Venom Let there be Carnage marks the return of the titular gloopy goofball that was last seen in 2018's self-indulgently titled Venom. That outing saw the hulking black slime boy Venom go up against another symbiote who was a slightly different shade of black, charcoal? Grey maybe? He was a little lighter anyway. This made the climactic battle between these sloppy boys one of my least favourite finales featured in recent superhero movies. All in all, I wasn't a huge fan of the original, it came and went, and I haven't paid it much attention since.

The sequel has one big thing going in its favor, that is this time around the villain is distinguishable from the protagonist due to his blood-red design. But having a villain that looks reasonably different from your main character does not a good film make, and with the influx of quality superhero movies of late, Venom Let there be Carnage is going to have to pull a rabbit out of a hat to compete. The good news is the sequel may not pull a rabbit from a hat, but it does perform a trick that is brisk and surprisingly amusing.

Eddie and Venom are trying their best to live in harmony with one another, but this odd couple is struggling to share one body and find a lifestyle that suits them both. Eddie is trying to rebuild his career as a journalist and the story of notorious killer Cletus Kasady may be his ticket back into the big leagues. Of course, things take a turn for the worse when Kasady gets hold of a drop of Brocks blood, thereby transforming him from a deadly serial killer into a deadly serial killer with superpowers.

Despite the darkness inherent in the premise, Venom Let there be Carnage is a surprisingly breezy and fun affair. That may come as a disappointment to some who were expecting a dark and shocking tale, but for me, it was a welcome change of pace. I genuinely had a good time with the first half of the film which never for a moment takes itself seriously and knows as much as the audience does, just what a silly premise this whole thing is. This allows the sequel to up the gag count and focuses on slapstick old-fashioned jokes at the expense of Venom and Eddie.

This is what I liked about the film most, and far more than in the original, here it is clear that Tom Hardy is having a good time playing the character, particularly the Venom symbiote whose deep strange voice was able to deliver some of the films most amusing moments. This is of course is a departure from the original, which frankly took itself far too seriously. Remember that moment when Eddie jumps in the lobster tank and starts tucking in? Well, the sequel is way way way more of that.

So, the film delivers plenty of laughs, but unfortunately when the film isn't focusing on the Brock/Venom relationship things are decidedly less interesting. None of it is by any means awful, but it's dumb and sloppy.

Cletus Kasady gets a decent amount of screen-time and the film admirably tries to give him a sympathetic backstory and more human motivations that the audience can relate to, but it doesn't really come together. On the one hand, the film portrays him as an unhinged nut-job, but on the other as a tragic figure. At no point did I feel sympathy for Kasady or relate to him, however, he was fun to watch. Woody Harrelson returns from the first film and now sports a red wig that does not look laughable. Harrelson chews up the scenery like no one else and tries his best to make Carnage three-dimensional, but if nothing else he succeeded in making Cletus entertaining.

However, Carnage isn't the only bad guy Venom has to deal with this time around, as Cletus has teamed up with his old sweetheart, Frances Barrison aka Shriek. She inexplicably has super scream powers, a gift she has had since birth. The film makes no attempt to explain these powers, and it doesn't make a whole of sense, but hey-ho just run with it. She and her beloved and his newfound gloopy pal are out to paint the town red (with blood) and rekindle their love. Shriek was by no means complex or three-dimensional, but she was fun and the conflict between her and the Carnage symbiote was interesting and gave the trio a conflicted and complex dynamic.

Where so many films try to build a cinematic universe of set up sequels and spin-offs, Venom Let there be Carnage tells a surprisingly focused and intimate narrative that expands on the best parts of the first film. The film is junk food, it's not good for you and you probably shouldn't enjoy it as much as you do. It's a dumb silly movie that never takes itself too seriously. Its brisk and breezy nature may leave some fans enraged, but for me, it was a vast improvement on its predecessor and delivered a surprising number of laughs. A film like this is a welcome change of pace, and there is more than enough room for big superhero movies, as well as smaller goofier gloopier ones too.