Venom: Let There Be Carnage is the sequel to the 2018 surprise hit, Venom, based on the infamous Spider-Man villain. The success of the original was surprising because it was such an unimpressive, ugly, messy, and tonally-inconsistent feature that I was sure it would be another superhero box office bomb from a company not named Marvel Studios. Alas, I was wrong. Venom grossed $856 billion worldwide, more than any Spider-Man film not made by Marvel Studios other than Spider-Man 3. That’s also more than every single X-Men film ever. Somehow, some thing resonated with general audiences.

This sequel is still an unimpressive, ugly, messy film, but at least it’s not tonally-inconsistent, and that makes it better! The problem with the first Venom was that it took itself too seriously, which would otherwise be fine in any other dark or gritty superhero film, but didn’t work for the film it was, one that felt like it wanted to go full camp but couldn’t. The sequel takes the part that did work in the original, the silliness, and amplifies it this time around. Under the direction of Andy Serkis (Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle), who takes over from the first film’s Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), this is a film that knows the story it’s telling is stupid, and it’s fine with it!

Taking place three years after the events of the first film, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and Venom are now in a deeply committed, if not toxic, relationship where they’re quite literally co-dependent. They banter and fight with one another like a true couple. Eddie lets Venom live off of him, but doesn’t let him eat people, only chocolate and chicken. Venom helps Eddie’s career by discovering the bodies of long-missing victims of serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson). When Eddie interviews Kasady, the latter bites and ingests the former’s symbiote-infused blood and, soon after, becomes the titular Carnage, a red and more dangerous version of Venom.

After escaping from death row thanks to Carnage, Kasady initiates a four-part plan: find and rescue his long-lost lover, the equally sadistic Frances Barrison (Naomie Harris), aka Shriek, who has the ability to create supersonic blasts with her voice; kidnap the cop who shot and took out Shriek’s eye 25 years prior; kidnap Anne (Michelle Williams), Eddie’s ex; and kill Venom. The film doesn’t even try to explain why Carnage wants Venom dead, and that’s the mantra of the entire film—just go with it.

Unlike the first Venom, this one runs at a breakneck pace from start to finish, never letting you rest or even think about its mindless plot. It throws a bunch of ideas out there to see what sticks, while never diving into these ideas fully, like Venom finding himself at a neon club and making an LGBTQ-tinged speech, or the idea that Kasady is a victim of a failed system that perpetuated abuse. It has Eddie and Venom breaking up and rediscovering why they need one another. It has Venom naming two pet chickens Sonny and Cher. The plot and characters, written by Kelly Marcel (from a story by Marcel and Hardy), may be paper thin, but they’re fun.

Unfortunately, the film doesn’t really look that great. It’s such a let-down that Carnage’s color looks muted and flesh-like, rather than the crimson like the comics. The sequel has a boring and flat gray palette with uninspired set designs. The battle sequence between Venom and Carnage, featuring two lifeless CGI characters hitting each other back and forth, is just okay. This is disappointing coming from Serkis, who is most famous for bringing to life via motion-capture two of the most iconic CGI characters: Gollum from the Lord of the Rings and Caesar from the Planet of the Apes reboot.

While an improvement on the first film, the sequel is disappointing because it doesn’t live up to its title. For a film whose villain is a serial killer fused with a killer alien, there’s a surprising lack of, ahem, carnage. Sure, plenty of background characters die here, but they’re mostly relegated to prison and security guards. There are action sequences featuring Carnage that feel like they’re on the cusp of going full, bloody bonkers, but they end just before it gets any good. This ultimately feels like a film itching to be Rated R, but holds back to maintain its more box-office friendly PG-13 rating.

Though not particularly great, Venom: Let There Be Carnage offers something somewhat refreshing compared to our usual superhero slate by not taking itself too seriously. But do I want to see another Venom film? No. Thankfully, the film runs at a merciful 97 minutes (a rarity in modern-day blockbusters), so it doesn’t overstay its welcome. 

Two and a half out of four Kents.

‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ is now playing in theatres.