About the film (courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment):
Tom Hardy returns to the big screen as the lethal protector Venom, one of MARVEL’s greatest and most complex characters.
Now that the “pandemic pause” has seemingly worked its way into our rear view, at least for now, more prominent films are being released by studios. We’ve already seen a couple of Marvel Studios theatrical releases this year with Black Widow and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, albeit the former only placed one foot in the water while testing the temperature by also offering the title in homes for a premium price. And after a few shifts in an expected release date, Sony Pictures Entertainment has finally settled on October 1st as the date for their next contribution to the Marvel movie madness. Venom: Let There Be Carnage continues the story of a human host, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), and his alien symbiote.
While SPE has been very deliberate and methodical with its Marvel films to-date since Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) was released, Tom Holland’s ability to further captivate his growing fandom as the webslinger shining is his own stand-alone film has allowed for more for a more stable jumping off point in the that Iron Man (2008) did for Marvel Studios. And before Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) was released, we got our first look at the symbiote’s origin story in Venom (2018). While not necessarily a complete darling in the eyes of critics, the feature more than held its own in the box office and a sequel was greenlit.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage pulls from what was the most enjoyable parts of the first film, which would be the comical relationship between host and symbiote and looks to expand on it with a new baddie, Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) and his love interest, Frances Barrison (Naomie Harris). Returning characters Anne (Michelle Williams), Dr. Dan (Reid Scott) and Detective Mulligan (Stephen Graham) assist in bringing familiarity without the need of telling their stories thusly allowing to cut down on the fluff of introducing characters.
One of the more refreshing aspects of Venom: Let There Be Carnage is its runtime of only 90 minutes. I know that it seems like movies are all about breaking that two hour barrier these days, but sometimes less is more. In this case, the relatively short runtimes is one of the main reasons that I am not destroying this film. Give Andy Serkis, who directs this sequel, credit for going against the industry standard. The story, partly by design, is rather shallow, and making it forcibly more, would have completely turned fans off. That being said, a bit more substance would have been welcome.
The special effects and the presentation are both positives, as are the comical moments that spread throughout. But I sometimes struggled with the comprehension of some of what Eddie and Venom would say to one another, and that’s too bad because I’m assuming that I missed out on a few good lines. Regardless, Tom Hardy is once again a treat to watch as he argues with himself throughout this story. Woody Harrelson is okay as the unhinged villain, but he lacks the truly deraigned look and feel that could have made him shine.
It’ll be interesting to see the approach that is taken with Venom’s character because, one thing that became clear as this feature went on, is whether or not they could make a third standalone film. The character is not unlike that of the Hulk, where he’s best as not the single focal point in a movie. And to that end, it’ll be interesting to see what comes after Venom: Let There Be Carnage. From SPE side of Marvel, we’re already expected to Spider-Man: No Way Home in late December of this year, Jared Leto as Morbius in late January 2022 and Kraven the Hunter in January 2023.
As for tie-ins or cameos from Eddie Brock/Venom, I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see. Fun fact and totally irrelevant, Tom Hardy and Tom Holland have previously been in one film together, the immensely underrated Locke (2013) where Holland voiced a character named Eddie. Crazy coincidence, right? You can see Venom: Let There Be Carnage only in theaters on Friday, October 1st with early showings Thursday evening. Also, be sure to stay through the credits because there is a mid-credits scene you’ll probably want to see.
