Theatrical Reviews

Studio:
Sony Pictures Releasing   

What’s It About?
In this sequel, Eddie Brock reignites his career by interviewing serial killer Cletus Kasady, but before long Cletus morphs into symbiotic Carnage.    

Cast:
Tom Hardy: (The Dark Knight Rises, The Revenant & Mad Max)
Woody Harrelson (The People Vs Larry Flint, Zombieland & more recently Solo: A Star Wars Story)   

Other notables include:
Naomie Harris (Moonlight, Bond & more recently Black And Blue)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine, My Week With Marilyn & Manchester By The Sea)   

Director: Andy Serkis (Breathe, Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle)   

Audiences Expect:
Venom’s first foray onto the big screen was novel and watchable as Tom Harry’s journalist Eddie Brock was taken over by the dentally challenged leech-like alien symbiote Venom. It was an interesting venture which somehow managed to bag $850m worldwide, but what it didn’t do was scream out for a sequel to be made. And yet here we are….
The main stellar cast remain with Hardy, Michelle Williams and Woody Harrelson all returning, and they are joined by the always impressive Naomie Harris fresh from her Bond outing. This time round mo-cap legend Andy Serkis takes hold of the directing reins, but regrettably it seems during lockdown that someone forgot to hire sufficient writers with Hardy himself taking on some of the scripting duties.
The film essentially boils down to a meeting between Eddie Brock and serial killer Cletus Kasady, as Brock desperately tries to reignite his failing journalistic career. That encounter leads to the appearance of fellow symbiote Carnage, with the finale set to be an clash between the two heavyweight extraterrestrials.
Regrettably Harris and Williams are completely wasted in the film, as to be honest are Harrelson and Hardy. With limited plot, and this CGI mess's sole laugh being raised by the all-too-brief appearance of Veep’s Reid Scott, the only positive to be made about this film is the fact that it only lasts 97mins. And yet more fool us critics, as astonishingly at the tine of writing, the film has taken more than $286m at the US Box Office already.   

In A Nutshell:
Tom Hardy returns in this nonentity of a story as a man who morphs into a leech doing a weak impression of Brian Blessed.   

Highlights:
It was mercifully short   

Lowpoints:
No plot to speak of
A wasted cast