Critics split on Venom: Let There Be Carnage, 'unabashed trash' with a 'quirky heart'
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Note: After this story was first published, more Venom reviews came in, adjusting its Rotten Tomatoes score. We've updated our article to reflect that.
Some critics certainly answered the call as a handful of movie reviews for Venom: Let There Be Carnage are nothing short of a Hollywood blood bath, though others reveled in the wild aesthetic of the "bonkers sequel" to a film that grossed over $850 million at the global box office.
The Tom Hardy-starring, Andy Serkis-directed Marvel sequel scored a split between lighthearted appreciation and scathing critique on Thursday morning, as some journalists laid into the Sony-produced blockbuster for its absurdist dressings and borderline incoherent construction, while others enjoyed the film's unorthodox, over-the-top presentation.
EW's Leah Greenblatt gives the film a C+ grade, writing that "the movie will have to demolish several San Francisco landmarks, uncountable bystanders, and most ideas of sense and continuity along the way" as it continues the story of Hardy's Eddie Brock, a California reporter whose body is invaded by the titular, bloodthirsty menace who ultimately goes fang-to-fang with a similarly afflicted serial killer, Cletus (Woody Harrelson), between sustaining himself on human flesh, chocolate, and live chickens. Greenblatt notes that the pair go "full chaotic" across the film, and there's a mindless fun in the "bonkers" project's "heedless embrace of anarchy" that "somehow serves the movie's YOLO sensibility."
Tom Hardy suits up in 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage.'
Slash Film's Chris Evangelista called the movie "refreshingly breezy," and likened the focal back-and-forth to "a goofy romantic comedy disguised as a superhero sequel."
"There are countless superhero movies better than this. Better written, better directed, better acted, better made. And yet, Let There Be Carnage has a weird, quirky heart, and sometimes, that's exactly what you need to see," he continues. "If we must be inundated with a never-ending stream of comic book movies, at least give us more oddities like this to keep things fresh. As long as Tom Hardy keeps wanting to make these movies, I'll keep watching them."
Similarly, Rolling Stone writer K. Austin Collins indicated that "the Venom movies aren't good because they're unabashed trash. They're good because they're good; they're trash because they have the good sense to be trash."
Others, however, weren't as nice; The Playlist's Rodrigo Perez indicates the film is more "hyperactive, unremittingly chaotic, and exasperating" than its predecessor, as it leans even more into the first film's bonkers sensibilities. "Theoretically, this accord should make for a better movie," he continues, describing the final act as a "noisy, anarchic CGI-laden weaboo porn tentacle fest" by the end. "But in doubling down on would-be humor, the already poor, perspiring, flopsweat CGI mess of Venom actually gets worse and arguably even more incoherent, thanks to the unbearable, overweening quarreling between Brock and Venom and the vaudevillian crazy legs antics and presentation."
Similarly, The Hollywood Reporter's John DeFore writes that "superhero fatigue applies to non-heroes as well," and says that Michelle Williams, who costars as Brock's ex, is "too talented to be stuck with this sidekick/hostage stuff" that she does in the sequel. Looking forward, he wishes "things go better — or at least go badly in a more entertaining way" if the series continues.
The New York Times' Amy Nicholson provides perhaps the most scathing commentary on the film, noting that it "flourishes in high-energy moments and feeds off low expectations" before dubbing it "the mold in the Avengers' shower."
Before the film's theatrical bow Friday, read more Venom: Let There Be Carnage movie review excerpts ahead.
Columbia Pictures Woody Harrelson's Carnage in 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage'
Leah Greenblatt (EW)
"Harrelson's Cletus, with his homicidal-hillbilly energy and hair seemingly purloined from the wig room at Riverdale, doesn't really need an extraterrestrial parasite to set him free; he looks like he's having a ball. (His delight at finding a sweet convertible parked on the street isn't that different from the pleasure he gets casually tossing a passing truck off the Golden Gate Bridge, or stomping in the head of an innocent bodega clerk.) That happy, heedless embrace of anarchy somehow serves the movie's YOLO sensibility, and even comes to define it in its own way — if we're all disposable space chum in this franchise game anyway, who needs a coherent narrative and character arcs? Just bite the head off every chicken, and lean in."
K. Austin Collins (Rolling Stone)
"Carnage is for the most part, in ways that count, another dirtbag delight. It's a lesser movie than Venom, but one that scratches many of the same itches and then some.... The Venom movies aren't good because they're unabashed trash. They're good because they're good; they're trash because they have the good sense to be trash. They aren't the only movies around flowing on this wavelength — not that there are so many. They're simply among the few to make it halfway worth it."
Chris Evangelista (Slash Film)
"There are countless superhero movies better than this. Better written, better directed, better acted, better made. And yet, "Let There Be Carnage" has a weird, quirky heart, and sometimes, that's exactly what you need to see. If we must be inundated with a never-ending stream of comic book movies, at least give us more oddities like this to keep things fresh. As long as Tom Hardy keeps wanting to make these movies, I'll keep watching them."
Amy Nicholson (The New York Times)
"Yes, there are battles — all of them exponentially less interesting than a twitch of Hardy's eyebrow. Let There Be Carnage flourishes in high-energy moments and feeds off low expectations; it's the mold in the Avengers' shower. Perhaps the next installment could do away with the pretense of these dingbats needing to save the world? As Venom growls, 'Responsibility is for the mediocre.'"
Rodrigo Perez (The Playlist)
"The less said about the noisy, anarchic CGI-laden weaboo porn tentacle fest that is the last act— which most resembles a traditional superhero film — the better (and even less about the daft post-credits which are more of a threat than a tease). Ultimately, Let There Be Carnage just wants to facilely say two heads are better than one and cooperation rules. But it's just overwhelmed by its sweatiness; twitching with the withdrawal from Monster Energy drink energy it emits from its humid pits. If they could channel that anxiety to say something about angst or fear, maybe they'd have something more meaningful. Instead, everyone involved seems content with "Venom" to be a wacky cacophonous clown show that's so bizarre and outlandish, it somehow mistaken as an innovative oddity within the comic book genre."
Molly Freeman (ScreenRant)
"But there is still plenty of fun to be had with the film. Hardy proves once again how he excels in the role of a man who's a host to an alien symbiote. Their dynamic is like others in Hollywood films — insofar as Hardy plays Eddie as the comedic straight man to Venom's more weird and wild alien — while still being very unique. After all, Venom is an alien symbiote who wants to eat brains while living in Eddie's body. What Let There Be Carnage loses a little bit is the real connection at the heart of Venom and Eddie's relationship. In the first film, they bonded over being losers, but the sequel is perhaps a little too concerned with creating conflict, and then doesn't properly resolve it. Still, Hardy's portrayal of Eddie and Venom is delightful chaos and there's enough of that fun dynamic to sustain the sequel."
Francesca Rivera (IGN)
"This really is a bizarre hybrid of monster and murder movie, but Serkis efficiently balances various tones, visual spectacles, and humorous performances to surprisingly make it work. Much like Eddie does, the sequel lets its weirder side out and the symbiote is given more time to shine. Venom's one-liners cut through tense moments as comedic relief, resembling a combination of Clayface from the HBO Max Harley Quinn show and the MCU's Drax. Or, as Eddie describes him, a 'pig-dog horse-duck.'"
John DeFore (The Hollywood Reporter)
"There's nothing wrong with that climactic battle, but the best thing you can say about the action in Carnage is that it doesn't stretch the film past the hour-and-a-half mark. That's not counting the credits and inevitable hidden-scene coda, which teases a return to Venom's roots. The previous Spider-Man film featuring Venom (from 2007) is the worst of the webslinger's big-screen outings to date. Here's hoping things go better — or at least go badly in a more entertaining way — the next time they cross paths."
Matt Goldberg (Collider)
"I suppose if you like your comic book movies to play it a little straighter, then Let There Be Carnage will be frustrating. It's not a raunchy comedy like Deadpool nor is it a darker superhero picture like Batman. It exists awkwardly in between, but at least by leaning more towards comedy, you get an entertaining albeit instantly forgettable picture where a muscular CGI alien fires off quips. When he has to fight the other CGI thing, I instantly lost interest because this is not a movie about character or story but vibes. Perhaps you could counter that we should demand more from our movies, but I'd say we have no shortage of superhero movies with higher aspirations. At least Venom: Let There Be Carnage has the courtesy to be as fun as it is disposable."
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