“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” (2021)
By Alex DeBlaey
“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” is the much-anticipated sequel to the 2018 film “Venom.” The story follows up years after Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) bonds with the alien symbiote Venom (Tom Hardy).
Eddie Brock hits a major upswing in his career as a reporter when one day he receives a message from a serial killer set to be executed, Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrleson).
After what appeared to be Kasady’s attempt to waste Eddie’s time with an empty interview, Eddie gives up on the Kasady story. Parallel to this plotline is the struggles between Venom and Eddie as their lifestyles and goals are not in alignment. Kasady awakens something within himself, a symbiote who is the mad child of Venom known as Carnage.
Carnage seeks revenge on his father and works with Kasady to seek out a long-lost lover, Frances Barrison (Naomie Harris.) Barrison also seeks revenge on someone who has proven a bother to both Kasady and Carnage. Carnage comes up with a plot to bring everyone together and wipe out their enemies in a single swing.
Rather than being the brutal horror action film the first was, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” is more inline with a modern Marvel film, though still darker than the average Marvel movie.
Where “Venom” was a film about the body horror of being consumed by a puppeteering monster who can access your knowledge and is willing to discard you once the opportunity comes, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” is a film about the struggles of relationships between people who seem incompatible.
The movie is almost a reboot of “Venom” and should be treated as such. The film otherwise is a tad rushed, coming in at 97 minutes with the plot of a film that should have run at least 120 minutes if not an ambitious 130. The film is a fun romp, though the plot and CGI need some touchups.
The action is choreographed very well with chaotic fights feeling like they are play out naturally. The film is worth a look for fans of the modern superhero genre, the previous entry “Venom” is not a prerequisite.
Rating 6.5/10
