Venom: Let There be Carnage

Tom Hardy returns as Eddie Brock, investigate reporter and host to symbiote Venom. Andy Serkis is at the helm as Eddie tries to resurrect his career and is given the opportunity to tell the life story of serial killer Cletus Cassidy (Woody Harrelson). However after a final visit to see him in prison, Cassidy gets his own taste of Venom and Carnage is born. As Carnage goes on the rampage Brock and Venom are having thier own problems, which they need to put behind them to save San Francisco from Carnage and his childhood sweetheart Frances Barrison (Naomie Harris). Who has her own revenge mission against Stephen Graham’s Detective Mulligan.

Sound like a lot of clunking parts that worryingly may not come together In a coherent film? You’d be right. Now, I quite liked the first Venom film, I liked its darkness, off the wall humour and the dual personality of Hardy as Brock and Venom. While, I appreciate that wasn’t the popular view, I had hopes that they would learn from the criticism and deliver in this one. Unfortunately they did not.

It’s a bit of a mess of a film. The storyline is paper thin, as are the characters. It’s big and loud and extra smashy, but in the super hero film way where nothing really matters, the action just feels like big CGI creations doing battle. Bad guy wants revenge, minor peril comes to friends of main character, they face off in a CGI fest battle, has been done many times before but so much better.

It’s not a complete write off, some of the humor remains and there are some enjoyable set pieces. But much of what worked first time around for me, didn’t hit the mark here. While the Venom/Brock dialogue had occasional fun, it often felt out of place and like a random voice over thrown into a scene.

The cast are fine Harrelson chews plenty of scenery, Harris brings a little something, as does Graham and the always reliable Michelle Williams, but they really have little to work with.

Then there is the post credit sequence. It clearly opens the door to another Venom appearance but my overwhelming feeling was that the preceeding 90 minutes had existed for the purpose of that sequence and really they needn’t have bothered.

Let There Be Carnage lived up to its name but not in a good way. Disjointed and predictable, the action lacking real weight and while the humour was enjoyable it was infrequent. Venom will clearly be back, but I’d rather this film had existed on its own merit not as a rather tedious setup for another Venom appearance elsewhere.