One of the most anticipated sequels, Venom: Let there be Carnage (LTBK), finally released on Oct. 1. Right from the get-go, the movie was an instant hit with high ratings and regards from critics. But does the movie really deserve all the hype and praise?
Unlike the first movie, which focused on introducing a sentient alien symbiote Venom and its host Eddie Brock working with each other, the second movie expands the close lives of the two protagonists and their interactions with one another.
In addition to the amazing humor, graphics and most importantly, the plot, LTBK is a one-up to its predecessor by telling the tale of the odd couple.
As we left off from the previous movie, LTBK introduces death-row serial killer Cletus Kasady and his girlfriend Frances Louise Barrison, aka Shriek, as the main villains. Eddie made several visits to Cletus. Within one of the visits, Kasady managed to ingest a small portion of the symbiote from Venom. With some well-planned foreshadowing, it introduces the famous red symbiote, better named Carnage. Kasady proceeds to escape execution; no surprises there. Plot armor is evident with the main antagonist.
Back to Venom and Eddie. The audience experiences the two’s funny dynamic with a comical fight as Eddie becomes his own punching bag from Venom taking over his body. In essence, these light-hearted moments of bickering and bantering between the two characterize the partner’s relationship as host and symbiote. While the two sometimes do not get along—mainly due to Venom’s constant desire to eat people, much to Eddie’s instant refusal—Venom has shown to be willing to give up his life to save Eddie. He is a guardian angel figure to Eddie and supports him when he needs it, making us wish we all had an dark alien symbiote attached to us.
The film also gave way to show off the villains. As Kasady wreaks havoc on the high-tech prison holding his girlfriend, the graphics are phenomenal showcasing Carnage’s abilities with epicness and gore combined when he bit off a guard’s head. In contrast to Eddie, Kasady uses Carnage like it was made for him. However, this difference only highlights how special Venom and Eddie’s relationship as the film never makes the villain as interesting.
Finally, all the puzzle pieces fall together for a final epic showdown between Venom and Carnage. They bring along San Francisco detective Patrick Mulligan and Eddie’s ex-Anne to lure Venom to their location. During their epic battle, and when I say epic, I mean amazing. The punches, weapons and transformations of Carnage and Venom are simply out of the world.
Nevertheless, Venom and Eddie, seemingly overpowered by Carnage, were close to giving up. In a moment of doubt, the audience could really feel that the two were going to die. However, while some would argue it was due to “plot armor,” the two made it out victorious. In a truly emotional moment, Venom and Eddie realize that even if Carnage is more powerful, he and his host are not symbiotic like them. True karma is dealt with Kasady trying to break out of the bond with Carnage multiple times. As expected, the iconic duo defeated Carnage, ending with the tradition of eating the bad guys—disgusting.
Overall, the movie is really well-made, with a bunch of plot twists. Not to mention, the visuals in the movie are simply amazing. But, like every franchise, this was only the beginning.
In the post-credits, it is revealed that Venom is aware of Spider-Man’s existence from witnessing a news report that references the ending of Spider-Man: Far From Home, which could only mean one thing: Venom is now part of the MCU.
