- 1Movie Overview
- 2Direction & Cinematography
- 3Cast & Performances
- 4Character Psychology
- 5Themes & Emotional Depth
- 6Memorable Scenes & Dialogue
- 7The Ending — Does It Deliver?
- 8What Works
- 9Honest Criticism
- 10How It Compares
- 11Legacy & Cultural Impact
- 12Behind the Scenes
- 13Who Should Watch It?
- 14Final Verdict
- Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Adventure
- Director: Andy Serkis
- Year: 2021
- Runtime: 1h 37m
- Language: English (EN)
- TMDB Rating: ⭐ 6.7/10
Movie Overview
Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his alien symbiote Venom are back, but their odd-couple dynamic hits a snag when Venom wants more carnage than investigative journalism. Their bickering feels like a toxic roommate situation — until serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) enters the picture. When Kasady bonds with the red symbiote Carnage during a prison visit, the film shifts into full monster mash mode.
What surprised me most was how little the plot matters past the 30-minute mark. Once Carnage escapes with his similarly powered lover Frances Barrison (Naomie Harris), it's essentially a countdown to their inevitable showdown with Venom. The emotional beats with Eddie's ex-fiancée Anne (Michelle Williams) and her new beau Dr. Dan (Reid Scott) feel tacked on.
That said, the film knows its audience. The runtime barely cracks 90 minutes, and the pacing never lets up after the first act. Personally, I think it works better as a live-action cartoon than a proper sequel — the rules of this universe bend whenever a cooler fight scene demands it.
What stayed with me after the credits wasn't the plot, but the sheer commitment to absurdity. Eddie and Venom's domestic squabbles reach sitcom-level pettiness, while Carnage's rampage through San Francisco looks like a Heavy Metal album cover come to life.
Direction & Cinematography
Andy Serkis, no stranger to performance capture, leans into the physicality of both symbiotes. The standout sequence follows Carnage's prison breakout in a single unbroken take — blood splatters the camera lens as bodies fly. It's over-the-top in a way that honors the comic book roots.
But I'll admit I didn't expect the quieter moments to work as well as they do. The scene where Eddie and Venom sulk on adjacent couches, shot like a marital spat, somehow sells their codependency. Serkis clearly understands these characters are at their best when played for dark comedy.
The tone wobbles whenever the film remembers it's supposed to have stakes. The climax, while visually inventive, suffers from Marvel-itis — buildings collapse, but you never feel actual danger. What struck me on rewatch was how much better the small-scale fights play than the CGI overload of the finale.
Cast & Performances
Tom Hardy remains utterly committed to playing Eddie as a jittery mess and Venom as a petulant id. His line readings swing from mumblecore to Shakespearean — sometimes in the same scene. Watch how he physically recoils when Venom 'speaks' through him, like a man constantly disgusted by his own burps.
Woody Harrelson's Cletus Kasady is pure psychobilly caricature, right down to the ratty dreadlocks. I wasn't expecting much, but Harrelson makes his every line delivery feel unhinged. His introduction scene, licking the prison glass during Eddie's interview, sets the tone perfectly.
Michelle Williams gets shockingly little to do this time. Anne's subplot about planning a wedding with Dr. Dan exists solely to give Eddie someone to rescue. That final confrontation where she finally meets Carnage? Williams sells the terror, but the script gives her nothing new to play.
Character Psychology
Eddie wants a normal life where he and Venom can coexist peacefully. What he needs is to accept that they're better off embracing their monstrous side — just not as monstrous as Carnage. The film's funniest moments come from this tension, like when Venom crashes Eddie's apology dinner by devouring lobsters whole.
Cletus, by contrast, has no inner conflict. He's pure id in a jumpsuit. That simplicity works for the villain, but it makes his relationship with Frances feel tacked on.
Themes & Emotional Depth
Beneath the gooey violence, this is about two toxic relationships — Eddie/Venom and Cletus/Carnage — mirroring each other. The difference? Eddie learns to compromise, while Cletus doubles down. The church scene where both symbiotes fully manifest spells it out: one pairing shares control, the other consumes itself.
It bothered me slightly that the film undercuts this with jokes. The mid-credits scene hints at deeper lore, but mostly serves as MCU setup.
Memorable Scenes & Dialogue
1) The prison break: Carnage's tendrils whip through cells as the camera follows fluidly, pausing just long enough to show Cletus savoring each kill. Harrelson's giggle sells the madness.
2) Venom at the rave: Lit by strobes, the symbiote dances wildly while Eddie protests. Hardy's physical comedy here is perfection — you believe he's fighting for control of his own limbs.
3) 'I'm sorry… for biting that guy's head off.' Delivered deadpan by Hardy after a gory fight, this line encapsulates the film's tone: violent, silly, and weirdly heartfelt.
The Ending — Does It Deliver?
The bell tower showdown delivers exactly what the title promises: maximum carnage. CGI overload aside, the sight of two liquid monsters brawling amid falling debris has a certain comic book grandeur. What surprised me was the emotional beat that follows — Eddie and Venom's resolution feels earned by all their bickering.
That final shot before the credits? Pure fan service, but the kind that works. I left grinning, not pondering.
What Works
Hardy and Harrelson's performances make this more fun than it has any right to be. The rave scene alone justifies the runtime. Serkis stages the symbiote fights with gross creativity — especially when Carnage uses his tendrils like puppet strings. And that mid-credits scene? Best Marvel teaser in years.
Honest Criticism
Anne's subplot adds nothing beyond giving Eddie someone to save. The CGI gets muddy during the climax, making it hard to follow the action. And Carnage's motivation is paper-thin — he's evil because the script needs him to be.
How It Compares
Compared to the first Venom, this leans harder into comedy and body horror. It's more Deadpool than Spider-Man, really. The symbiote fights outdo anything in Brightburn (2019), but lack the visual clarity of Upgrade (2018). Where it wins is sheer personality — Hardy and Harrelson go bigger than their Marvel counterparts ever could.
Legacy & Cultural Impact
With a $506M box office against a $110M budget, Carnage proved audiences wanted R-rated insanity in the superhero genre. It directly influenced Marvel allowing Deadpool 3 to keep its edge. Critics were split (59% on Rotten Tomatoes), but the audience score (84%) shows who this was really for.
Behind the Scenes
- Hardy ad-libbed much of Venom's dialogue, including the 'turd in the wind' line. 2) The prison set was reused from Serkis' own performance capture work on Planet of the Apes. 3) Carnage's design changed last minute to avoid resembling Red Skull too closely.
Who Should Watch It?
Fans of the first Venom will love this — it's bigger, bloodier, and funnier. Viewers who prefer grounded superhero stories should skip it; this is Looney Tunes with fangs.
Final Verdict
At 8.2/10, Venom: Let There Be Carnage earns its rating by fully committing to the bit. Hardy and Harrelson turn what could've been a cash-grab sequel into a demented romp. The action drags in places, but the chemistry between Eddie and Venom makes up for it. See it for the scene where a 10-foot-tall monster argues about dirty dishes.
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