Gosh. Andy Serkis, what a talent.

Not only a legendary actor (renowned for his skill in front of the camera) but an utterly phenomenal director (behind it) who succeeds in impressively rescuing a franchise (previously doomed to fail) by finding a tone to strike which previously didn't work in the debut installment of Sony's current anti-hero trilogy. Ergo, rather than creating an unintentionally hilarious film (like 2018's "Venom" - a genuine embarrassment of a movie, comparable to Sony's other stinker, "Morbius"), he instead opts to construct a sequel that happily pokes fun & guffaws at the camp absurdity of its own nonsensical concept (aiming effectively with intent - refraining from manufacturing yet another misfire), alleviating the jarringly misplaced seriousness of his predecessor & allowing the audience laugh with the script, rather than laughing at it - which is a hugely important distinction to make - resulting in a vastly improved (& genuinely funny) approach that ends in a far more enjoyable viewing experience, balancing comedy with genuine character development & also, a surprising amount of darkness (featuring the heavy implication of shockingly gruesome deaths happening out of view throughout - for fans of gore) too.

Hence, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" (the title as subtle as you should expect the rest of the production to be) is one of the most humourously flamboyant - unrepentant in its silliness - & intentionally homo-erotic narratives (delivered in a tongue-in-cheek wink manner on screen - capitalising on the theme of two men cohabitating inside one increasingly less reluctant male host like a bickering married couple) I've seen in a major blockbuster (Tom Hardy playing 'Eddie Brock', blatantly the bottom boyfriend - having a lover's tiff with his partner, the top symbiote - a guy he occasionally permits entry to his body - words I never imagined I'd be typing out) in recent years. Forget the heterosexual romance... Michelle Williams has been friend-zoned. This goes unrepentantly GAY & I loved it.

Additionally, Woody Harrelson joyously has visible fun on set, chewing scenery as the ridiculously nefarious antagonist 'Cletus Kasady' - admittedly two-dimensional in his characterisation & not exactly original (in his powers / abilities), yet developed just enough for the impression of complexity to be suggested - so he's not a stereotypically forgettable "bad guy", but thankfully (by comparison) does fulfill his basic narrative purpose, in contrasting against the main guy, resembling the lesser of two evils, giving us someone deliciously ominous to oppose.

Plus, with Quentin Tarantino & Martin Scorsese's frequent cinematographer (Robert Richardson) at the helm (with Fabian Wagner - another phenomenal DoP residing over additional photography), over-seeing the visual quality of the filmmaking, it's rare to witness a piece within this genre look so goddamn good.

Therefore, by the standards of most generic blockbusters - 2021's follow-up to the recent box office hit feels like a pleasingly welcome accomplishment.