‘Eddie Brock is you, and I’m the suit, so call me VENOMMMM’ as Eminem so eloquently put it in his 2018 song ‘Venom’ – this is how I felt walking out of Venom: Let there be Carnage. My hat (or symbiote) goes off to Andy Serkis. For a man highly respected for his career of portraying motion-capture creatures on screen for two decades now, he knew exactly what the Venom sequel needed and his direction of Venom: Let there be Carnage left me wanting more symbiote action on the big screen. The film brings one of Marvel’s greatest anti-heroes to showdown with one of their craziest villains, and it is truly spectacular. I can’t imagine even Spider-man being able to deal with the carnage of these two clashing!
I always viewed 2018’s Venom as a severely underrated comic book movie about an anti-hero. Tom Hardy absolutely kills it as the failing reporter Eddie Brock and does a terrific job voicing Venom (to this day I still question how much of Venom’s voice is purely Tom). It was a Marvel movie that took the anti-hero trope more seriously than movies like Deadpool, but at the same time didn’t take itself too seriously. The case is the same with Venom: Let there be Carnage. Andy Serkis knows he’s dealing with two of the craziest characters in the Marvel universe, and delivers what feels like a comic book or extended episode of the 90s animated Spider-man series (which turns out is what it was partially based on!). I think that is the beauty of Marvel. It can be as family-friendly as a man picking up a shield or hammer but can also successfully produce a movie about two aliens biting people’s heads off. Whilst a more mature-rated Venom movie would have been interesting, I’m glad Andy Serkis chose to push the limits of the 15-rating as to appeal such a brilliant film to a wider audience!
I mentioned how brilliant Tom Hardy is as both Eddie Brock and Venom in the first film, and if anything he’s even better in the sequel. One of my favourite aspects of Venom: Let there be Carnage was how much more it explores Eddie and Venom’s relationship and what it’s like having to live with each other. Since the first film, Eddie has worked very hard to get somewhere in his life, and so tries his very best to keep the fact he has an alien symbiote inside him on the down-low. Mixed with Venom’s impatient temperament to eat human brains, this creates some very entertaining sources of conflict. This film also further nails the trope that Venom really is the anti-Spider-man. Venom and Eddie make plenty of hilarious Peter Parker-style quips, except with darker twists. Furthermore, Eddie teaches Venom how to do the right thing whilst still satisfying Venom’s need to eat humans by becoming the ‘lethal protector’; restricting Venom’s diet to exclusively bad people. Ten years ago if you told me there would be a successful comic book film about a superhero who eats people I would’ve probably laughed at the possibility.
My other favourite thing about Venom: Let there be Carnage was of course, Woody Harrelson as the serial killer Cletus Kasady and the titular villain, Carnage, whom Cletus Kasady bonds with. Carnage is a Marvel character I have long-awaited to see live action on the big screen. Imagine a bigger, badder, redder and crazier Venom and you have Carnage. The first time I came across Carnage was several years ago when I read the comic ‘Deadpool Vs. Carnage’ which was a brilliant short story about what happened if the merc with a mouth clashed with an insane alien serial killer. The story arc with Carnage in the 90s animated Spider-man series stood out to me as well; forcing the anti-Spider-man to essentially clash with the anti-Venom. So my anticipation at seeing Woody Harrelson saying ‘There’s gonna be carnage’ in the Venom mid-credits scene was unparalleled. Harrelson nails the unhinged, red-neck Cletus Kasady and made me question whether I should be so entertained by a psychotic serial killer. Harrelson also voices Carnage which was great, and there is one line at the end of the film which genuinely gave me goosebumps. Together, Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson perfectly encapsulate what it means to be one of the craziest characters in the Marvel universe, and ensure Carnage truly lives up to its name.
Venom: Let there be Carnage satisfied my hunger for a symbiote showdown, and left me wanting more. Other cast members such as Stephen Graham as detective Patrick Mulligan and Naomi Harris as the new super-villain Shriek were welcome additions to the plot. They added unique dynamics to both Eddie and Cletus’ struggles in dealing with having crazed alien symbiotes inside them, especially considering Shriek’s superpower is essentially their weakness… Even if you haven’t seen the first Venom, this film will provide an entertaining, crazy sci-fi romp through one of Marvel’s most underrated comic book storylines. In fact, if you haven’t seen the first Venom – go watch it! And when you have, it is imperative you go and watch Venom: Let there be Carnage whilst its still in cinemas. It is as good as if not better than the first Venom. Oh, and even if you’re not a die-hard Marvel fan, stick around until after the credits…it’ll be worth it to see the reactions of the die-hard Marvel fans…
G does Films 