A year has past since Eddie and the symbiote Venom have bonded together and their relationship is put in strain as Eddie refuses to eat people for Venom's consumption. When Eddie manages to make an important breakthrough in the case of finding the resting grounds of the victims of infamous serial killer, Cletus Kassidy, his career is saved, but causing Cletus to quickly get the death penalty. A frustrated Venom attempts to attack a vengeful Cletus, but the encounter causes Cletus to get in possession of a piece of the Venom symbiote, becoming the ruthless Carnage. That's all I will say in regards to the plot, which itself is best described as a retread of the first film, but without a first act that sets everything up. The story moves at a break-neck speed in regards to establishing the basic characteristics and desires of the characters without any filler or fat in place. While this makes for a blast of entertainment, it comes with the cost of lacking any sense of breather moments, thematic depth, or fleshed-out character moments. You can tell from the editing that there was a ton of scenes that are missing that, while not necessary plot-wise, do fill in a bit of a coherent void. As for the tone and humour, the film doubles down on what made the first film enjoyable for many people, which was the goofiness of the characters and the wacky lines and scenarios. The comedy improves as a result, but it will leave fans wanting a more edgy, darker and serious story in the dust, despite the film offering more brutality with the involvement of Carnage, Cletus, and Shriek.
Tom Hardy as Eddie/Venom continues to steal the show for his over-the-top physical and witty performance. Considering the film's unapologetic tone and humour, Eddie and Venom manage to be far more enjoyable as a result and their relationship also allows a bit of exploration in regards to how they work as a team and Eddie's arc of what it means to cooperate with Venom. Woody Harrelson as Cletus is such a perfect choice as the charismatic and unhinged psychopath that, while dark and irredeemable, has a sense of humanity in him when it comes to his long-lost love, Shriek. Shriek, played by Naomie Harris, is having a ball at playing this tortured, yet love-dovey partner to Cletus, whose sonic powers cause a ridge between him and Carnage. Michelle Williams, Reid Scott, and Peggy Lu as Anne, Dan, and Mrs. Chen are all great in playing off against Eddie and Venom in their minor roles. The only characters that aren't nearly as engaging are that of Stephan Graham's Detective Mulligan and Carnage. Mulligan is a pretty generic cop archetype that doesn't like Eddie and is trying to take charge of the case and the Carnage symbiote acts as if Venom had no chains to hold him back nor a sense of humanity to connect with considering the host he has chosen. I'm sure that both characters might have been fleshed out in deleted scenes, but as is, they are pretty standard. Still, Hardy continues to carry the film with his performance and the villains themselves do actually improve from that of the previous installment.
Andy Serkis takes charge of directing after Rubin Fleischer stepped back to work on both "Zombieland: Double Tap" and the upcoming "Uncharted". While Serkis is very much a talented actor and personality in cinema and his work on visual effects are fantastic, his directing skills aren't nearly on the same level. You can tell that Serkis is still fresh in the directing game and he isn't trying to do any ambitious ideas or a special vision for the sequel. Instead, Serkis copies the directing of Fleischer while incorporating a better colour palette and comic-book visuals. Serkis plays up the comic-book roots and gothic nature of the film, not only homaging classic Spider-Man stories and imagery, but even offering a special animated sequence of a young Cletus that feels very Tim Burton-esque. The lighting is very moody and atmospheric, which adds to the film's charm. The cinematography by Robert Richardson is adaquete with some neat tracking and distancing, but it's no Oscar-worthy work from the talented camera operator. The score by Marco Beltrami is pretty average that's experimental yet unmemorable compared to the thematic orchestrated offerings by Ludwig Goransson that has a recognizable main theme and action beat. It doesn't help that the Eminem song tied to this film is also far less memorable than the titular "Venom" single. The visual effects are about as good as before in regards to the designs and animation, but the convincing nature of the CGI isn't really its strong suit. The action sequences are far more improved from the first film. While I managed to enjoy the action sequences in the first film, I do understand that it can be pretty choppy and messy at areas for some. The action sequences here are far more coherent and easier to follow in regards to clarity with the final battle between Venom and Carnage being the highlight in its brutality and visuals. While Serkis has a long way to go to be considered a worthy film director, this demonstration shows he's at least competent in making a blockbuster.
"Venom: Let There Be Carnage" is not going to be for everyone. Whether it's due to the returning issues that the film doubles down on such as the tone and humour or newfound problems such as the rapid pace and overly-edited feel, the characters of Mulligan and Carnage, and the score by Beltrami being unmemorable. Regardless, the sequel does know how to capitalize on the entertainment value. From the evolving story, the improved comedy, Hardy's performance as Eddie/Venom, Harrelson and Harris's Cletus and Shriek chewing the scenery whenever possible, Richardson's cinematography being decent and visually engaging, the visual effects are still just as good as before given the modest budget, the action sequences are easier to follow and the climax is improved as a result, and Serkis's directing shows his love for the genre by offering a better use of colours and lighting as well as easter-egg homages to iconic Spider-Man stories. If you didn't enjoy the first film, chances are that the sequel might not win you over too much despite some improvements. However, if you are like me and did have a good time with the first film, you will be sure to have an even better time with the sequel.
Verdict: 7.5/10. Pretty good, but an extended cut is needed to really bump up the film in regards to its quality. Stick around for the mind-blowing mid-credit scene if you're watching it in theatres!
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