I wasn't particularly fond of Venom from 2018. I thought it was fine; definitely not as bad as lot of others said but also not too good either, especially when compared to other superhero movies that came out around the same time. I wasn't initially planning on watching this follow-up, but with being at university and looking for any excuse to not do the heaps of work I have to do, I thought it'd be a sufficient way to pass some time.
In the film, Eddie and Venom's relationship is tested as their contrasting desires reach a boiling point, and at the same time, a serial killer by the name of Cletus Kasady has been infected with another symbiote called Carnage, and proceeds to go on a rampage after escaping prison. So, the two need to put their differences aside to defeat this new foe.
Here's the thing, I've only seen the first Venom movie once, when I saw it in the cinema over three years ago. I couldn't be bothered to rewatch it in preparation for this so I instead had to reread my original review of the film to kind of refresh myself on what my specific pros and cons were with it, even though I could remember my overall outlook.
One thing I do remember being problematic about that original film was the pace. It took an awfully long time to get going and as a whole just went on for way longer than it needed to. These movies don't have interesting themes to explore or well-rounded characters to develop, they're purely focused on all the chaotic action they can throw at the screen, so two hours is a little excessive, especially when the majority of the first hour doesn't have much action. Let There Be Carnage clearly understands this as it's barely ninety minutes in runtime and it moves along at a very brisk pace throughout. Granted, it doesn't have the burden of being an origin story which the first film did, so it is in a better position to just cut to the chase.
Aside from that, everything else is mostly unchanged. The action is more of what the original offered; that being noisy and chaotic roaring, smashing, and exploding. Its fun at times and doesn't really get too tiring as the film isn't long enough to let it drag on. The dynamic between Eddie and Venom is really fun, a lot more entertaining than I remember the first film being, which was welcome. Tom Hardy is still decent in the role, Woody Harrelson is very enjoyable as the villain, and Naomie Harris, who plays another villainous character called Shriek, was also really good in the film. So, if you enjoyed the first Venom, I think you'll certainly enjoy this as well because most of what it brings to the table is basically the same in terms of quality.
There's not really much else to be said. All things considered, Venom: Let There Be Carnage was just alright. I think it accomplished everything that it had to achieve as a sequel to Venom, with more of what that film offered in terms of action and tone, but I think it marginally has the upper hand for me because it's far shorter and moves along at a much smoother pace. Still, it's nothing I'll be rushing to see again or really thinking about much again, but it was certainly a fun ninety minutes.
I'm going to give Venom: Let There Be Carnage a 6.0/10
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the mid-credits scene. I won't say what happens, but I thought it was really cool and I'm excited to see exactly what it means going forward!
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