Venom: Let There Be Carnage is the sequel to 2018's Venom and carries on where the previous movie left off. While Eddie Brock struggles to live with the extra-terrestrial being 'Venom' living inside him, a serial killer becomes the host to another dangerous symbiote. Eddie Brock must come to terms with his argumentative symbiote to prevent this threat from causing too much damage to the world.

I saw the original Venom movie only a week ago so can see how well Venom: Let There Be Carnage carried on from the first. This was one of the most admirable aspects of the film and felt very thought-through. Unfortunately, this was the only part of the movie that felt planned out. The movie overall felt quite rushed and although I was quite glad when the movie was over, the movie could have benefitted from expanding the story more and making the characters have more depth. The only two characters in the film that had any sort of depth were the protagonist and the antagonist, plus maybe one other side character. Of course, these are two characters whose depth is usually prioritised the most, however, the movie fell short when particularly bad acting performances added to this lack of density.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage did not make any improvements from the first movie. Although Venom wasn't an incredible film, I enjoyed it, which made seeing this movie a somewhat difficult experience. The sequel wasn't as funny as the first and certainly wasn't as heartwarming (not that Venom was very heartwarming either but it still had some nice themes and messages which acted as the cherry on top). Additionally, Venom: Let There Be Carnage was very dark and very violent. I am quite surprised that the movie was able to maintain its M rating in Australia and a PG-13 rating in the US; I personally would not be recommending this for 13-year-olds. The movie was also strangely very loud. The monsters roared a few times, there were big explosions, there was a villain whose super-power was literally screaming and the cinema didn't lie about how its sound system makes you feel like you are in that world. I am not sure if it was just loud in the theatre we were in but if I was holding the remote, I would have had it down a couple of notches (and when I find a movie loud, it's saying something because I'm a drummer!).

The CGI and action in Venom: Let There Be Carnage was decent as we've come to expect from all Marvel movies, but the sequel didn't improve upon the first movie in this aspect which was quite disappointing. Additionally, at very few points did I think that what was happening on screen was real. The only 'clever' thing that the director did in terms of action was when Woody Harrelson's character first broke out of his holding cell. The director used some clever film techniques reminiscent of Darth Vader's hallway scene in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

If you enjoyed the first Venom movie and want to see how Eddie Brock's story continues, then you may enjoy Venom: Let There Be Carnage. But once again, I wouldn't be suggesting this for anyone younger than 15-years-old and I'm thinking that only a select group of people will genuinely enjoy this movie. However, I do think that this movie will tie into future Marvel movies (perhaps a superhero movie about a particular spider??). And after saying all this, I did not leave the theatre thinking I had wasted my last two hours. There were some good things about the movie such as the performances by Tom Hardy and Woody Harrelson. Nonetheless, overall this movie is a popcorn-flick.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is not a terrible movie, but is certainly not a good one. It ties in well with the previous Venom movie and will likely tie in with future Marvel instalments. It had a couple of fantastic acting performances as well as a lot of not-so-fantastic acting performances. The movie was extremely violent and scary for a PG-13 film but had your typical Marvel visual effects. Be prepared for your ears to hurt a few times and also be prepared for a couple of very weird and unexplainable moments.

Director: Andy Serkis

Starring: Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams

Year released: 2021

My rating: 5/10

Review by Tristan Carr

Last edited: 13/02/2022