Venom: Let There Be Carnage

It's all very weird, and yet not half-weird enough. Strained edginess mingles with strained sentiment, and also with gags that would make your great-grandfather roll his eyes.

At a tight 90 minutes, Serkis' sequel doesn't feel long, but it is exhausting. It's an entire movie pitched at 11 that screams in your face, "YOU SHOULD BE HAVING FUN."

I actually had a riot and enjoyed it.

Where the first Venom was toxically dull, Venom 2, at its best, is intoxicating.

Serkis dispenses with detailed explanations and instead amps up the humour, leaning into the goofy, flirtatious dynamic between Venom and Brock.

That fierce kineticism has failed to coalesce into a quasi-coherent sequel. Venom 2 is certainly riotous, but where did the fun go?

Let There Be Carnage allowed itself to tap into human emotions without the manipulation of family friendly fanfare. Sure, it’s a simple cautionary tale of how far you will go but love but it is also bolstered by the power of friendship.

The best of the series—crazy, fun, and full of Brock and Venom’s dynamic. Skipping heavy world-building lets us dive into their characters. Hits all the right notes!

Woody Harrelson as a serial killer makes for a great villain and Tom Hardy's portrayal at warring entities occupying one body continues to intrigue, but the story is underwhelming.

When I saw the first movie’s end credits, I was not excited so maybe I should have known better than to buy a ticket, but the end credits for “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” are awesome.