Film Review: Venom: Let There Be Carnage

I was not into the first Venom. It’s not like I didn’t have any fun with it. It’s the rare blockbuster where the middle portion is actually quite enjoyable, while the first act is a really dull setup and the final act is an equally boring and visually unpleasant CG battle with two black blobs fighting in the middle of the night. So, as a whole I was not particularly pleased, but there were moments where a sense of zaniness was trying to burst through the edgy posturing that defined most of the film’s tone. It’s not a film I ever want to revisit, but Venom: Let There Be Carnage really won me over.

The sequel has us meeting Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) reigniting his career as a journalist by interviewing a notorious serial killer named Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), who is being set for the death penalty. However, when Venom gets provoked and attacks Cletus during a meeting, Cletus bites Eddie, getting some of his symbiote infected blood in his system in the process. Venom and Eddie have already been going through a rocky period in their relationship, and this outburst was the last straw for Eddie. As the two breakup, Cletus breaks out of prison after the blood he swallowed has taken over as a whole new form called Carnage. Can Venom and Eddie settle their differences and defeat Carnage before he destroys the city?

The zaniness of the middle portion of the original Venom was what made that film so weirdly compelling to a lot of people, and thankfully, writer Kelly Marcel, and director Andy Serkis, understood that appeal. This film is so odd, and not odd in a “This feels like something from the early 2000s” kinda way with the original, but instead odd in a way that feels purposeful and idiosyncratic. It is structured in a way that feels like a rom-com, with all the familiar beats and cliché lines. It doubles down on the queer subtext with Eddie and Venom’s relationship, complete with a “coming out” moment taking place during a rave at some LGBT club that Venom joins in on, and no, I am not joking.

I have no idea what fans of the comic book character will think of this. I have zero attachment, so I can’t say. But considering how negatively they reacted to Spider-Man 3 (a bit unfairly so, in my opinion), and the fact that this film does a lot of things that would normally pass of lf a largely male, adolescent fan base like it’s queer subtext and jokey approach to the material, I would imagine this would be a huge turnoff for a lot of folks. But then again, these elements were somewhat present in the first, and that made almost a billion dollars, so what do I know?

I’m honestly just trying to make sense of what I watched. It’s a baffling film, full of off-the-wall choices that delighted me to no end, especially from a tonal standpoint. I couldn’t help but admire it’s irreverent and go-for-broke attitude and it’s surprising level of earnestness with its characters and the central relationship between Eddie and Venom. There is actual care here, which is unexpected but very welcomed. And all the performers play with this tone really well, knowing exactly how to read these lines and react to certain moments without going into winking at the camera territory. It comes across oddly wholesome as a result, and there really isn’t any other comic book movie like this out there right now.

This is clearly Tom Hardy’s baby, not only does he bring an astounding level of commitment to a number of weird choices, but he also has a story credit with Marcel. Harrelson is obviously having a total blast. However, I am still tickled pink by how straight faced Michelle Williams is in her delivery in a number of scenes that ask some really strange stuff out of her. She’s somehow the funniest without being given jokes on the page. If there is anyone who gets short shifted, it’s Naomie Harris, who plays Shriek, a character with quite a bit of history who ends up being a fairly one-note love interest for Cletus, with very few scenes for her to really shine, which is extra unfortunate given she’s the only prominent woman-of-color in the cast.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage really surprised me. As someone who wasn’t fond of the first film, not really anticipating this, and wasn’t even a big fan of Andy Serkis’ previous efforts as a director, I was taken aback by just how quickly I was charmed by the sincere and goofball energy of this film. It’s not perfect by any means, it’s still a bit hindered by the limitations of its PG-13 rating, and while the 90 runtime is a nice change of pace for one of these summer blockbusters, it’s clear that certain moments are trimmed down and whole sequences meant to add additional context to certain plot beats were left on the cutting room floor. But despite all that, I had a blast with this, and even the nakedly forced attempt at corporate synergy with its post-credits scene had my curiosity going. I have no idea what to expect with a follow-up to this, assuming we’re getting one, and that’s not something I say often with these kinds of films. Consider me officially on board the Venom train.

 

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is now out in theaters.