{"id":72149,"date":"2021-10-31T17:27:29","date_gmt":"2021-10-31T16:27:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=72149"},"modified":"2021-10-31T17:27:29","modified_gmt":"2021-10-31T16:27:29","slug":"let-there-be-an-adequate-movie-new-venom-film-is-an-improvement-on-its-predecessor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2021\/10\/let-there-be-an-adequate-movie-new-venom-film-is-an-improvement-on-its-predecessor\/","title":{"rendered":"Let There Be An Adequate Movie: New Venom Film Is An Improvement On Its Predecessor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Venom: Let there be Carnage<\/em> is an adequate superhero film that\u2019s improved upon the strength of its predecessor, but hasn\u2019t yet resolved its weaknesses. It\u2019s a worthwhile watch if you\u2019re a particular fan of Tom Hardy\u2019s, or you\u2019d like to see the ups and downs of a surreal, quasi-romantic relationship between a man and the alien sharing his body. Make sure to stay for the post-credits scene.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The film\u2019s core is the wonderful performance of Tom Hardy as both Eddie Brock, an investigative reporter, and the titular Venom, a brain\/chocolate eating alien symbiotic life form that shares his body. While the first film set this particular scenario up, it\u2019s Venom: Let there be Carnage<\/em> that totally gives itself over to this idea, so if you didn\u2019t like the darkly humorous take on this fairly unique concept in the first film, you should avoid this. If, however, you did like it, the you\u2019ll love how this sequel takes their relationship to new highs and lows, with the absolute highlight being a rather messy \u201cbreakup\u201d scene, and the following scene where Venom finds his identity in a soul-searching scene layered with double-entendres. Nothing about this movie is subtle, and the presence of Venom and Eddie Brock is suffocating to the rest of the film – there\u2019s not much more to add, and it\u2019s not going to be very relevant to your enjoyment, because if you\u2019re watching Venom: Let there be Carnage<\/em>, you\u2019re watching it for this.<\/p>\n

Of course, Venom isn\u2019t the only character mentioned in the title of this film, but there\u2019s not a lot to really say about Carnage. Fans of the comics will be disappointed at the stark differences from the original, but he makes for a serviceable enough antagonist. Woody Harrelson\u2019s performance is on the better side of alright, but he wasn\u2019t given much content to work with, and so Cletus Kasady\/Carnage are consigned to the lower tier of superhero film villains. Some praise has to go to the scene where Carnage first emerges, which genuinely had me gripping the edge of my seat, with the notable decision to portray it almost as if it were a horror film. Kasady and Carnage could\u2019ve been much better had the same tone been kept movie-wide, but it\u2019s unfortunately absent afterwards.<\/p>\n

The same overall thoughts go for Naomie Harris\u2019 character, Shriek. Her sound-based powers are a fairly obvious setup for the final act, and her performance isn\u2019t particularly noteworthy, and the tension she brings to the film is based on the level of investment you have in the rest of the supporting cast. Anne and Doctor Dan return from the first film, but exist less as characters and more as plot devices. Stephen Graham turns in an unexpectedly good performance as Patrick Mulligan, a police officer with ties to Shriek, Carnage, and Eddie Brock. It\u2019s almost as if he didn’t realise the almost goofy tone of the film and decided to play it completely straight, giving an understated performance that wouldn\u2019t be out of place in a gritty police drama. Of particular note is a scene where he learns that someone he thought he\u2019d accidentally killed is actually alive. It appears his character is being set up to play a greater role in a future sequel to this film – and since Sony seem resolved to milk the Marvel character rights they do have for all they\u2019re worth, we\u2019ll see if he can bring the same energy in the future, and hopefully it fits as oddly well as it does here.<\/p>\n

Venom: Let there be Carnage<\/em> doesn\u2019t fix the mistakes the first film made, despite improving what little good material there was. The other characters are still somewhat underwritten, with weak dialogue and motivations, especially in our duo\/trio of antagonists. There\u2019s at least two outright cringe worthy lines, both of which happen in the final act\u2019s big action set piece, which leaves a poor aftertaste for the film. Better writing will solve most of the issues for the next film, and I\u2019m glad to see it appears Tom Hardy has a genuine interest in the future of this character, and this budding, weird Marvel grey-area franchise. I\u2019m mildly excited to see what\u2019ll happen next.<\/p>\n

Overall, Venom: Let there be Carnage<\/em> should be somewhat low in the list of things you should watch in the immediate future. It\u2019s not going to change your life, but I at least was shocked by the increase in quality from its nearly unwatchable predecessor. It\u2019s good enough, fun enough, and short enough to be a worthwhile watch, if you manage your expectations. Again, remember to watch the post-credits scene, because it\u2019s of particular importance to Marvel fans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Venom: Let there be Carnage is an adequate superhero film that\u2019s improved upon the strength of its predecessor, but hasn\u2019t yet resolved its weaknesses. It\u2019s a worthwhile watch if you\u2019re a particular fan of Tom Hardy\u2019s, or you\u2019d like to see the ups and downs of a surreal, quasi-romantic relationship between a man and the alien sharing his body. Make sure to stay for the post-credits scene.<\/p>\n

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Hailing from The Bronx, he's an emcee who exudes passion from every pore. His style is inspired by the likes of Tupac, Nas, Joe Budden, AZ, and Jay Z.","rel":"","context":"In "New Artists"","block_context":{"text":"New Artists","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/new-artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/johnj.png?fit=1200%2C433&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/johnj.png?fit=1200%2C433&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/johnj.png?fit=1200%2C433&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/johnj.png?fit=1200%2C433&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/johnj.png?fit=1200%2C433&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44715,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2019\/01\/new-featurette-for-captain-marvel-coming-to-uk-and-irish-cinemas-march-8\/","url_meta":{"origin":72149,"position":2},"title":"New Featurette For ‘Captain Marvel’ Coming To UK And Irish Cinemas March 8","author":"Essentially Pop","date":"09\/01\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"'Captain Marvel', from Marvel Studios, is out in UK and Irish cinemas on March 8.","rel":"","context":"In "Films"","block_context":{"text":"Films","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/films\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/captain-marvel.png?fit=1200%2C730&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/captain-marvel.png?fit=1200%2C730&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/captain-marvel.png?fit=1200%2C730&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/captain-marvel.png?fit=1200%2C730&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/captain-marvel.png?fit=1200%2C730&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72347,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2021\/11\/eternals-sets-up-future-of-marvel-universe-and-challenges-our-concept-of-morality\/","url_meta":{"origin":72149,"position":3},"title":"‘Eternals’ Sets Up Future Of Marvel Universe – And Challenges Our Concept Of Morality","author":"Liam Hafey","date":"15\/11\/2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Marvel\u2019s Eternals is a film with many issues, partially redeemed by its final act. 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