Venom: Let There Be Carnage

 At 97 minutes, Venom: Let There Be Carnage doesn't waste time. So I won't either.

Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) interviews Serial Killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson). Eddie's journalistic career is resurrected. He and his symbiote Venom are happy, at first. Cletus's execution gets fast-tracked and he's not happy. One scuffle later and Cletus accidentally ingests a bit of Venom. The bit becomes a full symbiote, Carnage, which foils Cletus's execution and revives his killing career.

Meanwhile, Eddie and Venom break-up over the latter wanting to eat brains. Cletus breaks out his childhood sweetheart, Frances (Naomie Harris), whose sonic shrieks are lethal to symbiote kind. That's a problem for Cletus and Carnage's relationship. Eddie and Venom realize they need each other just in time to fight off the villains.

The screen story was conceived by Hardy and Kelly Marcel and realized by director Andy Serkis. I must reiterate that it doesn't waste time on story. It's a simple one involving some complicated relationships. It does miss some opportunities to elaborate but it's not a fatal injury. We still get the gist of Venom and Eddie's symbiotic relationship. It's a funny and strangely endearing one. I must say that it does a better job than its predecessor at being intentionally funny. 

Harrelson as Cletus Kasady is a complicated sociopath. He's a bit self-righteous and ax-crazy but he still has a sympathetic side. That involves his relationship with Frances; let's say they were made for each other. Harrelson is also unrecognizable as the voice of Carnage. It's some impressive voice work.  Meanwhile, Det. Mulligan (Stephen Graham), was an OK side antagonist. Peggy Lu, returning as Mrs. Chen, stands out in the supporting cast.

There's some strong sound work. Maybe, too strong. The speakers at my showing made some of the sounds unbearable. That includes Carnage's roars. Cinematographer Robert Richardson helps make Carnage's emergence in San Quentin perfectly creepy. Carnage's red and black design is stunning as is his transformation effects. The same goes for Eddie and Venom, especially when the latter host jumps. There's some great photography of San Francisco, a city I really want to get back to.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage makes for a quick and easy matinee. Still, a few bits make one think hard about any follow-ups. The one that's sure to be the most talked about is the mid-credits scene. It's a perfect set-up for Spider-Man: No Way Home. We got a few months to guess what will result. A month after that is when Sony's next superhero movie, Morbius, debuts.