It's just as stupid as the first movie, but this time around it's always aware of that fact. It NEVER takes itself too seriously. This is a sequel that commits to the humor and tongue-in-cheek tone that should have pervaded the first film. It's absolutely hilarious throughout.

Also among the improvements are...

Improved pacing (the movie FLIES by) Stronger characters (Eddie and Venom actually go through a self-discovery arc together) Better action sequences (they're lit properly and most of the time it's clear what's going on) AND a better villain! Woody Harrelson always gets the right tone and his performance is ferociously entertaining.

Also, Mrs. Chen. I love Mrs. Chen.

As for negatives, the villains have a backstory that could have been interesting but is never explored. Also, there are several plot elements introduced at the end that really don't make sense and are ever explained. But none of them were particular important enough to kill my enjoyment of the movie.

Lastly, the soft PG-13 rating kills the action. It's sometimes unclear who dies because they always cut away from the gritty parts.

This one is actually pretty good though, overall.