By Gilberto Campa
Back in 2018 one of the biggest surprises of that year was the massive success of Venom which gave the infamous Marvel lethal protector his time in the spotlight (free of Spiderman). The movie was a hit with audiences who loved the dynamic between Eddie Brock (played most weirdly and entertainingly) by Tom Hardy and his Symbiote alien Co-pilot Venom. Like most movies, especially one’s that succeed in the Comic Book genre, a sequel was put into production which would bring some new elements to the story. In an almost obvious choice, Andy Serkis who is the leading advisor and master of Motion Capture technology on film was hired to direct the sequel.
Right from the start of Let There Be Carnage, there is a clear jump in the things that Symbiotes can achieve from a visual standpoint. Venom and Carnage looked great and were practically spitting images from the comics, which was a beautiful thing to see. Hardy got to have more scenes outside of the suit, which was a bit of a surprise, but in many ways, this is more of a Venom movie than an Eddie Brock movie. Continuing from where the first movie left off, Venom is getting annoyed with Eddie Brock’s “Code” as his hunger continues to grow and he wants to consume everything in sight. Things get further complicated when the incarcerated Cletus Kasady played by the always committed Woody Harrelson (after contacting Eddie Brock) gets infected and gives birth to a very violent Symbiote of his own (Carnage). The movie has a very quick pace in terms of the story (the runtime is only about 90 minutes) and there isn’t much time for proper character growth besides Eddie Brock and Cletus.
The same type of humor is turned up much more this time around as Tom Hardy (who also provides the voice of Venom) gets to let loose and have as much fun with the role as he did the first time around. This movie is sticking with its formula and not trying to be something that it isn’t, which can be a hit or a miss for audiences. Sadly, for me, I wanted a little more substance from the story and some chances for things to progress naturally. The runtime makes the movie feel rushed and almost predictable, which isn’t just in the direction. Naomie Harris and Stephen Graham are wasted in this film as two characters who were written so badly that any other actor could have played them. These two actors are always great in everything they are in, but it just didn’t work in this movie. Overall if you were a fan of the first movie you will enjoy yourself as the humor does hit much of the time, but the most memorable thing about Let There Be Carnage is an INCREDIBLE Post Credits Scene. Who knows where Venom might show up next?