Drunken Insomniac Writer

Did you see the follow Venom flick? Well if you are wondering if it’s worth the trip to the theater… Here’s my take!

So Venom pretty much picks up off where the previous installment left off. This time around, Andy Serkis helms the director reigns. Eddie Brock is reprised by Tom Hardy who is trying to pick up his life and career after the craziness from before as well as his breakup with Anne, played by Michelle Williams. He is contacted by Cletus Kasady played by the fantastic Woody Harrelson who is imprisoned for multiple murders. While awaiting trial, he relays a Meade to Brock to print in the paper in exchange for an exclusive life story and confession of his murders, which has yet to be proved for lack of evidence or bodies.

No worries… I will avoid any further major plot spoilers.

I will start off by saying that I was a little let down by the PG-13 rating.

We have a movie that contains decapitation by way of eating heads yet there’s very little blood or gore. It is here that they dropped the ball on this one and what really hurt the initial film. While this movie does much better in terms of its plot and story-wise from its successor, that bar wasn’t a high one to begin with.

Needless to say I didn’t go in with the highest of hopes yet I still enjoyed it. It has an enjoyable amount of comedy and the CGI action isn’t half bad but when you have a blobby alien with razor sharp teeth, you expect more. You would think Marvel would have learned from the success of movies like blade or Deadpool.

But it seems that Hollywood is still taking the safe sharp at as well as trying to milk in those kiddie bucks.

Damn you House of Mouse!!!!! (even though this is a Sony flick)

We do get a great amount of bickering between Venom and Eddie but oftentimes this drags on a bit much and the perfect strangers setting that they have it’s a little overdone. For a movie that insists that there will be Carnage, the carnage gets cut short save for the final act. I do enjoy the fact that Woody Harrelson’s character looks a lot less silly than he did at the end of the first movie. And I am so thankful that they removed that ridiculous looking wig. Yet I would have enjoyed seeing more of him instead of him being a cliche villain.

It seems that no matter how powerful a bad guy is in these movies with the exception of Thanos, villains are very two-dimensional where they seem super powerful yet can be easily dispatched in less than 2 hours. I don’t get the feeling of dread for the titular character even when he and Venom temporarily part ways. That being said, it’s still better than Spider-Man 3’s Venom… sorry Eric Forman… Tom Hardy is just a little more believable.

I just don’t feel like anyone’s life is in danger even when they’re about to get their head bit off.

I really wanted to see more of Carnage and not just the character but literal carnage.

Yes there are scenes where he’s being super destructive especially the prison scene yet suffice to say I didn’t feel that edge of my seat tension that “Oh My God, someone’s going to die right now… The shit just got real!”

I won’t lie there was more tension-building action in a Michael Bay flick.

I do enjoy shriek and her time on screen but like Carnage I would have enjoyed seeing more of her on screen and just how much destruction she could have really done if given more camera time. Her backstory along with Kasady’s was actually quite compelling and it actually had the opportunity to dive into the important topic of mental health and abuse… Sadly, it definitely dropped the ball there.

That’s not to say Serkis doesn’t do a great job behind the camera because visually the movie is still pretty good. Again the CGI, the action, acting and the initial plot are still kinda impressive to as well displayed. But if you are looking for an awesome comic book adaptation, see if Shang Chi is still playing in that theater and watch that instead. Oh and apologies for not getting that review on here I just didn’t have the space on my phone to do a video and by the time I realize that it was a little late in the game to do a written review. But needless to say it’s a great film it’s executed well and I enjoy it.

Now this is where my review goes into a little bit of spoiler territory.

If you are going to check this film out in theaters or even if you wait for it to stream online somewhere, I will say this stay for the cutscene during the end credits. Please note there’s only one so you don’t have to stay until the lights come on. Let the ushers do their job and clean up your mess.

That part right there was all the satisfaction I needed and it was what enticed me to watch this movie in the first place. For all you Marvel comic book fans as well as MCU fans alike, I’m not going to tell you what that cutscene entails but I will tell you this…

Your wish has finally come true. 😉

My vote on Venom: Let There Be Carnage…

Check it out for the post-credit scene or just wait for the Blu-ray/online stream. I give it 2 out of 4 thumbs up.

Until Next Time Kiddies,

Shalom

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