October has brought with it another anticipated Marvel film, this time in a darker and grittier form as befits this spooky season.
“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” arrived in theaters on Oct. 1, and while it, like it’s 2018 predecessor “Venom,” is technically not part of the widely popular Marvel Cinematic Universe, there is still plenty to get excited about.
“Let There Be Carnage” sees the return of dynamic duo Eddie Brock and his alien symbiote, Venom. As is true of all close relationships, the two have run into relationship trouble which has them butting heads, with Eddie struggling to keep Venom in check and Venom needing more freedom than Eddie’s strict rules allow. The two find they have bigger fish to fry when infamous serial killer Cletus Kasady escapes his execution with the help of a new symbiote — Carnage. Cletus’ threat is further amplified by reuniting with his lost lover with a super-powered shriek, Francis Barrison, and together they begin to set the world ablaze. Brock and Venom must use their bond if they are to have any hope of defeating their new enemies.
Tom Hardy returns as Brock and Venom, delivering once again the humorous banter between the two, as well as the greater relational conflicts the duo encounters. Woody Harrelson and Naomie Harris bring their best in their roles as Kasady and Barrison, respectively. Harrelson holds Kasady in a steady balance as a character, keeping him composed and neat in a delicately unsettling way, and the audience can see it’s a knife’s edge between this calm demeanor and Kasady’s unhinged, violent savagery. While he has his own sad backstory, Kasady puts forth a frighteningly happy persona, and Harrelson portrays that gleefully. Harris plays Kasady’s equally cheerful fiancée Barrison, who likes to release her decades-worth of pent up rage by screaming, but unlike everyone else, her screams are superpowered blasts. Her cackles amid destruction go hand-in-hand with her love’s exuberance. The pair is quite the power couple, albeit in a darker, more literal sense.
With a movie title like “Let There Be Carnage,” one would expect the film wouldn’t be a gentle experience, and the sound department clearly took the opportunity to go all-out. While the film is certainly not initially quiet, the audio gets a noticeable boost once Carnage steps onto the scene. This serves to simulate the overwhelming force of the red symbiote. It’s terrifying, brutal and perfectly aids the experience of the film. Audiences may not be the ones being thrown around by Carnage, but the sounds become so forceful that they feel like the ones bent before the powerful alien. It’s nearly overwhelming, but it’s incredibly fun.
“Let There Be Carnage” packs a punch in its delivery, and fans of Brock and Venom are in for a good time. The powerful sound design and supreme acting are what really make the film stand out among other action films. While there was little doubt the film would deliver on these aspects, much of the excitement behind the movie’s arrival stems from theories that it would somehow tie in to the larger MCU franchise, especially with the latter’s recent confirmation of a “multi-verse,” or multiple universes existing parallel to one another. Though the purpose of this article is not to delve into this topic, the film gives its own answer one way or another.
Just be sure to stick around for the mid-credits scene iconic of Marvel films to ensure you don’t miss anything.
