One year after the events of Venom (2018), investigative journalist Eddie Brock struggles to adjust to life as the host of the alien symbiote Venom, which grants him super-human abilities in order to be a lethal vigilante. Brock attempts to reignite his career by interviewing serial killer Cletus Kasady, who becomes the host of the symbiote Carnage and escapes prison after a failed execution.
Woody Harrelson is playing a real loony here as Cletus Kasady, but most of the strangest lines are actually reserved for Venom himself, whether it’s “We should be out there snacking on bad guys,” or “Oh shit! That is a red one!” in reference to witnessing carnage in action. There is a rather gleeful sense of boundlessness on display, as if the film is being crafted squarely for the rank-and-file multiplex consumer rather than stopping for even a moment to consider something like a critical reaction to such silly dialog. Like the previous Venom this film may feel like something of a relic from an earlier era of superhero cinema on release, not in the least because it lacks a connection to the overarching Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is still home to Spider-Man.
Still, there are clearly some new characters being added here as well, such as the sonically powered Shriek—an obvious antagonist for the symbiotes, which tend to be weak against intense sounds of certain frequencies. Can Let There Be Carnage match the last film’s insane $850 million at the global box office? Or has the interest in this character finally worn off? Check out the new trailer below—Let There Be Carnage is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on Sept. 24, 2021.
