Venom: Let There Be Carnage

In the bonus scene at the end of the first Venom movie, fans were teased with the special appearance of Cletus Kasady; a deranged serial killer who would one day fuse with the spawn of the symbiote dwelling in Eddie Brock. The fusion would result in the deadly Carnage, whose red body is 10 times more powerful than that of the black alien being, Venom.

In this sequel from 2021, Venom and Eddie Brock are on the outs. Eddie is tired of being bonded to an alien creature that craves human brains. It hasn't been all bad, as Venom has helped Eddie regain some of the prestige he lost when his life spiraled out of control resulting in losing his investigative reporting job and girlfriend at the same time. Venom is growing bored with a diet of chocolate and raw chicken. But above all else, Venom wants to be appreciated for the ways he's changed Eddie's life for the better, despite a very schizophrenic living arrangement that puts Brock just a bit on edge. It all comes to a head when Venom takes off in search of a new host.

Eddie thinks that his life is finally getting back to normal. Maybe he'll even reconcile with his ex, Anne. However, it seems that Eddie and Venom are destined for each other once again when Kasady escapes from death row, bonded to Venom's DNA as the rampaging Carnage, and threatening to kill Anne unless Venom and Eddie sacrifice themselves to him!

Cletus Kasady/Carnage were the big draws for fans to hit the theaters. I admit, I was thrilled about the prospect when Woody Harrelson popped up on screen in the first film. But really what made this such an entertaining movie was the dialogue between Eddie Brock and Venom. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I learned that Venom was voiced not by Jai Michael White or Khary Payton but Eddie Brock himself, Tom Hardy! When a single actor plays 2 roles on screen at the same time, there's always a time lag that ruins the illusion. Yet, here, they've managed to make it work so seamlessly. And the two characters are written so well. I'd subscribe to a podcast of just Brock and Venom going back and forth at it. They're so hysterical together.

Another plus for the sequel is the director. CGI and blue screen icon Andy Serkis. I for one applaud his efforts. Finally, they're was a comic book movie that didn't use slo-mo during the action scenes. Plus, Serkis really seemed to understand the whole dual nature of both Venom and Carnage with their subsequent hosts. Which makes sense considering the troubled nature of Serkis' most iconic starring roll: Gollum/Smeagol!

Take out the credits, and Venom: Let There Be Carnage is 90 minutes of fun. It's also got a heavy true crime vibe to it as Brock tries to uncover where Cletus Kasady hid the bodies of all his victims during his murder spree. Really, it we could have just had Eddie and Venom kicking the crap out of each other and the crime angle, I would have been just fine with it as the movie. Harrelson's character actually was lessened when he fuses into Carnage. 

That's right: I could have done without the Carnage. I'd be a bigger fan of this movie without Kasady becoming Carnage. Though I doubt very many audiences would have shown up for Venom: Let There Be Cletus. 

There remains 1 more Venom film. I honestly can't believe that Let There Be Carnage came out in 2021. I could have sworn this film was from 2023. I didn't go to a lot of comic book films during the height of COVID and in a way I'm glad. So many haven't been all that great. With ticket prices being so freaking expensive, I'd rather wait a while and see it later on for free. I think I would have hated this movie if I paid $12 to see it in the theater. Besides, I obviously didn't wait that long to see it, since I thought it only came out about 18 months ago.

Worth Consuming!

Rating 8 out of 10 stars.

Black Panther

I finally got to see Black Panther. 

Last week it just wasn't in the cards as several church and civic groups had bought out all except the latest showings. It was the first time in years I was required to buy my tix ahead of time and it was the first time in decades that I actually had to stand in line to get into the theatres. 

So was it worth the hassle? For the most part, yes.

The film takes place somewhat immediately after the events of Captain America: Civil War. King T'Chaka is dead and Prince T'Challa is about to be crowned King. But before he can, T'Challa must entertain challengers to the throne, one of which is threatens to unlock secret sins from the past.

Black Panther is over two hours long and it's essentially two different films. The first hour has T'Challa earning his crown and then going on a mission to apprehend the dastardly Ulysses Klaue. Years ago, Klaue, played masterfully by Andy Serkis, stole vibranium from Wakanda and is seeking to sell some to the highest bidder in South Korea. 

With an exotic casino, alluring femme fatales, and tech from the dreams of James Bond, the first hour of Black Panther plays like a spy movie. This kind of action would make Nick Fury jealous. 

The second hour of the film was a mix of Lord of the Rings and The Lion King. Or maybe Hamlet. Wait a minute, The Lion King was based on Hamlet, so I stick with my earlier assessment. The climatic action takes place in a setting that looks like it was also the scene of a battle between elves and orcs. Plus, the battle rhinos that tossed around warriors like rag dolls looked a lot like the wargs in The Two Towers. 

Anyways, back to the Lion King/ Hamlet element. Well, I can't go too far into that as there's some major spoilers. What I will say is that Michael B. Jordan who plays Killmonger did a fantastic job as the sympathetic villain and has really come a long way as an actor since his days on Friday Night Lights.

The first half special effects were great. But the second half really showed it's CGI age and that's not good for Marvel if they don't start making improvements. This is definitely a film that is not going to look as good on TV as it will on the big screen.

Lastly, it was refreshing to have a more serious Marvel film for a change. The last two offerings, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2 and Thor: Ragnarok were comedies, no question.

That doesn't mean Black Panther didn't have some laughs. But this movie was more action and adventure and it was something that had been missing from the Marvel Cinematic Universe for quite some time.

Black Panther was a very good movie. Pay the extra couple of bucks to see it in 3-D. It won't make you sea sick or give you a migraine like some 3-D movies can. In fact, it might have even made some of that outdated CGI look better than if would have in regular format.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.