Movie/TV Show Reviews:

• 

  Although the motivations of the characters were not the strongest point of the first part of the adventures of Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and Venom, it is worth remembering why the gluttonous alien decided not only to stay on Earth, but above all to save it from the invasion of his kin. There is a scene in "Venom" in which the titular newcomer reveals his reasons to a journalist: "On my planet I'm a loser like you, but here we can do better." So Venom has very specific plans. No more being a pushover, it's time to be a hero! The beginning of "Venom 2: Carnage", however, shows how little of these plans are left. There is definitely less head food than a carnivorous alien could wish for. He even looks at the chickens in an endearing way now - after all, the couple of birds are called Sonny and Cher, how could he hurt them? No, eating a cute duo is out of the question. Venom tamed, however, is Venom frustrated. After all, he promised himself great adventures, but this bore Eddie undermines all his great ideas (like sucking the brains of a random pickpocket in a dark alley). While in the first part the creators had to present the process of the birth of the relationship between the symbiote and its host, in the second we get an old, good marriage. Eddie and Venom know each other's vices and habits very well. One day they have a heated argument, the next the alien's sticky tentacles are frying eggs for reconciliation. The bromance between the main characters is basically the crux of the film and its most important source of humor. What worked in the previous installment of the story about an unusual friendship works perfectly here as well. If it wasn't for the witty dialogues and arguments between the two buddies, it would be hard to get a positive note for Serkis's painting. Therefore, the new "Venom" is best approached as a comedy or a classic buddy movie. In terms of plot, the film is quite pale, there are no interesting plot twists and unconventional solutions. The plot of the villain, Cletus Kasady, seems to be more interesting than the story of the scientist with the God Complex in the first part of the saga, but Woody Harrelson deserves a lot of credit for that. Of course, this is not the most outstanding creation in his career, but those who have seen films with Harrelson know that he is flawless in playing the roles of eccentrics ("Natural Born Killers", "Scandalist Larry Flynt", "Zombieland"). It is interesting that the filmmakers develop as many as three love threads. The first, and at the same time the most conventional, is the story of Anne (Michelle Williams), Eddie's ex-girlfriend and good-natured doctor Dan (Reid Scott). The second is quite perversely the relationship between Eddie and Venom, because although there is no romantic element in it, at the end of the day friendship turns out to be the best remedy for a broken heart. The last thread is the story of Cletus's first love, which Serkis leads partly in the convention of a road movie, because here we get two outcasts (a psychopath and a mutant) escaping from the police in a stolen car. "Venom 2: Carnage" has no ambition to break down the structures on which superhero cinema is based. He walks a safe path, based mainly on a comic duo of bickering buddies. But maybe that's what we need right now? The truth is that Serkis' film is doing better in cinemas than all other productions since the beginning of the pandemic, even surpassing "Black Widow". It's not a movie you'll think about long after you've seen it. It's a safe choice for those of us who just want to have fun, sit back with a box of popcorn and watch Tom Hardy save the world again.

  12/20/2022