Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Venom: Let There Be Carnage
2021
*
Director: Andy Serkis
Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, Woody Harrelson

Just before he is to be executed, serial killer Cletus Kasady meets Eddie Brock, bites him, and accidentally absorbs part of Venom. This transforms him into Carnage, another symbiote monster, which means that this is yet another Marvel feature where the hero faces off with an evil version of himself (in an overlong CGI climax). Venom was an uneven but partly enjoyable origin story. This follow-up is an absolute mess from start to finish, and one of the worst acted movies I can remember. The script by Kelly Marcel (and Tom Hardy) would fit on a postage stamp, and Andy Serkis rushes through it with breakneck speed and zero coherence. The interplay between Eddie and Venom, which was the best part of the original, now only produces some uncomfortably unfunny scenes. There is a lot of action, but not one memorable set piece. The movie is very short, which is something.