VENOM RETURNS.

After absorbing a part of Venom, serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) becomes a powerful enemy for Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his split personality.

This sequel keeps the running time mercifully short, and has lively moments, but doesn’t really do anything that makes it any better than the first movie. That film had a showdown with a villain called Riot, this time the name is Carnage. The effect is the same: mostly tiring.

In spite of nods to Natural Born Killers, neither Harrelson nor his lover are particularly engaging. 

2021-U.S. 97 min. Color. Directed by Andy Serkis. Story: Tom Hardy, Kelly Marcel. Cast: Tom Hardy (Eddie Brock/Venom), Michelle Williams (Anne Weying), Woody Harrelson (Cletus Kasady/Carnage), Naomie Harris, Reid Scott, Stephen Graham. 

Trivia: Co-produced by Hardy; co-executive produced by Ruben Fleischer, who was initially attached as director. Travis Knight was considered as director. Followed by Venom: The Last Dance (2024).