‘Venom 2’ Review: Let There Be Carnage, Indeed

The symbiote’s 2nd outing isn’t the best superhero film this year. In fact, Venom 2 might be the worst of the year. However, Let There Be Carnage is a vast improvement over the 2018 incarnation.

The master of motion capture, Andy Serkis, steps into the director’s chair. He does a great job of balancing the wild tonal shifts present in Let There Be Carnage.

The dynamic between Eddie Brock and Venom is the best part of the film. If the first film was aiming for buddy cop, then this one veers much closer to a full-blown rom-com film. Venom 2 nails the romantic comedy aspect of the relationship. Venom is far more heroic than Eddie, which is an interesting tightrope to walk thanks to his cravings. Tom Hardy is especially great as the voice of Venom.

On the subject of cops, Stephen Graham is legitimately great as Detective Mulligan. His scenes have the tenacity and serious edge the rest of the film doesn’t have. It’s the type of performance that belongs in a different film, but I didn’t mind it in this film.

Woody Harrelson chews the scenery in a manner that would make Jim Carrey‘s The Riddler from Batman Forever proud. I mean that in the best way possible. His take on Cletus Kasady aka Carnage works best in the few scenes he has with Naomi Harris as Frances Barrison aka Shriek.

There are some odd accent choices when it comes to Harris’s performance. Part of the reason the accent is off-putting is the lack of screen time. If we had more time to understand how her character ticks and what she wants outside of rekindling her relationship with Cletus, then maybe Frances would have worked better. Michelle Williams has a couple more opportunities to shine than in the first film, but is once again underutilized.

The script struggles the most at trying to forge a connection between Cletus and Eddie. While both characters have similarly traumatic childhoods, Venom 2 waits too long to dive into that backstory. By the time it does reveal a somewhat haphazard connection, you’re more excited to return to Venom and Eddie’s relationship.

Mrs. Chen returns. Her connection to Venom and Eddie was the lone bright spot in the first film. She’s great in this film with the exception of one horrific scene involving Williams’s Ann and Dr. Dan. This scene will be etched in my memory forever and that’s a shame.

The visual and sound design of Carnage is outstanding. His roar is ear-piercing, spine-tingling perfection. The fight scenes, especially in the 3rd act, are great. The 3rd act overall does a great job of showing the difference between the Venom-Brock relationship and that of Carnage-Kasady.

I despised the first Venom film. Venom 2 is a forgettable film with enough laughs, a strong performance by Hardy as Venom and some truly phenomenal sound design to recommend checking it out.

With the non-spoiler details out of the way, let’s dive into the symbiotic romcom that is Venom: Let There Be Carnage. There will be some minor spoilers. 

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Venom 2: The RomCom

Outside of Venom’s craving for eating bad guys, Venom is clearly the better half in this relationship. Honestly, Venom is a much more active protagonist than Eddie. More often than not it’s Venom who induces laughter, pathos and excitement.

Venom is the one who figures out a secret of Cletus’s. When Ann announces her engagement to Dr. Dan, it’s Venom who tries to cheer him up. Kelly Marcel‘s screenplay clearly portrays Eddie as the ungrateful one in the relationship.

Like any relationship in any rom-com, there is a separation that occurs between this unusual couple. In the best scene in the film, Venom has a coming-out party. He takes the microphone at a local club. Since the party is a costumed one, Venom fits right in. The crowd loves him. After Venom drops the mic (literally), his exhilaration over finally being able to reveal himself to the world is quickly followed up by profound sadness. The person Venom loves, Eddie, wasn’t able to see this happy moment and it crushes Venom. It’s the kind of raw emotion that simply wasn’t shown in the 1st film at all.

Kletus and Eddie in Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Cletus views Eddie as a kindred spirit. This is the area of the film that’s the biggest issue. There’s just not much chemistry between Hardy and Harelson. Eddie doesn’t say much and Cletus delivers long monologues.

There is a shared connection when it comes to their troubled childhoods. However, the film doesn’t do enough to show why Cletus feels so connected to Eddie, which isn’t a big deal at first. Pre-Carnage, it seems like Cletus is messing with Eddie in order to send a message to Frances. However, Cletus does eventually reveal that he wanted Eddie’s friendship, which contradicts some of Kletus’s actions.

Also, Eddie is such a wet blanket of a character that it doesn’t feel warranted. When Carnage does emerge, then the film starts to bring the chaotic energy Venom: Let There Be Carnage needs.

Maximum Carnage

Every minute involving Carnage is outstanding. He feels, looks and sounds dangerous. The relationship Carnage has with Cletus is the opposite of Venom and Eddie, which the 3rd act does a great job of demonstrating. Cletus and Carnage are a seemingly perfect match until Shriek enters the mix.

Carnage looks tremendous. His trademark red still features just enough shades of black, which serves as a reminder of where Carnage came from. His roar has a similar frequency as the T-Rex in Jurassic Park with a more horrific edge to it.

The fight scenes featuring Venom and Carnage are great. I found them easy to follow, which is no small feat since the bulk of the action takes place at night and Venom is almost entirely clad in all black.

Venom 2 Final Thoughts

When Venom 2 strays from the Venom and Eddie relationship, it’s a struggle to get through in spite of Harrelson’s performance as Cletus. Eddie continues to be a weak protagonist. Luckily, in the 1st and 3rd acts he has the opportunity to connect with Venom who brings out the best in Eddie.

The scenes in the 2nd act involving just Eddie and not Venom are awful. Luckily, Venom provides plenty of relief and Carnage, Cletus and Frances emerge as a villainous trio, which builds into the excellent 3rd act.