Venom: Let There Carnage was just released and it’s already doing well for itself despite recent difficulties. Currently, it is sitting at a 47 on Metacritic while its predecessor, Venom, is at a 35. These two scores may fluctuate but it seems like the general consensus is that Venom: Let There Carnage is a better movie. That goes beyond numbers but is that really true? Even though Venom made it into the red on Metacritic, it got enough good feedback and sales data for a sequel to get made.
That’s not unheard of in the movie industry but not every “bad” movie gets a redemption shot like this. Certainly Venom: Let There Carnage isn’t perfect either. Both movies have something good going for them and plenty of bad stuff as well. Let’s walk through what each film did best, and worst, to determine which film was the better treatment of Marvel’s classic Venom character. There will be spoilers for both films and the greater comic universe in Marvel especially in regard to Spider-Man.
8 Pacing: Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Venom was 112 minutes while the sequel was only 97 minutes. Both of these times are a bit off the mark as there are tons of credits involved. The time itself then isn’t important. It’s what each movie does with their time and Venom: Let There Be Carnage does a better job at keeping the pace flowing.
It takes about 37 minutes for Eddie to get infected by Venom and then a few more minutes after that before the plot really kicks into high gear. When it does the movie soars but it just takes too long. The sequel starts at full speed and doesn’t let up until the end.
7 Action Set Pieces: Venom
As a movie with Carnage in the title, most scenes involve him destroying a lot of property. Venom isn’t involved that much in the action sequences which is a shame since Venom is the real star. They don't really face off until the ending church fight which is good but not amazing. Prior to that Carnage gets scenes involving breaking out of prison and freeing Frances from Ravencroft.
They’re not exactly fun action scenes though compared to the original which all looked more thought out. The highlight of the first movie is when Eddie fights off Drake’s men in his apartment with some Jackie Chan-like stunt work followed by a grand chase in the city. It’s a riot.
6 Comedy: Venom: Let There Be Carnage
The action scenes may not be as good as the first, but the comedy in Venom: Let There Be Carnage soars. It is dark humor, but hearing Venom complain about the most ridiculous things never gets old. From wishing to bite heads off constantly to protecting a duo of chickens to basically confessing his love for Eddie, Venom is a lovable goof.
Part of the saving grace of the first film is the comedy, but it’s a small part of the experience. The sequel really doubled down on making the series funny and it works well.
5 Dinner Scenes: Venom
Like the is pacing, the comedic bits in Venom: Let There Be Carnage are well-defined and are spread throughout the film evenly. That’s not the case for the original but there is one thing it has over Venom: Let There Be Carnage. It’s the lobster scene. This takes place shortly after the film kicks into high gear.
Eddie is sweating profusely in a fine restaurant and is stealing food from other patrons as he excitedly talks to Anne and Dan. It ends with him taking a bath in a lobster tank. Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a funnier movie throughout, but there is no bit that matches this highlight from the original. It is pure comedy gold thanks to Tom Hardy’s wild performance.
4 The Post-Credits Scene: Venom: Let There Be Carnage
There were two post-credits scenes in the original movie. The first showed Eddie going to prison to interview Cletus with a ridiculous-looking red wig on. Woody Harrelson still looks odd with the redesigned wig in Venom: Let There Be Carnage but it looks better than the first one. After the credits, there was also a scene cut straight out of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which was cool to see but it wasn’t an extra.
The post-credits scene in Venom: Let There Be Carnage should have an Earth-shattering effect for the future Venom films as well as the MCU. When will Venom and Eddie officially cross into an MCU film? Will they be in Spider-Man: No Way Home as main cast members or will they only enter as cameos in that film’s stinger?
3 The Plot: Venom
The pacing has some issues in the first movie and it is not funny throughout, but the original film did have a tighter plot. It also had more supporting characters like Dr. Skirth, Mrs. Chen, and the various press friends of Eddie’s. Plus Anne and Dan had bigger roles.
It took a long time to get going but overall the thread from point A to point B made more sense than anything that happened in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The first movie should also be praised for its horror elements from Eddie going crazy to Riot possessing people like little girls. It was unsettling and chaotic and that’s what made the story better.
2 Symbiotes: Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Riot, for all intents and purposes, looked exactly like Venom. It was hard to understand who was fighting in the final battle in that first film. Assumedly comic fans knew who Riot was but it still felt like a deep cut. Carnage was the villain everyone wanted to see and he shines thoroughly in the sequel.
It’s a lot easier to tell red apart from black for one thing. Cletus was also just a more fun villain to follow than Drake on the human side of things. It’ll be interesting to see how Toxin does in the sequel.
1 The Verdict: Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Both films are very close. The original film can be praised overall for the plot and action scenes. Venom: Let There Be Carnage has the better balance of the two though. It may not excel at thrilling battles and it may not have the best story around but Venom: Let There Be Carnage is more fun to watch.
It’s a tighter film with great pacing thanks to the run time and it is hilarious from start to finish. Plus Carnage is just the better of the two villains. For fans of the Venom character, these movies are better than the numbered rankings they currently have.