Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, Naomi Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham, Peggy Lu, Sian Webber, Jack Bandeira, Olumide Olorunfemi, Scroobius Pip, Reece Shearsmith.
Despite the seriousness of the storyline, the undertones of institutional abuse and the outright red flags of cruelty, neglect and violence, Andy Serkis’ Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a romp, a graphic book large screen hybrid, a mutation of fine comedy underpinned by the gravity of murderous revenge.
How, some will insist on asking, can such a film be placed within the ideals of comedy, for in the appearance of Cletus Kasady/Carnage, arguably the worst type of sadistic, exploitational and deranged murderer to appear inside the pages of any Marvel comic, such a character is not worthy of framing amusement around, and certainly not for the benefit of entertainment.
However, it is the legacy of pathos and bleak horizons that make this darkly comic film endearing, and one that it is a far cry from its 2018 origin story, not only in direction, but in its use of the antihero, the acknowledgement of what Venom was to become in its later appearances in Marvel.
It would have been easy for both Tom Hardy and Andy Serkis to plough onwards in a straight line from the previous film, to continue the effect that Venom had on Eddie Brock and have them fight just another symbiote, but in the recognition to how Sony and Marvel have worked together in bringing Tom Holland’s version of Spiderman to a greater and demanding audience, so the need for a side step forwards was always going to have the greater impact on the Lethal Protector.
The film is darkly rich, addictive in a way that the first film was unable to sustain, the nods to break up films was intentionally pleasing, and the subtly of how it is Eddie that has changed Venomand not the way that many would expect gives a finer definition, a more symbolic human aspect to which Marvel itself, and certainly Stan Lee, would approve of.
It has long been argued in some comic book collector’s and devotee’s eyes that Todd McFarlane was the one who turned the brand’s name around by his understanding and co-creation of Venom, and that is the main encompassing feeling is the dynamic range that is captured in this particular film. It has all the continuality that brings it into the MCU, it has heart, brains, intelligence, and the confession that sometimes evil cannot be taken down by force alone, it must be treated with love and attention to detail.
Much praise must be offered to Tom Hardy for his portrayal of Eddie Brock and the voice of Venom, for by providing this double role, it brings the dual personality within us all fighting for recognition. It is also to Mr. Hardy and Mr. Serkis that Woody Harrelson nails his Kasady/Carnage role with such frightening accuracy, for in their support, an already consummate actor takes the untested road for an observation they were unsure of testing.
With unrivalled support from Stephen Graham, Michelle Williams, Naomi Harris and Peggy Lu, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a romp, one of consequences, of the eternal struggle between humanity and their hidden natures, and understandably one that will divide opinion over its subject matter, but not in the way it is cinematically presented.
Ian D. Hall