Today’s quick review: Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), a disgraced reporter, has bonded with Venom, a bloodthirsty alien symbiote that grants him superpowers. During an interview with condemned serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), Eddie accidentally lets Cletus absorb a part of Venom, imbuing him with the same powers and turning him into the monstrosity known as Carnage.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a dark superhero action comedy based on the Marvel Comics character. In the aftermath of the first movie, Eddie Brock and Venom are struggling to adapt to life together. Despite his attempts to stay out of trouble, Eddie is forced back into action when Cletus Kasady goes on a rampage. Let There Be Carnage features flashy action and some fun humor, but at the cost of clumsy direction and a thin story.
Where Venom: Let There Be Carnage shines is its action scenes. Venom and Carnage are monstrous beings with a frightening array of abilities. Seeing them clash is just as chaotic, violent, and destructive as fans could hope for. Carnage in particular comes off well, the erratic embodiment of Cletus Kasady’s rage. The special effects show some wear around the edges, but they hold up remarkably well in every scene that counts.
The comedy in Let There Be Carnage is more of a mixed bag. Eddie and Venom still make for an amusing duo, with Venom acting as an impulsive and brutal manifestation of Eddie’s id. But the movie overplays its hand by doubling down on the humor from the first film without balancing it out. Instead of letting the jokes flow from the predicament Eddie is in, the movie forces its characters to go through the motions just for the sake of a laugh.
Where Let There Be Carnage shows real weakness is its story. The movie does not have enough plot to fill even its modest run time, so it stalls with Venom’s antics and a thoroughly unnecessary backstory for Cletus Kasady. This pushes the actual conflict back, which reduces the amount of time Eddie gets to spend as Venom. The pacing issues are compounded by an abrupt directorial style that condenses important developments into sound bites.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a strange movie that will hold some appeal for fans of the original but comes with baggage attached. Action fans who are just looking for a CGI-fueled clash peppered with humor will get what they want. But pacing issues, a stretched plot, and overplayed comedy will make the movie a poor pick for viewers who have a critical eye. Approach with caution.
For a cleaner take on the character, check out the original Venom. For a more grounded story featuring the character, try Spider-Man 3. For a hyper-stylized crime thriller starring Woody Harrelson as a lovestruck serial killer, check out Natural Born Killers. Finally, for a comedy featuring a man with poor impulse control and similarly cartoonish powers, try The Mask.
[6.0 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7097896/). I give it a 6.5 for excellent action saddled with a story that does not live up to its potential.