Movie Review # 465: Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

Hi everyone! Hope you all are doing well. Today, we are going to be talking about the latest Marvel film that was made by Columbia Pictures. Man, not to mention that it got delayed once, or twice, after originally having a release date for October of last year. However, we obviously know why that couldn’t happen. Well, now that this film has finally arrived, let’s talk about Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the sequel to the 2018 film, Venom.

Plot: When an incident causes a notorious criminal (Woody Harrelson) to turn into a venomous creature called Carnage, and escape from prison, it is up to Eddie Brock/Venom (Tom Brady) to stop him, and his girlfriend (Naomie Harris), who was born with a deadly superpower, from causing havoc on the world.

While Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage does have quite a few problems like the first film, the 2021 sequel is a little bit of an improvement from the first film. First of all, the characters, both old, and new ones, are very well developed, for the most part. I mean especially when it came to some of the relationships, specifically the main ones, I don’t recall even those being that well fleshed out. Even here, some of the relationships could have been better, but at least they are at least a little better than in the first film. There are also some cool designs in this film as well. That is especially when it comes to characters like Venom, Carnage, or even Frances Barrison/Shriek. The score is also very good. Marco Beltrami, who composed it, really seems to engage the audience with his score, especially when it comes to points like the climax, or even any of the other action scenes, period. Additionally, even if the film is a very dark one overall, it is not without it’s very comedic moments. Venom especially seems to deliver some of the best lines in this film like he did in the first one. Honestly, it’s likely somewhat surprising that a character like Venom brings out some of the best lines in either this sequel, or it’s predecessor, wouldn’t you say? There is also some unexpected beautiful cinematography, especially around the end of the film.

However, I have to tell you all that this film doesn’t seem to be quite one of the best sequels out there. First of all, while the villains have cool designs, and act the way that a villain is supposed to, they aren’t exactly the best villains. I mean they still can feel kind of bland, and most likely could have been fleshed out more than they were in the end. Honestly, if this film had been around 120 minutes, or more, as opposed to having a running time of 97 minutes, I wouldn’t be surprised if the villains had been better developed. Why this film was only around an hour and a half, or shortly after, is beyond me. But hey, whatever. Second, people may find themselves some what torn, and likely even ambivalent about certain aspects of the ending of the film. Oh, and the scene that takes place around the time of the credits could potentially leave the audience somewhat dazed, and confused as well. Finally, Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage seems to signal some rather mixed messages as well, especially in regards to the whole deal about needing, or not needing certain other people in your life. Quite honestly, it could still make for a good discussion, but still.

And that’s my review for Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage. While very flawed at times, at least it was a little bit of an improvement from it’s predecessor. I’m not sure if either I, or anyone else is missing something in this film, or if Hollywood is going a direction that is not the best, or even a little bit of both. Regardless, I would say definitely still it if you want to see a movie that does improve at least in a few areas from 2018’s Venom. Also, probably see it at the regular theater, instead of the dollar theater. I bring that up since I advised others to wait until the first film hit the dollar theater to see that one. I won’t say the same about this second film. So there you have it.

Final Grade: B-