How Venom 2 Being Weirder Fixed The Original's Biggest Mistake
Caution: .
is super weird compared to the original film - and that's no bad thing. When Sony first announced in a Spidey-free solo effort, fans reacted with confused anticipation. Many wondered how Venom would capture the tone of its titular symbiote, especially after the character got butchered by Spider-Man 3. While not a disaster on that level, those fears proved justified. Critics lambasted Venom as a generic origin tale that papered over narrative cracks with visual effects, and had it not been for a strong box office haul, Venom: Let There Be Carnage probably wouldn't have happened at all.
Amidst the negativity, reviews did praise Venom's kooky interplay between . The duo's dysfunctional dynamic was the highlight in a web of superhero beige - but there simply wasn't enough of it. Striving to be taken seriously, the 2018 effort never committed to the inherent silliness of its premise. Fortunately, times are a-changing in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Set roughly 18 months after the first film, Eddie and Venom have settled into a groove, taking the sequel firmly out of origin story territory. Moreover, Andy Serkis (who, lest we forget, knows exactly how to evoke sympathy from grotesque creatures with erratic personalities) joined Venom: Let There Be Carnage as director.
e makes numerous improvements to the 2018 original. The visuals are stronger, the story is leaner, and Carnage is a far superior villain. The most important fix, however, is the wacky, offbeat tone. In Eddie's apartment, for example, Venom makes "breakfast" while his human host looks on despondently at the mess. Even better, the symbiote is joyously singing along to George and Ira Gershwin's "Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off," then offers an increasingly miserable Eddie a dollop of "ket-sup." It's a hilariously surreal reintroduction that dials Venom's weirdness right up to 11 where it belongs. The goofy comedy doesn't stop there, either - Venom utters a cheery hello to local store owner Mrs. Chen... but asks if he can eat her a few moments later.
Even face-to-face with Carnage - the one time you might expect to get their black goop together - the pairing can't help but verbally joust. Venom hilariously shies away from Carnage at first, turning tail and leaving Eddie to his fate, but when the fight begins, the symbiote turns into a younger brother eagerly trying to get the better of their older, stronger sibling. And then to top the insanity off, we get a glowstick-covered Venom taking selfies with ravers. These are the weird and wonderful ideas Venom touched upon, but Venom: Let There Be Carnage grabs at eagerly.
Unlike the first film, Venom: Let There Be Carnage embraces the unique chemistry between , playing the pair as the oddest couple in superhero movies since Peter Parker and black eyeliner, and characterizing Venom as a tamed beast still looking for any opportunity to chow down on human soup. It's an unusual approach for a superhero movie, but one that fixes the personality void of 2018's Venom. Trying to present a flesh-eating symbiote in a grown man's body as anything other than madcap ridiculousness is a fool's errand, but leaning into the craziness gives Venom: Let There Be Carnage a quirky humor distinct from the pack, capitalizing on the one thing Eddie and Venom's first outing did right.
That's not to say is an outright comedy, of course. With a serial killer as a villain, how could it be? But not only does the sequel unleash Carnage, it also lets Eddie Brock and Venom finally be themselves. The Tom Hardy double-act is unlike anything superhero fans have seen in live-action, and their walking-on-eggshells friendship rightly sits at the heart of Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Where the original Venom was uncertain and pedestrian, the sequel serves up a double-serving of fun... with ket-sup!
