The sequel to 2018’s Venom embraces its silly side a whole lot more this time around, yet it still fails to justify its own existence. With not enough time to declare itself and by not doing enough in the limited time it does have, Let There Be Carnage ultimately feels like another wasted, formulaic comic-book antihero adventure.
★★✰✰✰
The first solo movie outing of comic book antihero/villain Venom, despite being detached from the current Spider-Man narrative which he has traditionally been a part of, was enough of a success to spark a series of its own. While it may not have been particularly well-received critically, 2018’s Venom was a hit with fans. It brought in over $850 million at the worldwide box office, so a sequel was almost instantly guaranteed.
Unfortunately, the sequel we have received shows even more of the same problems that its predecessor was criticised for. This time around, journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) has to face off against serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) and his alter-ego alien symbiote, Carnage, all the while dealing with his own constantly clashing relationship with the titular symbiote. It’s a premise that lends itself to leaning into the goofy side, which it certainly does. However, there’s only so much goofiness you can take until it begins to misfire.
Ruben Fleischer takes a step back from directorial duties this time and in steps Andy Serkis in his place. It’s clear that Serkis has decided to go down a more comic, jovial route here. There’s a more exuberant, diverting feel to this and much less of a drab, washed-out atmosphere. This is the strongest aspect that Serkis brings to the table. Embracing the absurdity allows Let There Be Carnage to be a joyful experience, even in spite of how much of a mess the overriding film is. As a result, you can quite easily switch your brain off and see the funny side of this film. However, some of the problems at play here are unfortunately too apparent to miss.
One remaining positive of this sequel is Hardy’s lead performance. He was the aspect that carried the first, and the same can be said here. His physical comedy is slightly limited this time around compared to the first, but it’s again his interactions with the Venom symbiote that prompt the film’s most entertaining sequences. Very few can manage to create strong chemistry with themselves, or in this case with their own voice, but Tom Hardy manages it in spades. The moments solely focused on Brock and Venom are where the film reaches its peak. They’re earnest, humorous and simply good fun. At points in the story, Brock and Venom are separate and given temporary, individual escapades, but they just don’t work as well. It’s a dynamic that doesn’t work when disconnected, and, given that the film spends a fair chunk with them apart, there’s a real lull throughout the second act of Let There Be Carnage.
Opposite Hardy’s Venom is Woody Harrelson’s Carnage. Fans of the comic books will know that Carnage is a major, tour-de-force antagonist in the source material, something that is not reflected in the slightest here. Given the film’s short runtime, Carnage is never given the required time to earn his place or stature as Venom’s arch-nemesis. He doesn’t feel contextualised as a character, let alone as a villain. His rivalry with Eddie Brock should feel dynamising and towering, but it ultimately just falls flat as a result of a half-baked screenplay.
It also doesn’t help that Harrelson turns in a laughable performance. He’s clearly having fun with the role, but he comes across far more amusing than he does intimidating. Spread around these two are also a plethora of needless side characters. Michelle Williams’ reprises her role from the first, but I’ve no clue why. She is little more than a plot device here, and the same can, unfortunately, be said for Stephen Graham’s character, who is simply in this as sequel-bait.
There’s even Naomi Harris’ secondary antagonist, who feels just as underwhelming as Harrelson’s central villain. Whenever the film takes its focus away from Brock and onto any of these side characters, Let There Be Carnage loses its entertainment factor. Considering it does this too many times and it does so within a script that feels formulaic and disorganised, there’s only so much fun that this film can actually provide.
It’s clear that much of this film’s amusing choices are deliberate, as there’s a stronger embrace of the zaniness of Venom’s character this time around. Yet. there’s still a sense of a tonal clash throughout. It shoots for more grounded moments in isolation. Yet, each one lacks weight because, much like its predecessor, this Venom sequel still feels unsure of what it wants to be. It jumps from comedy, to horror, to romance, and it never strikes the right balance between them all.
There’s certainly more fun to be had here, but I can’t help but feel that it doesn’t quite stick the landing as well as the first. With its limited screentime, this sequel never allows itself to flesh vital pieces out. It reduces each beat to a messy, underdeveloped idea that creates a breakneck speed resulting in a lack of concrete plot and character. It sacrifices any sense of humanity to focus on its spectacle. In a better directed and written film, this could work. But, sadly, Let There Be Carnage already has too many issues to prevent itself from being able to rely on spectacle.
The Verdict
Andy Serkis’ attempt at a Venom sequel ups the fun factor to a degree by embracing its own ridiculousness, with thanks to another comical performance from Hardy. However, with such a short runtime, uncompelling characters, and a complete tonal imbalance, Venom: Let There Be Carnage fails to stake a claim for itself. It tries to fit so much into such a small amount of time and feels unfinished, undercooked and underwhelming. There are entertaining elements here and there, but there’s far too much mess within all of the carnage. When the most energising part of your film is a post-credits scene, you know something hasn’t quite gone to plan.
Words by Eddie Nourse
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