Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)

While the first Venom received mixed reviews, I ended up liking it. Was it deep? No, but I liked the humor, and it the pacing was good. The weird thing I noticed was that the run time was 107 minutes, but by 90 minutes, the film was running credits. Then it had a sneak-peak scene for the sequel. Then it played the full credits. And THEN it played a Spiderman multiverse clip. Yes, I know that Marvel movies do this "show a clip after the credits" business, but this somehow felt excessive.

Anyway, I wondered if the sequel, which also received mixed reviews, would be able to sustain my enthusiasm. Tom Hardy is back as Eddie and Venom, and he also received a co-writer credit. No doubt he loves this film series. And the way this film is approached is interesting. For lack of a better term, Eddie and Venom are a "couple," and in some respects, the film comes off like not just a bromance, but a full-blown romance. Eddie and Venom "break up" and then, just like in a romance, they come back together at the end. Maybe they learned that they are better together than apart?

This film still has humor; it still has a quick pacing. Yet, I wasn't having as much fun watching this one. Maybe I wasn't into the basic story. Eddie gets bitten by death row inmate Cletus (Woody Harrelson), and then Cletus ends up with his own simbiote, Carnage. Carnage and Venom, of course, ultimately have to duke it out. Overall, though, maybe the story just felt of minor importance, because we're still waiting for something -- either the rest of the gang from outer space to arrive, or at the very least, Spider-man.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

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