Venom is back and boy did they go hard on the SymBrock this time. I think Sony ships them just as much as we do. This movie came out last October and I was super hyped for it because I loved the first Venom movie and I love Carnage in the comics, so I was excited to see the live-action version of him! I did rank this in my MCU/Marvel Associated list based on my first watch of the film, but I haven’t been able to review it until now. I’m very excited to watch it again and discuss it in-depth. This review is going to be a bit different from my normal ones though as I want to adjust how I review and improve my reviewing skills!

DISCLAIMER: I do not support nor like the character of Cletus Kassidy on a human level. When I say I like Carnage, I am speaking of the symbiote specifically NOT the person he is bonded with.

Plot: On a basic level the plot is Venom vs Carnage, but of course all good stories have their main plot and their subplots. Venom and Eddie are trying to find a way to live where both get what they want, but that’s not really possible. Eddie is trying to keep them under the radar after everything that happened and get his career back on track while Venom wants to do everything they’re capable of doing and become the Lethal Protector (a name I guess Sony owns the rights to?). The movie develops their relationship further and brings in plots points from the comics that are directly connected to Venom (Carnage, his accidental spawn). Anne and Dan’s subplot was developed without having them on screen too much by including mentions of their engagement, which fit well because Eddie needs Venom and doesn’t stay with her in the comics either. Cletus Kassidy’s storyline/subplot is set up well and intertwines with Eddie and Venom’s at a good pace that the audience can follow. The plot’s pacing was perfect and they left it open for another movie, which is great! Maybe next time we learn about the Hive and get to see Toxin. 

Character Development: The sub characters, such as Anne and Dan, didn’t really develop much but they didn’t need to. They’re fairly straight-forward characters that don’t take up enough screen time to need to be developed. I did enjoy how Dan just wanted to help though. The main characters did have strong development both individually and together. Eddie and Venom were separated for a bit and grew enough to realize that they belong together, and once they were back together they developed a lot in the end of the film. I liked this because their relationship had been built up enough that the bonding presented in the end was a strong resolution to everything. Cletus’s character was developed well for only being in one film, and the comic accuracy of his story was on point. The only thing that didn’t match up was his bond with Carnage. In the comics they are the perfect symbiotic relationship, referring to themselves as “me” or “I” instead of “us” and “we” like the rest do. However, for the sake of the film it did make sense for them to be individuals. 

Points of Interest: Throughout the movie Sony sprinkled in things for the large variety of fans they have watching these films, from Symbrock moments to Marvel Comics references. Mostly Symbrock though, which is fine because even in the comics that’s fairly canon with the way Eddie and Venom interact. When the first film came out, a lot of fanfiction was focusing on their domestic life together, including many scenes where Venom is cooking Eddie breakfast. That HAS to be where they got the idea because it was too fanfic-picture-perfect to have been their idea. During their breakup scene, which I have a lot to say about, Eddie gets made at Venom and says “that was abuse, that was abusive!” which most people don’t really say unless it’s in relation to a relationship! Then, after they break up and Venom wrecks Eddie’s bike, Eddie cleans up his place and tries to remove all memories of Venom, something that people do to move forward from an ended relationship. Meanwhile, Venom goes to some Halloween rave to party his feelings away and ends up talking about Eddie the entire time and then goes outside to be sad about not being with Eddie anymore. Also at some point he gets hit on by a woman and is absolutely horrified. Eventually the two end up back together with a rather chaotic apology and Dan mentions to Anne that they (Venom and Eddie) need couples counseling. In the end of the film both somewhat confess their love for each other, though Eddie’s moment is in the deleted scenes. And for the Marvel comics fans out there, we get a glimpse into Ravencroft!

Overall: I absolutely loved this movie and always have a good laugh while watching it. Sony has figured out exactly how to create Venom content and, with the help of Tom Hardy, have made the movies fun for the audience while sticking to the comics as best as they can. I don’t think these movies get enough credit and we need to appreciate the tone Sony has set up for these characters/films. They’ve found their niche and are expanding into more Spider-Man characters, and hopefully bringing back Andrew for one more movie!

Bloopers and Extras: I have the physical Blu-Ray DVD because streaming these movies isn’t always an option, so I was able to see all of the bloopers, the behind-the-scenes, and the deleted scenes. Blooper reels are always fun to watch because you get to see the cast and crew goofing off or trying to make each other laugh. Actors trying to shake off forgetting a line or making themselves laugh is a good laugh for the audience as well! Plus, everyone ends up dancing for some reason! As for the deleted scenes, they had some interesting titles but only a few had interesting content. There was a different mugging scene, an extension of their breakup, more of the demented love story between Cletus and Shriek, a mention of the Unholy Trinity, and an extended beach love scene where Venom is going on about Eddie loving him and he caves and says “maybe a little” before it pulls away. 

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