Venom Sequel is a Refreshing Take on Comic Book Films

Was Venom: Let There Be Carnage a good movie? No. By almost any account, the sequel to the 2018 box office smash Venom was bad. It felt rushed, the CGI was unimpressive, and in the final fight scene, the villain, Carnage, actually says the line, “Let there be Carnage.” 

Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this film.

Let There Be Carnage was a refreshing take on comic book movies. Unlike every Marvel movie that, for some reason, has to be two hours and thirty minutes long, Venom: Let There Be Carnage’s ran just 90-minute long and packed in all the entertainment and action-movie-wit I wanted. Don’t get me wrong: I love standard Marvel movies and am just as excited for the new Spider Man as anyone, but the different format of Venom was refreshing. 

Tom Hardy’s performance was impressive. He not only plays Eddie Brock, the newspaper reporter, but also voices Venom, the alien-symbiote who uses Eddie’s body as a host. Hardy’s one-off lines as Venom were amusing and reminded me of how hilarious the character King Shark was in this year’s The Suicide Squad. Additionally, I think a film franchise like Venom benefits from having a generational talent like Hardy playing the lead. Certain scenes in which Hardy argues with Venom are especially difficult to act because there is nobody to argue with, as Venom is an entirely CGI character. 

Woody Harrelson starred as the villain, Carnage, and his character was poorly executed. There was little to no character development and he didn’t have a clear, pressing motive, but, again, this isn’t a typical comic book movie. While some may argue that the lack of depth behind Carnage weakened the film, I would argue the contrary. This movie would not have been nearly as fun if we were made to understand and thus sympathize with the villain. The only thing the film really makes clear is that Carnage is bad and we should be rooting against him, and that’s enough. 

Moreover, Let There Be Carnage felt new because it doesn’t have the stereotypical superhero movie plot. Again, the villain doesn’t matter to the story much. The conflict is not between Venom and Carnage because the film is essentially a romantic-comedy between Eddie and Venom. Their relationship is at the forefront of the film, and it's portrayed humorously. Seeing Hardy argue with an alien-symbiote just as if they were a real couple is undeniably hilarious.

In an odd way, Venom: Let There Be Carnage trades in being good for being fun. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, another Marvel movie released just over a month ago, was a very good movie, one of the best origin stories we’ve seen from Marvel yet, but I’d be lying if I said I was engaged for the entire 132 minutes. Let There Be Carnage doesn’t give the audience any time to wander. It was fast-paced and entertaining for an hour-and-a-half, and then it's over. It was refreshing to be in the theater for under two hours and not once have to worry about the fate of the universe. 

I must restate that this was not a “good” movie, but Let There Be Carnage achieved the goal that any superhero movie should have: it was fun to watch. Comic books and superheroes are ridiculous, and it was nice to see a film portray them as just that.

By Daniel Rosen