Let's start by jumping back to 2018. When Venom was about to be released, I had zero interest, and being a Spider-Man fan myself, that shocked me. I just didn't think a villain story that only exists because of Spider-Man could've worked on its own. To my surprise, while Venom wasn't a great movie by any means, I ended up having some fun with it. For that, I was certain they could improve on it with a sequel and Venom: Let There Be Carnage does just that. It's still not that good, but the novelties are cranked up to eleven and I had a blast with those elements of this film.

Picking up after the first film, Cletus Kasady's (Woody Harrelson) history with Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is about to come to a head. With Kasady on death row and about to be executed, he stumbles upon a way to escape, which eventually turns him into the even more villainous Carnage. Hellbent on nothing but destruction, Carnage poses a real threat for Venom/Eddie. Other than a couple of surprises along the way, that's pretty much it for the premise. The movie wanted to pit Venom and Carnage against each other and it doesn't do anything except that. The fight and the journey to that fight is what made the movie worthwhile for me though.

Tom Hardy is one of the most gifted actors out there and his quirky performance with Venom (himself) is what sells these movies. If it wasn't for his commitment to this role, these movies would be absolutely terrible. On top of that, Woody Harrelson clearly knows the type of film he's in because every moment he's on-screen is a joy to witness. He doesn't have the same relationship that Venom has with Eddie, but that's also what made it more entertaining. His character is a murderess, evil convict, but Carnage is even worse. This makes for a climax that feels earned, even though the cast is just having fun most of the time.

The weakest portion of the first film for me was the fact that I didn't care about the relationship between Eddie and Anne (Michelle Williams). Her character was barely in the film, but you were meant to feel the loss Eddie had after breaking up with her. This time around, she's given a little more to do, but she also feels like she's more aware of the type of movie she's in. Even though the first movie was a little self-aware, they've now fully leaned into that. Venom: Let There Be Carnage is nothing but silliness, but it's very entertaining silliness.

Overall, Venom: Let There Be Carnage probably won't win anyone over who didn't like the first, but I'll still say it's a better movie as a whole. It's a very breezy 97 minutes and it doesn't waste any time with side plots. There are quite a few weird and bizarre scenes, but it works if you're aware they're doing it on purpose. Andy Serkis as the director here took the things that worked about the first film and just did more of that, leaving the excess in the past. If you're just looking for a simple, fun time at the movies, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is purely that. There is also a major post-credits scene that says a lot about the future of Marvel. I will give this one a mild recommendation.