After three years, “Let There Be Carnage” the follow-up to box office hit “Venom” finally hit theatres. The marketing leading up to its sequel capitalized on the more humorous aspects of the original film. Unfortunately, director Andy Serkis and writer Kelly Marcel failed to understand the humor that made the first one so enjoyable.

MESSY PLOT

The film’s biggest problem is its lackluster plot. At the very beginning, the film introduces the main villain, Cletus Kassidy, played by Woody Harrelson, teased in the previous movie to play the famous comic book villain, Carnage. Once the film’s intro sets up a romance between the villain and Frances Barrison, also known as Shriek, the story loses momentum immediately. 

While Cletus Kassidy starts out the film, he does not become a major player in the story’s conflict until more than halfway through. Before that, there are many scenes between Venom and Eddie Brock, where they do nothing of importance. The script’s attempts at focusing on a comedic dynamic between the two characters falls flat due to the cliché comedy writing style that can be found in any buddy-cop style story. 

The original film’s best bits of humor always felt unintentional, evidenced by the tonal inconsistency between the dramatic scenes with the villain and the goofier action scenes with Venom. 

EXHAUSTING ENDING

Once Carnage becomes a major player in the plot, the film attempts a more comprehensible direction but instead becomes worse. Due to the story’s insistence on telling a “break-up” story between Venom and Eddie, the plotline proves pointless. This would work, except for the fact that the majority of the film portrays Venom as malicious towards both Eddie and the people around them. The only reason why they come back together in the end is because they need to defeat Carnage.

To top it off, the final battle between Carnage and Venom is exhausting to watch. The problems include its cluttered editing, unprofessional CGI and a heavy reliance on visual effects. The battle feels like a chore to watch. Admittedly, there is some enjoyment to be found in Harrelson’s performance, but by the end, it is too little too late.

ONE OF THE WORST OF THE YEAR

After the film is over, there is a major post-credits scene that is sure to excite Marvel fans for the future of the franchise. But a post-credits scene does not save a bland movie that is hard to find enjoyment in. “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” is a failure on all fronts due to a misunderstanding of the first film’s comedic success and a lackluster plot.