The stage curtains open ...

They could've left a sign by the entrance of the theater that read, "Leave brains here" - not because Venom likes to eat brains, but because with this movie, there is no thinking required. "Venom - Let There Be Carnage" is straight up eye candy and CG action sequences set against a rather generic plot and subpar acting. If I was 10 years old, I would've loved this and talked about it with all my friends, but ... that I am not.

We catch up with Eddie Brock and his symbiote, Venom, as they are adjusting to everyday life together, much like two new roommates would. Eddie is asked to interview an imprisoned serial killer named Cletus Kasady, and while they're there, Venom is able to figure out where he hid the bodies of his victims, which leads to Kasady receiving the death sentence. Before he is executed, Kasady asks to see Eddie again, but this time, he finds out about Venom ... and during an altercation, Kasady gets some of Eddie's blood on him ... and Carnage is born.

The whole premise of this movie was to have fun with computer graphics to give us onscreen representations of both Venom and Carnage that any 8 to 12-year-old would say is "cool". We have a cute little side story of the bond of friendship between Eddie and Venom, as well as another one with Eddie learning to accept the fact that Anne is moving on to be with another man. The final climactic confrontation wasn't anything special, just like the movie itself.

I can't recommend this one. It wasn't a bad movie, but it doesn't measure. No thinking required ... just bring in your soda and bucket of popcorn and check out for 97 minutes. It is a nice diversion until the next actual good superhero film comes out. This gets a paltry 5 stars out of 10. No more, no less.