As a sequel, one could argue that Let There Be Carnage essentially does the opposite of what a sequel action movie should do: go bigger. That usually means more characters, bigger set pieces and generally turning the last movie up to eleven. And if you look at the ending action scenes, it definitely does up the ante. However it dials a lot of other aspects of the previous movie back, if not removing them entirely. Instead this movie leans hard into the comedic dynamic of Eddie and Venom, essentially turning them into a bickering couple, albeit with one of them being a totally unreasonable alien that acts more often like a child than not. It’s a masterclass in acting that honestly makes one laugh much more often than they think they would in a movie that has a large terrifying alien as it’s poster boy, and it’s a pleasant surprise in that. Venom and Eddie are a hoot to watch, and it actually might make one wish they had an alien symbiote bonded to them (get a dog instead ) when watching their dysfunctional and amusing relationship grow and get stronger. The fact that Hardy again acts as both Eddie and the voice of Venom makes it even more intriguing, because the comedic timing on his interactions between Eddie and Venom is perfect.

This could likely be due to new director Andy Serkis as well, who despite being known most for an extensive history in motion capture work probably helped add to the comedic hops of this flick as well(just look at his work as Klaue in Black Panther for an example). Add in the interactions with returning characters Anne (played by Michelle Willams) and Dan ( played by Reid Scott) as well as the breakout character Mrs Chen (played by Peggy Lu) and you have a tight knit cast that Venom and Eddie bounce off of for essentially the entire movie.

It’s not all fun and games however. In fact while the first Venom movie tried to evoke a slight horrific mood especially in it’s promotional material, this one actually is a little scarier due to Woody Harrelson’s scene stealing Kletus Kasady. Seemingly based a few real life serial killers, he’s clearly showing he has screws loose in all his scenes, seemingly being everything from sadistic to even a cannibal. Part of the creepy energy does fade a little once he links with the symbiote Carnage however, and once that happens, he becomes a walking embodiment of chaos, not dissimilar to DC’s Joker. In fact, Kletus and his long lost love Shriek (played by Naomie Harris) make a much better showcase for “crazy power couple” in the way DCEU movies first tried to portray Harley and the Joker as. Harris plays Shriek as the perfect female companion to Kasady’s rampage, being formidable in her own right and a threat to Venom and Carnage simultaneously.

It’s this specific latter aspect that actually starts to cause trouble in our villains’ paradise, which is at least partially a shame simply because of how entertaining they are, being a parallel to Eddie and Venom that’s clearly more chaotic while Carnage the symbiote is shown to be a much more visually enthralling, pulling off attacks and capabilities we would have never seen Venom do. In fact, an aspect that I’m sure Serkis implemented into the film, Carnage is presented to often be more…disgusting than Venom, with both sound and graphical effects making it seem it like he’s an elongated layer of flesh that’s sure to make you squirm on at least one scene. Both these aspects make him and Kasady far more intimidating however, and even by the time the final battle approaches, you will definitely think twice about whether our heroes actually make it out alive. And as we said, the final battle, along with some other choice scenes in the movie are legitimately exhilarating. The first Venom movie had a few people on the fence about the visual effects, but this one makes me think they’ve nailed them now.

And that really what Venom: Let There Be Carnage is. A collection of improvements in the right places while completely removing the aspects that didn’t work. It’s not exactly perfect and if you’re someone looking for the next “MCU Killer” superhero movie, this isn’t it. Instead it’s a fun time at the movies that almost anyone can jump into and have a great time with, especially if you watched the first movie. After all, with that after credits scene, it’s clear that Venom isn’t trying to challenge the MCU anymore, he’s going to be in it. Don’t tell anyone we told you that.

Related Stories: