Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Who better to direct the dual-personality wackiness of Venom and Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) in Venom: Let There Be Carnage than Gollum/Sméagol himself, Andy Serkis?
The comedic, symbiotic rapport between alien parasite and human host firmly established in Ruben Fleischer’s underrated Venom (2018), Serkis’ sequel gets off to a loose, entertaining start as the odd couple struggles to coexist — mostly Venom, whose insatiable hunger for human brains and lovable uncouthness results in plentiful silly banter and physical comedy. Though the witty back-and-forth takes a vacation when the two split up, a nutty sequence in which Venom stumbles upon a Halloween party and is lauded for his costume skills proves an inspired placeholder for their inevitable reunion.
Once they link back up, copious sharply directed action sequences ensue and reach eye-popping comic book heights after Eddie accidentally passes along some alien blood to death row serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), transforming him into a bigger, deadlier red version of Venom who uses the handle Carnage.
But while the stringy, visceral special effects of the aliens’ battles are executed with slick precision, Kasady is frustratingly underwritten, giving the perfectly cast Harrelson little to do and audiences little reason to care about his (and, in turn, Carnage’s) sinister motivations.
Meanwhile, Kasady’s girlfriend Frances Barrison (Naomie Harris, No Time to Die) receives even less attention, and her banshee-like vocal prowess goes completely unaddressed — an especially odd choice seeing as Eddie and a few trusted friends keep Venom secret and this world doesn’t seem to have mutants or superheroes. (Well, at least until a puzzling mid-credits scene that may be the first tag to reference a trailer.)
Despite the lackluster villains, Serkis guides Hardy to another engaging performance that sufficiently carries the film with help from returning players Michelle Williams as Eddie’s ex Anne and Reid Scott (Veep) as her boyfriend Dan, both of whom noticeably relish expanded roles.
Its deficiencies also likely won’t convince Venom haters to give its predecessor another shot, but Let There Be Carnage (and that rascally tag scene) suggest that this series has plenty left to explore with these characters, and it will be a pleasure to welcome them back for their next adventure.
Grade: B. Rated PG-13. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande.
(Photo: Sony Pictures)
