Coming into the fall season, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”, directed by Andy Serkis, was a heavily anticipated sequel to its predecessor, “Venom”. The movie centers around Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), a journalist who has been grappling with the coexistence with an extraterrestrial known as Venom. Venom, who needs Eddie Brock in order to survive, as he is one of the only people who doesn’t die from their coexistence, seeks acceptance from Brock over their situation together. When deranged serial killer Cletus Kennedy (Woody Harrelson) bonds with a similar symbiote, their relationship is put to the test creating the main conflict in the story. The movie is an exciting viewing, but lacks purpose.

Eddie Brock  is an entertaining character. The arguments between Eddie and Venom are comedic, and establish Eddie’s lack of confidence. However, as the movie moves along, we frustratingly never really see any major development in his character. In the end, Eddie circles back to the “loser” he was before, as dubbed by Venom, learning nothing from the battles he had been through throughout the movie. 

One of the main antagonists, Shriek, played by Naomie Harris, seems to hold no importance in the movie, her inclusion feeling forced. A symbiote’s weaknesses revolve around sound and fire. Shriek’s superhuman abilities also revolve around sound, making her a natural counter to the symbiotic superpowers of Brock and Kennedy. While her inclusion in the film could have been more impactful, Shriek’s powers during the final battle are utilized as a gimmick, setting off periodically in order to enhance the action of the fight sequence. Without her, the battle towards the end would have remained the same.

For the most part, this movie fails to recreate the appeal of other Marvel movies. The action scenes, while well put together, lack impact and payoff, appealing only to the visual senses of the movie. Many of the plotlines in the movie are left unexplained, and at certain points the movie feels rushed, leaving viewers confused. Venom: Let There Be Carnage tries to mimic the charm and appeal of the first, but in doing so comes off as a cheap imitation.

Compared to the hype building up around this movie, the movie seems to fall flat. The film is an exciting action movie, but aside from the brief tie-in to the MCU during the post-credits scene, lacks direction and resolution. 

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