Director – Andy Serkis (Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, The Ruins of Empires)
Starring – Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Dark Knight Rises), Woody Harrelson (Zombieland, The Hunger Games), and Michelle Williams (Venom, Shutter Island)
Release Date – 2021
Rating – 3/5
While 2020 delivered a hard hit to the film industry it looks like the second half of 2021 has been a steady incline of new films from Hollywood. I was only able to catch Ghostbusters: Afterlife in theaters but some of the other movies I had to miss were quick to get a streaming release.
Another film that I was excited to check out was Venom: Let There Be Carnage which was directed Andy Serkis. I enjoyed the first Venom and was really looking forward to the follow up especially when I heard that it was feature Carnage and was directed by Serkis. The day it hit Vudu I quickly rushed over and snagged it. I’m glad I did because it was a lot of fun.
**Spoiler Alert** The film once again follows Eddie Brock (Hardy) who is struggling with his professional career and hiding Venom from the outside world. However, his life goes on the uphill when he interviews serial killer Cletus Kassidy (Harrelson) and Venom uncovers the spot where he had buried his victims. However, a strange encounter prior to Cletus’ execution leaves a portion of Venom inside of Cletus giving birth to Carnage. He escapes prison and his execution before setting out to free his girlfriend Francis who is a mutant forcing Brock and Venom to once again step in and stop them before more innocent lives are lost. **Spoiler Alert**
Venom: Let There Be Carnage was an exciting sequel but it was extremely goofy and sometimes awkward but it was an overall enjoyable experience. The acting in this one is enjoyable and the characters, the ones like Eddie Brock and Cletus Kassady, really stand out. Hardy and Harrelson are great as these two iconic characters but their symbiote versions of themselves were not as entertaining as they could have been. The Carnage and Venom feud is iconic among fans yet their voice acting and personalities were not where they needed to be. The supporting cast is solid but you watch a Venom and Carnage film for Venom and Carnage.
The story for this one is a little bit of what we get in the first film but this time we have Carnage added to the mix. We once again spend most of the movie with Venom and Eddie Brock bickering back and forth before we fully embrace the Carnage side of the film. Honestly, the story is very one sided and I was expecting a lot more Carnage than what we actually were given. Honestly, the film should have been more Eddie Brock and Cletus Kassady interactions than what it was. There is so much more to the story than what we were given here.
Finally, the film has some fun CGI moments but there was several instances with the visual effects looks atrocious. I can’t believe that a movie like this actually let visual effects like this pass. Overall, Let There Be Carnage had some entertaining moments along with some awkward moments. Honestly, I enjoyed it but I don’t see myself revisiting it any time soon. I would prefer a Carnage stand alone film but this was entertaining enough as it is.
