Copyright by Sony Pictures and Marvel Comics
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Starring: Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson
Directed By: Andy Serkis
Concept: Sequel to Sony's solo Venom outing, starting an attempt at a Sony-verse of Spider-Man characters.
Execution:
Cast: Tom Hardy reprises his role as Eddie Brock. Still done very well(but I do wanna point out... Brock in the comics felt like a brute... this Eddie is a putz). And of course, Woody Harrelson having fun, being Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady. And a shout out to Stephen Graham as Detective Mulligan with a very "Danny Reagan from Blue Bloods" vibe going on. And that is a compliment. But for reasons...... everyone else feels like a background character regardless of role. The new characters introduced get ALL of the character development. And that... is okay too. Score: 17/20
Presentation: Andy Serkis knows his CGI. A smaller budget... but still had better CGI than the first movie. Whereas in the first movie, the big fight between Venom and Riot could be attributed to colors blending together, the big fight between Venom and Carnage felt cleaner, more vibrant... and Serkis didn't shy away from better lighting. Visually, it is a STUNNING action flick. Soundtrack-wise... it was missing something. But... it is SO visually stunning for the budget that any point I would deduct for sound would be made up by visual. So... yes... Score: 20/20
Chronicle: So... the plot is paper thin. But... I like to refer to a phenomenon I call "The Expendables Effect". A movie that doesn't have the best plot, but... you shouldn't be watching it FOR the plot. This movie should be looked at as a Symbiote Smackdown and how to get there. And... that's it. Simple... why is Kasady deranged? How does he get the Carnage Symbiote? When is he gonna fight Venom? There... there is your storyboard. Sprinkled in character development. Lack of world building development. I might've been okay wit it being longer(it is a fairly short film), but it really didn't need it. Here for a good time, but not here for a long time. Score: 27/30
Impact: The movie... the movie itself doesn't feel like it has any Impact. It doesn't. I thought Sony was building their own Universe? And Venom was supposed to feel like a cornerstone of that Universe? Why didn't it feel like it? Granted, the movie didn't leave enough time FOR that... aside from Ravencroft, there isn't anything to build off of. Mulligan? But even then... that is self contained. But... mid-credit scene sets up to make the "Venomverse" part of the MCU Multiverse. And... that has some major ramifications. It is the first official non-MCU Marvel movie to be considered canon to this new Multiverse. That makes the moment extra special. But still... I'm struggling with this one. Score: 12/20
Extra Oomph: This goes to Andy Serkis. First MAJOR film he solo directed(2nd Director for Lord of the Rings and some other non-blockbuster stuff). And Serkis showed that he is the master of CGI. But there is an element that some might overlook...... this is a sequel of detailed elements(I tried to find a better why to word it). What I mean is this...... when I director gets hired to take over a franchise or to do a sequel... most of the time, it doesn't feel like the same franchise. But if you didn't know it was a different Director for this movie, would you have been able to tell? Same feel, same banter, same locations, new characters casted within the same puzzle. Look at the X-Men franchise... X-Men and X2 felt like they fit together... but The Last Stand doesn't. Different director. Andy Serkis had new puzzle pieces for Venom that he was able to cut to fit the existing puzzle. And I think that is an impressive feat. I hope he gets to do the 3rd Movie. Score: 9/10
Final Score: 85/100
Final Grade: B!!!!
Conclusion: Don't go into this movie think you are going to get this amazing plot or for it to solidify a franchise in the "Sony-verse". But... if you are looking for a fun, entertaining movie with some action and some humor, this movie has all of that.
It's all a matter of opinion: I cannot stress enough that THIS is MY opinion, you can either agree with me or not. I don't have to justify my opinion, because *clears throat" that's what this blog is about. Whether I like it or not doesn't mean you have to or not...... I'ts just my justification behind MY recommendation... Which leads me to my FINAL JUDGMENT...
FINAL JUDGMENT: See this movie. It is a great anti-hero romp that will keep you entertained for 90 mins. See this movie... and support any theaters. I don't care if it local or national chain. Let's all go to the movies. Especially this one.
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There ya have it folks! Venom: Let There Be Carnage gets a B!
Not sure what my next review will be, but stay tuned!
Hit up your theaters. Show some love to the movies.
And don't forget...
Great and accurate review
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