Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
    Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Reveal promotional image

    Battlefield 6 Classes, Maps, And More: Everything You Need To Know

    07/31/2025
    A glimpse at all the upcoming Star Wars stories coming to the galaxy

    Star Wars Stories: What We Learned At SDCC 2025

    07/25/2025
    Blindspot episode still

    It’s been 5 years since ‘Blindspot’ ended. Why haven’t you watched it yet?

    07/24/2025
    Strange Scaffold

    Strange Scaffold Summer Showcase Delivers Bizarre And Brilliant Games

    07/22/2025
  • Fantasia Festival
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ Leans In For the Fans

REVIEW: ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’ Leans In For the Fans

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez09/30/20215 Mins Read
Venom 2 - But Why Tho (1)
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Venom 2 - But Why Tho (1)

Okay. I love Venom. Sure, the comic book character is great but I’m talking about Tom Hardy-Eddie Brock and all the charm that came with Tom acting against himself in Sony’s 2018 feature. It wasn’t a perfect movie by any means and as a comic reader myself I get why some were upset with the take on the character, but for me, it just worked. So, I was excited about Venom: Let There Be Carnage (Venom 2) and entered the film with expectations of more of the same. And to be honest, that’s how everyone should watch the film.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Venom 2 is directed by Andy Serkis, written by Kelly Marcel, and features a story by Hardy and Marcel. It also stars Hardy as Eddie Brock and the symbiote “Lethal Protector,” Woody Harrelson as Cletus Kasady and the red tentacled (or are they veins?) Carnage, Naomie Harris as the intimidating Shriek, and of course Michelle Williams reprising her role as Anne with Reid Scott as Dan, just Dan. Taking place after the events of the first film, Venom and Eddie are living kind of harmoniously in an apartment filled with M&M wrappers, chickens Sonny and Cher, and a pizza box sign reminding the Symbiote to not eat people.

Mostly returned to normal life, Eddie is still working as a journalist and finds himself at the center of a serial killer case. With bodies hidden and only willing to talk to Eddie, the police use Eddie to help get the evidence they need to bring closure to Cletus’s many victims. But, while Eddie may be doing the writing, Venom’s perfect memory is helping him break the case. As you can expect, things happen and Cletus becomes Carnage, a red Symbiote who is much meaner and more violent (well as much as PG-13 lets him be), than his progenitor.

And while Venom 2 is about two Symbiotes fighting with each other, its real focus is Venom and Eddie’s relationship. We get to see them bicker, really argue, and ultimately come to appreciate and lean on each other. Let’s be honest, Symbrock is what is going to make Venom succeed at the box office—Sony knows this.

Don’t worry though, the Symbrock love isn’t as pandering to the fans as you would expect. Instead, the humor and relationship between the two all lands because of how Marcel and Hardy have crafted the story. It would have been easy to play with the joke that Sony’s Venom franchise is a rom-com by dropping lines here and there. Instead, audiences are given an actual look at a connection between two people being tested, strengthened, and ultimately becoming something they need.

To be honest, jokes and thirst aside, it’s clear that Hardy loves playing Venom, and having served as one of the film’s producers as well, it all makes sense. With that excitement comes a genuinely comedic timing he has with, well, himself. The pacing of the humor is not only well done, adult, and charismatic, but it also keeps from undercutting the action. The humor of the film, both through physical comedy and dialogue works in every implementation and it makes Venom 2 a joy to watch.

Venom 2 - But Why Tho (2)

Additionally, Venom 2 is filled with some great action set pieces and effects work. Whether it’s the Symbiotes attacking each other, random fodder, or just making their way through a rave misappropriating calaveras, everything works well. That said, one thing does throw a large wrench in the action: the PG-13 rating. With so much talk about eating brains, bad guys, and jokes about dismemberment, the way the cameras cut from certain sequences and the lack of blood makes a film that actively pushes adult themes feel watered down. And this doesn’t only affect the action.

As Cletus, Harrelson is his usual chaotic self, bringing to the screen a scary and nasty character who is consistently turned up to 11. But given that he’s a notorious serial killer, there is something heinous lacking from the character. Which honestly transfers to his portrayal of Carnage. As one of the most violent and viscerally disconcerting Symbiotes, when coupled with Cletus’s background, it all feels like a punch that’s pulled. It’s close to connecting, but just doesn’t. The only villain not hurt by the lack of R-rating is Shriek. As the villain with a stunning set of pipes, Harris is intimidating, cold, and a scene-stealer.

That said, Venom and Eddie as individual characters get such an extensive investment that it makes the film worth watching, especially for Symbrock fans. It’s hard to balance a character interaction that happens all in one person. Hardy has to act in response to Venom’s voice, which only he can hear and in most cases, while having an extremely emotive response. This makes Hardy and Eddie the foundation of the film and damn does his performance carry it. And it’s no small feat to also have Venom become a character realized apart from Eddie as well.

Ultimately, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is campy fun that leans into what fans have been saying about the first film that also offers some action that works to a point. While an R-rating would have greatly helped the film—which seems to be a trend for the franchise, there is a lot to love in the strong character performances, chemistry, and humor that makes Venom 2 a damn good night out, if you feel comfortable enough to go to a theater that is.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is playing in theaters October 1, 2021 nationwide.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage
  • 6/10
    Rating - 6/10
6/10

TL;DR

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is campy fun that leans into what fans have been saying about the first film that also offers some action that works to a point.

  • Grab Your Tickets Now with our Affiliate Link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleFantastic Fest 2021: ‘Bingo Hell’ Highlights Badass Viejitas
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Crossover,’ Issue #8
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Simon in An Honest Life But Why Tho
3.5

REVIEW: ‘An Honest Life’ Is Terribly Dishonest About Its Own Politics

08/02/2025
Brandon Routh and co in Ick
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Ick’ Is A Near Perfect Horror-Comedy

07/29/2025
Bad Bunny and Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore 2
5.0

REVIEW: ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Earns More Shrugs Than Laughs

07/29/2025
Hi-Five
6.5

FANTASIA 2025: ‘Hi-Five’ Introduces A Scrappy, Superpowered Team Up

07/28/2025
Still from Haunted Mountains The Yellow Taboo
5.5

FANTASIA 2025: ‘Haunted Mountains: The Yellow Taboo’ Gets A Little Lost In The Weeds

07/26/2025
Dakota Gorman in HELLCAT
6.5

FANTASIA 2025: ‘HELLCAT’ Runs High In Tension But Loses Steam

07/25/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Wildgate promotional key art
9.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Wildgate’ Is Co-Op Space Mayhem Done Right

By Adrian Ruiz07/25/2025Updated:07/30/2025

Built for friends and tuned for competition, Wildgate is messy in the best way: smart, surprising, and bursting with room to grow.

Glass Heart
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Glass Heart’ Offers Messy, Musical Catharsis

By Allyson Johnson07/22/2025

The musical drama series ‘Glass Heart’ soars when it focuses on the epic performances of it’s fictional band, TENBLANK.

Simon in An Honest Life But Why Tho
3.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘An Honest Life’ Is Terribly Dishonest About Its Own Politics

By Jason Flatt08/02/2025

An Honest Life is an overly severe misfire about a law student who falls in with anarchist burglars that can’t decide who it resents more.

World of Warcraft The War Within Ghosts of Karesh But Why Tho Interviews

‘The War Within’ Patch 11.2 Addresses Raid Trash, Magic-Focused Comps, And More

By Mick Abrahamson07/31/2025Updated:07/31/2025

WoW Sr. Producer and Asst. Lead Quest Designer address The War Within 11.2’s Manaforge Omega, Reshii Wrap rewards, and Mythic+ balancing.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here