“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” is a huge box office success for Marvel as one of the first films released exclusively in theaters since the start of the pandemic. Despite structural flaws, it did not disappoint and serves as a fun and simplistic superhero movie.  

Venom is an alien parasite that uses the character, Eddie, as his host. The two are going through relationship issues and struggle to coexist now that they are adjusting to a life spent bound together. Meanwhile, villains Cletus Kasady/Carnage and Frances Barrison/Shriek reunite after they escape prison. Carnage, who is an offspring of Venom, attaches to Kasady and seeks to kill his creator. The three villains’ combined motives to kill Venom and Eddie results in a captivating film that takes inspiration from multiple Venom comics. 

The performances by the entire cast are great. Tom Hardy does an excellent job, as always, playing Eddie Brock. The back-and-forth between Eddie and Venom is crafted in a way that expands the audience’s knowledge of Venom’s powers that were not explored in the first film. The well-written dialogue brought together the chemistry between Hardy and his costars. Woody Harralson as Cletus Kasady was paired with Naomie Harris who played Frances Barrison. Their dynamic was incredibly entertaining and a not-so-subtle reference to Bonnie and Clyde. Viewers find themselves rooting for them at certain points just because of how fun the characters are portrayed. 

While watching “Venom: Let there be Carnage” it is hard not to notice that information is missing. It is evident that the plot was cut out during post-production which would explain the short run time. Although this cut may have resulted in a quicker watch, the scenes were butchered and then seemingly thrown back together in random order. During the first watch, the choppy scene selection is not that noticeable. But for a Marvel film, the expectations for a solid structure is higher, so “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” was a disappointment on that front. The movie could have further explored and developed the antagonists, or more importantly, added another fight sequence.

The CGI fight sequence between Carnage and Venom at the end of the film was well made and captivating, but it was over too soon especially considering that it is their only fight scene. Carnage is like the Joker to Venom’s Batman. He is by far his most popular nemesis, besides Spiderman. The audience leaves theaters wanting more. Sony produced “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” so there was a lower budget compared to Disney Marvel films. That may explain the lack of multiple large scale fights between the two characters, but it does not excuse Carnage’s lack of development. 

“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” needs an R-rating to reach its full potential. As “Lethal Protectors” Eddie and Venom claim lives by biting the heads off of bad guys. Director Andy Serkis cannot correctly illustrate the gore of the comic book series if he is being restricted to a PG-13 rating. There were multiple instances in the film where creators had to angle shots awkwardly or come up with distracting ways to cover up gruesome kills. It is likely that Venom will be incorporated into the MCU, so the creators have to tone down the violence. But it is disappointing to Venom fans that they will never get to see the characters as they were intended to be portrayed in the comics.

All in all, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” was an adorable love story between Eddie and Venom and a fun action-packed superhero story with crazy villains. The characters were so likeable and the story overall was entertaining enough to account for the flaws. It is a must-watch, especially for MCU fans, since Venom is expected to make a guest appearance in the Avengers timeline.