OnScreen Review: "Venom: Let There Be Carnage"
Ken Jones, Chief Film Critic
Well this is awkward. I had completely misremembered that I actually did not outright hate Venom when it came out in 2018. In fact, it surprised me how much I enjoyed some aspects of it, even though it was far from being a good movie. So coming out of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, I was prepared to say that this was a modest improvement over its predecessor, but I suppose I need to revise my view and say that it is a marginal improvement in some areas while still being quite a mess in many of the same areas.
Tom Hardy is back as Eddie Brock, Michelle Williams is back as his nominal love interest Anne, and as was teased in the end credits of the Venom and spelled out in plain language in the title, the spawn of Venom, Carnage, is in full effect this time around, with Woody Harrelson portraying Cletus Kasady and voicing the red symbiote that attaches itself to him. Naomie Harris is thrown in as an added bonus as Shriek, who shares a demented loving bond with Cletus. The relationship between Cletus and Shriek may prompt some people to compare it to Natural Born Killers, which also starred Harrelson, but it is, at best, a funhouse mirror version of the relationship between Micky and Mallory.
Eddie is, arguably, one of the worst investigative reporters in the history of cinema, needing significant assistance from his symbiote companion to notice some clues into the backstory of Cletus, whom he is contacted by while on death row to tell his life story and reveal the location of a still unfound murder victim. Getting too close to Cletus because he and Venom cannot resist Cletus’ taunts result in Cletus literally getting a taste of his blood and receiving his own symbiote named Carnage as a result of their interaction. The less you think about the how and why of Carnage coming into existence as Venom’s offspring the better. And the less you think about the how and the why of Carnage being a “red one” and apparently more powerful through the logic of this movie the better.
This sequel, for what it is worth, is a purer form of the first movie, having to dispense with the origin story, like most of these comic book movies, and can just be itself with the volume turned up and all the pretense out of the way. Andy Serkis replaces Ruben Fleischer in the director’s chair this time around. Somehow, he manages to lean into the comedic silliness than even Fleischer did, which is saying something considering Fleischer made his name by directing Zombieland. What was an odd couple pairing between Brock and Venom in the first movie has blossomed into a full on mismatched bromance, almost a romcom between the two of them. Both grow increasingly exasperated with one other before concluding that they need each other and are essentially better together.
On the flip side with Cletus and Carnage, this is supposed to be a more sinister and demented version of Venom, partly because of the psychotic serial killer it has attached itself to in Cletus. Harrelson seems to have three or four modes he can go into as an actor, most of which I like, but Cletus Kasady is not one of them. I am sure that Harrelson is giving exactly what Serkis is asking from him as a crazed killer with vengeance and carnage on them mind, but I did not go for this performance overall. They definitely lean into the red theme with him.
The action of the first movie, particularly at the end, was a muddled mess of CGI symbiotes fighting on a launchpad. Things are slightly better here, though Carnage’s abilities seem way over the top and border on insurmountable and absurd. When he is chucking a barrage of giant spears toward a charging Venom, it’s all just a bit too much. Obviously, alien beings fighting each other takes the lid off of what is considered believable, but scaling it al back just a bit would have made it a bit more palatable, especially with a post-credits scene that promises a more grounded and human foil in Venom’s future.
I’ve never been much of a fan of the Venom character. I still consider him one of the most overrated villains in any superhero’s rogues gallery. And like the first movie, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is nothing more than empty calories when it comes to audience consumption. But much like the scenes in Eddie’s apartment where they’re making a mess while making breakfast, there is a slapdash, beautiful disaster quality to this movie. I still have next to zero emotional investment in the future of this character or its franchise, and I’m still not convinced that they won’t bungle things if/when Venom and Eddie cross pass with a certain friendly neighborhood so-and-so, but I’m also not completely checked out on the inevitable future installments here. My personal ambivalence may be the best back-handed compliment I can give this film, considering my negative disposition toward Venom.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars