Andy Serkis’ film is a simple but enjoyable sequel
As an average consumer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the first chapter of Venom is one of those films that did not convince me at all: the idea of the “lethal protector” was fun as well as the protagonist, Eddie Brock, doomed to live with an alien in his own body, but it felt like Ruben Fleischer, the director of the 2018’s film of the same name, wanted to give the character an Avengers-style seriousness that just doesn’t belong to him. The final result was paradoxical tu my eyes, if not downright ridiculous.
For this reason, I had no expectations about the sequel, despite the cast of first-class actors joining the talented Tom Hardy: Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams and Naomie Harris. Those who had a similar experience will change their mind after watching Andy Serkis’ sequel: Venom: Let There Be Carnage hits Italian cinemas on October 14, 2021 and the English director set the scale back to zero, reminding the audience that Venom is a fantastic creature that, due to his origins and its physicality, cannot be taken too seriously.
In Venom: Let There Be Carnage we finally see a foulmouthed, funny alien giving a hard time to the journalist as he tries to get over a career impasse. To survive, the symbiote needs phenethylamine, a substance produced by human brain but, over time, Brock has given Venom new rules to prevent him from eating people: as he found that the substance is also contained in certain types of food, the reporter provides Venom with chickens and M&M’s on a daily basis. Despite this, the balance between the two is very unstable.
In the sequel, detective Patrick Mulligan asks Brock for help for an unsolved case: a series of murders committed by Cletus Kasady, a serial killer in prison who refuses to speak to anyone and who has never revealed where he hid his victims. Kasady, aware of Brock’s talent and his constant hunt for scoops, will ask for a meeting to reveal his most intimate secrets. However, the reporter finds the bodies thanks to the powers of Venom, condemning Kasady to Death Row. Kasady, who had lost contact with his beloved Frances Barrison, a girl he met 25 years earlier in a correctional facility, sees his last chance to start a new life fade away. The killer will vent his fury on Brock during a second encounter in prison: by biting him, through the bars, he will ingest some of Venom’s blood, acquiring its powers and using them for his dark purposes.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a respectable film compared to the first chapter, especially if you take into consideration some elements: the protagonist was enigmatic and complex already; from the comic to the big screen he has been greatly distorted; in an action movie built on physical fights between aliens relying on CGI is a necessity.
As a viewer, I found Brock and Venom’s bickering hilarious while I enjoyed less their detours into sentimentality. Blame the script, if you want. However, there’s more credibility in Kasady’s background story, thanks to Harrelson’s expressiveness that exceeds the lines.
Overral, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is an enjoyable and unpretentious film. Watch it up to the final credits because, once again, Marvel will reveal something about the future of this character.
