Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Parents say
Based on 13 reviews
Kids say
Based on 65 reviews
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Venom: Let There Be Carnage is the sequel to 2018's Venom, with Tom Hardy returning as Eddie, the reporter who's also host to a scary, fanged alien symbiote known as Venom (the character was originally an enemy of Spider-Man). Like the first movie, this one suffers from forced humor, shouting, and lots of noisy smashing. Violence includes mass destruction, many minor characters being killed in bloodless ways, fighting, smashing, pounding, brutal attacks, eye-gouging, strangling, biting, bullying, and some guns and shooting. An animated flashback shows the worst violence, in cartoon form: murders, abuse, and bullying. Two characters kiss briefly but passionately, a woman's naked bottom is seen in the cartoon sequence, and a woman with an ulterior motive flirts with Venom and calls him sexy. Fairly strong language includes a use of "f--k," plus "s--t," "son of a bitch," "a--hole," "p---y," and more.
Community Reviews
Long, meandering, pointless and violent
Report this review
Funny entertaining sequel is not as violent as the original.
Report this review
What's the Story?
In VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is still learning how to live as a host to alien symbiote Venom, but his career is going well, even if his former partner, Anne (Michelle Williams), has announced that she's going to marry Dr. Dan (Reid Scott). Eddie is asked to visit the cell of imprisoned serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson). Kasady promises to let Eddie have an exclusive on his life story if he'll print a message that's intended to go to Kasady's true love, Frances Barrison (Naomie Harris), who's secretly imprisoned for possession of a deadly super-power. But Venom finds a clue to the location of one of Kasady's victims, which condemns Kasady to execution. During Eddie's final visit to his cell, Kasady bites the reporter and swallows some of his blood, turning him into Carnage, an even bigger and more deadly version of Venom. With both Carnage and Frances on the loose, Eddie must make peace with his other half and save the day.
Is It Any Good?
With poorly chosen "comedy" moments that consist mainly of shouting and action elements that are mainly noise and smashing, this sequel misses every chance to come together in a satisfying way. Directed Andy Serkis, Venom: Let There Be Carnage (which follows 2018's hit Venom) starts off with a supposedly comic situation, as Eddie and Venom argue and shout about how things are going to be. They're like a more violent, less funny version of Shrek and Donkey. The movie has no idea how to weave the situation of Venom occupying Eddie's body into clever or physical humor. It's all forced and graceless. Unlike, say, Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin in 1984's excellent body-sharing comedy All of Me, every attempt at a similar situation here -- such as Eddie ducking into a women's bathroom to argue with Venom -- falls completely flat.
As Carnage, Harrelson sometimes manages a few wry line-readings, but he also frequently stumbles on his chunky, villainous dialogue, as does Harris. (This is the kind of movie wherein one of Carnage's first lines is "Let's get this party started!") Normally a bold performer, Williams perhaps fares the worst of anyone in the cast; in her one big scene, Anne must use her "feminine wiles" to convince Venom that he's sexy, just before she's kidnapped and held captive for the rest of the movie. The action is a blur, with mounting destruction and no human interest or consequences. It's difficult to care as either buildings crumble or victims are dispatched. On the plus side, the Venom visual effects are quite impressive, and the movie is swiftly paced, which means it's over fairly quickly.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Venom: Let There Be Carnage's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
How has Venom changed over the course of the three movies, from Spider-Man 3 and the first Venom to this one? Did you like this version better? Worse? Why?
How do Eddie and Venom demonstrate teamwork? How does teamwork fit into the rest of the story?
When Detective Mulligan says that secrets are always trying to get out and that's why it's so hard to keep them, what does he mean? Is it good to keep secrets sometimes? Why, or why not?
The villains here begin their rampage by seeking revenge. What's the appeal of revenge? Does it ever solve anything?
Movie Details
- In theaters: October 1, 2021
- On DVD or streaming: December 14, 2021
- Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Woody Harrelson
- Director: Andy Serkis
- Studio: Sony Pictures Releasing
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Superheroes, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires, Space and Aliens
- Run time: 90 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: intense sequences of violence and action, some strong language, disturbing material and suggestive references
- Last updated: July 1, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love comic books
Themes & Topics
Browse titles with similar subject matter.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate