Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021) -

Why on Earth does the brilliant Tom Hardy keep agreeing to be in these films? Is it out of some obligation? Does he feel that it would be wrong to upset the fans who don't like changes within the Marvel Universe or does he just need money to add an extra wing to his mansion? He doesn't strike me as the type to really be bothered by either of these things, so maybe he was promised that it wouldn't be so bad this time and it was too late to back out when he realised that this film is actually even worse than the first 'Venom' (2018) film.

It's like they're trying to compete with the terrible early 'Batman' films. I mean this could almost rival 'Batman Forever' (1995) as the worst superhero film. And it has so many similarities in the way that it's made.

The villains are ridiculously comic book to the extreme and very poorly acted/directed/portrayed in general.

Not only that, but the symbiotic relationship between Eddie Brock (Hardy) and Venom (Also Hardy) is stupidly comical, but not in the funny 'Deadpool' (2016) way that it's trying to be.

It actually gets very farcical and reminded me of watching arguments between Dorothy and her ex husband Stan in 'The Golden Girls' (1985-92), except that they did it better. At the very least it's like a silly cartoon.

Some of the comedy isn't bad, but most of it is cringeworthy and what's annoying is that it could be funny if it wasn't so stupid, which is to say that if they actually focussed on the comedy instead of trying to make it an additional element, it could have worked.

The way that it's filmed is odd and doesn't work, because it hasn't been thought through properly. There are mixed styles that don't blend together. It doesn't know what type of film it wants to be. Is it sinister, is it Tim Burton, does it want to be more "Art House" cinema? It's actually a bit of a mi^dfu<k in that way and is the whole thing actually a metaphor for schizophrenia anyway?

I have to wonder if Stan Lee would have let this be released with his name attached to it, had he still been with us?

Tom is fine as Eddie, but the whole story and production lets him down.

Stephen Graham, as Mulligan however didn't seem to work for me. If the Marvel Encyclopaedia is to be believed, he might turn up again as another symbiote called Toxin, but is he the appropriate for the larger role? I can appreciate Stephen taking on America and good luck to him, but I personally don't think that he is quite the right fit.

As for Woody Harrelson as Carnage, you could make a sandwich out of his Ham, Cheese and Corny performance. He is awful and far too over the top.

And is Naomie Harris still playing the witch from 'Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men's Chest/At Worlds End' (2006/7)? Is this the same character years later after drinking an immortality potion or something. I didn't even need to look her up to see where I knew her from, because she was exactly the same in every way. Another attempt to rival DC (Comics) perhaps with a Harley Quinn type character.

Just bad, bad, bad!

Thank god and all that's holy that it was short.

Please Sony, do the right thing, I'm begging you, give the rights to Disney!?

253.66/1000.