Following the success of the anti-hero movie Venom starring Tom Hardy, sprouted this sequel which seems more of a romantic drama than a superhero action movie. Only the second movie to surpass the $200 million mark since the start of the pandemic, the box offices were packed with viewers eagerly waiting to see what the comedic alien Venom 2 had in store for us.

Early on in the movie, domestic disputes are introduced between the characters Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his symbiote cohabitant Venom. From petty spats to all-out brawls, these two are essentially at each other’s necks for the entirety of this movie. The essential basis for the dispute is that Brock has laid down ground rules in order for Venom to continue inhabiting his body; however, Venom is flat out exhausted with Brock’s rules. From the way Brock presents himself to the public during his day job to his complicated relationship with his ex-fiance Anne Weying (Michelle Williams), these two cannot agree on anything. 

A new villain is introduced into this movie in the form of Cletus Kasaday (played by in my opinion the best actor in the movie, Woody Harrelson). Kasaday is an imprisoned serial killer who has been separated from the love of his life and infected with his own symbiote, Carnage. Harrelson’s portrayal of the character gives the movie some depth and personality as well as a diabolical villain. He perfectly shows Kasady’s god-complex while also giving way to his insane bursts of violence for seemingly no reason. From the bashing of a gas attendant’s head to taunting Brock, Harrelson does so well in Kasady’s shoes. Kasady and Carnage also do not have a blissful relationship and have their spats as well. However, the disputes between Kasady and Carnage feel far more realistic than those between Brock and Venom which sometimes just feel forced.

The love interest of Kasady, Shriek (Naomie Harris), is a dry and uninteresting character. She is violently juxtaposed with the eccentricity and individuality of Kasady. Harris doesn’t give much personality to the character and tries to play an aggressive character passively. Her performance poorly supports her love interest, and her natural counter to Carnage is introduced and used in a very strange manner. She initially calls the introduction of Carnage “hot,” but as time goes on, she realizes “it’s too much,” but never uses her supernatural powers to defeat Carnage even though it would be very easy for her.

Weying’s new love interest Dan (Reid Scott) is essentially the comedic punching bag of this entire film: from continuous ridiculing from Venom within Brock’s head to the attack on his ignorance from his own fiance. There is one scene in the movie in which Dan accompanies Weying to the convenience store Brock and Venom frequent. When they arrive, Dan is mortified by Venom’s true appearance and is put down by his fiance and the gas station attendant Ms. Chen (played by Peggy Lu) who provides some comedic scenes throughout the movie. Poor Dan provides a sense of normalcy to this movie in the form of someone who is actually astonished to see an alien. Throughout the movie you see Venom reveal himself to the public over and over, but no one is ever phased. It’s almost as if the people of this world are used to seeing aliens everyday even though it’s established that the knowledge of their existence is not public. From the convenience store clerk to the party-goers everyone accepts Venom into life, but to me that just isn’t realistic.

You can essentially sum up this entire movie to two dysfunctional throuples that are in dire need of counseling. The conflicts overall in the movie are petty and underdeveloped and unbefitting to the expectations of the movie. The acting in the movie is very good save for some dry humor that doesn’t seem to be delivered correctly and the special effects are absolutely incredible as always. A third installment of the franchise is already in the works and is rumored and teased to be a crossover event with Tom Holland’s persona of Spiderman.

6.8/10