In a horrific flash of red and black, Marvel’s favorite symbiotic serial-killer makes his first live action appearance after almost 30 years of comic history in Sony Pictures’s latest film: Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The film is sequel to the 2018 film Venom, and continues the story as our protagonist, Eddie Brock, played by Tom Hardy, struggles to balance his career of being a reporter and his newfound purpose of being host to the Venom symbiote, a sentient goo from outer space that requires a host body to survive.

At the end of the first film, we were introduced to Cletus Kasady, played by Woody Harrelson,  an imprisoned serial killer who had taken an interest in Brock. In the sequel, it is discovered that Brock has been interviewing Kasady for quite some time, hoping for him to confess for several suspected murders. After these interviews help solve the cases, Kasady is given the death penalty, and he holds Brock responsible. 

Before his execution, Kasady requests to see Brock one last time, and after getting too close to him, Brock, with Venom inside him, is bitten by Kasady. Unbeknownst to both of them, Kasady consuming a small part of Brock’s symbiotic blood causes a new symbiote to form within Kasady, a red and black symbiote named Carnage. With the help of his new symbiote, Kasady escapes, starting his murderous rampage, dead set on rescuing his lost love, Shriek, whom he was separated from years ago.

Before learning of Kasady’s escape, Brock and Venom get into an argument, causing the symbiote to leave Eddie in search of a new host body. Defenseless and number one on Kasady’s kill list, Eddie Brock must prepare to take on Carnage and stop Kasady’s atrocious actions.

After the establishment of the characters is complete, the film progresses much more smoothly than the first. It is evident that this film is a case of learning from a past mistake and moving forward, creating a more polished product as a result. Additionally, the fact that the movie is a sequel means we don’t have to waste any time getting to the scenes between Venom and Brock, who, together, are the highlight of the film.

The finale of the film is a spectacular battle between Carnage and Venom, which, unlike the first film, isn’t a mess of CGI. Instead, the battle utilizes the surroundings of the fight beautifully, allowing for an immersive experience as the two superbeings clash. 

The film is an absolute must for any marvel fan, and those who are on the fence should watch the first film. If after they have watched the film and they thought it was at least decent, then they should check out Venom: Let There Be Carnage.