still dealing with their relationship. The situation changes when Cletus Kasady asks to be interviewed by Brock. This inadvertently leads Brock to the stash of bodies that killer Kasady had buried. Before he dies, Kasady meets with Brock one more time and events occur and Carnage is born. Meanwhile, Eddie and Venom break up. Literally. Venom goes out on his own. Does he rampage through the city? No he goes to a club and gets glow sticks thrown on him all night. Eventually the two have to put aside their differences and take down Carnage, who is much nastier than Venom. 

The film is 90 minutes and it never lingers in one place. Although I was not interested at all in the final battle, kinda just wanted it to end. 

Technical notes

Andy Serkis produced some nice shots and the VFX’s were pretty good. However, a lot of the action scenes we victims of quick cut editing, which I for one am tired of. Outside of that his direction was very fine.  

Overall

Venom: Let There Be Carnage suffers from what all monster sequels suffer from, the audience wants more of the monster, but given too much the attraction loses its edge. 

Score:

2 out 4 briefcases