Venom: Let There Be Carnage — A Review

4th October, 2022

Yes: it’s a Tuesday night.

Tuesday, 4th October, 2022, if you hadn’t guessed.

I’ve the evening to myself: and fancy a movie.

I don’t know which movies: but HAVE whittled it down to a choice of three.

The Black Phone, Flux Gourmet and Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

Which one I’ll see?

I don’t know.

But I’ll tell you, tomorrow night.

Once I’ve seen the thing!

~≈☠️≈~

Right … 

Right at the moment, it’s still the 4th October: and I’m going to get myself off to bed.

I’ve a video interview at 12:30 on the 5th: that I’d rather get a good night’s sleep for.

But … ?

I’ve made up my mind about what to watch.

And settled on Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

I’ll let you know more, tomorrow night.

~≈☠️≈~

5th October, 2022.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage opens: showing us the St. Estes Reform School, California, in 1996.   

And shows us a young inmate — Cletus Kasady, played here by Jack Bandeira — talking through the walks with his girlfriend, Frances Barrison (played as a youngster by Olumide Olorunfemi) through the pipes of their cells.

She … ?   Is going to be moved to a new institution: as the Reform School is finding her supersonic superpower difficult to deal with.

Many years later?   And whilst Barrison, now known as Shriek (Naomie Harris), is still in the asylum she was transferred to … ?

Cletus (Woody Harrelson) is now in San Quentin prison: on several counts of murder.   And wanting to talk to Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), before his death sentence is carried out.

That talk goes badly: it sees Cletus grabbing, and biting, Eddie.

An injury that gets Brock ushered out of the prison grounds: and not allowed to see Cletus’ death.

Something Brock — and his symbiote, Venom — come to regret.

As they could have stopped Cletus escaping … in some sort of costume … 

~≈☠️≈~

Now … what did I make of Venom: Let There Be Carnage?

Good, bad or indifferent?   Or just plain ugly?

Bar in mind that — in the written versions of my movie reviews — I tend to give a star rating to films I watch: to let you know what I thought of them.

They go from zero stars (☆☆☆☆): avoid these films like the plague

To four stars (★★★★): go watch now.

Spider-Man: No Way Home got ★★★★, the original Venom got ★★★☆ and The Batman, ★★☆☆.

Keep that in mind.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage … ?

Is a definite winner.

Is a film I thoroughly enjoyed … but it’s not necessarily one I enjoyed as much as the original.

Let’s be frank: Naomie Harris is underused.

Harrelson, as Cletus?

Is good: but the character is — in the opening part of the film — yet another take on the Hannibal Lecter/caged savant trope we’ve seen a few times.

I certainly recognised it, and felt it was well done: but felt something more original would’ve been appreciated.

And Stephen Graham, as Detective Mulligan?   Well, I heard his Merseyside accent escaped, occasionally!

Saying that?   Graham did a generally good good: although he, like Naomie Harris, was very underused.

Direction and writing?

To the best of my knowledge, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is the first film I’ve seen that I’ve known to be directed by Andy Serkis: whom I’m assuming was hired because he’s got a career’s worth of experience with both computer generated imagery, and with motion-capture techniques.

I feel he’s done a competent job, there: and that his years of expertise have stood him in good stead.

The screen play, from Kelly Marcel, with a story by Kelly Marcel and Hardy?   Was done well: although slowing down the pace, occasionally, would also have been something.

That, for me … ?

Puts Venom: Let There Be Carnage on a par with the Robert Pattinson’s The Batman.

Batman as angst-ridden Emo, vs Venom as wise cracking internal monologue?

For all I preferred Venom: Let There Be Carnage to The Batman?

And think it’s the better super hero film?

For all I liked it, doesn’t means it’s faultless.

It’s watchable: just not an improvement on the original.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

★★☆☆