Venom: Let There be Carnage

A monstrous box office hit hiding a love story under its brutal surface.

To begin with, the definition of carnage perfectly describes this creative film. Directed by Andy Serkis (you remember his role as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, don’t you?), you watch Eddie (Tom Hardy) and Venom battle serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) and Carnage for 1 ½ hours.

Sure there are some cheesy moments, but you really don’t care. The special effects will hold your attention from beginning to end.

Cletus is played with reprehensible charm by Mr. Harrelson. He even finds a way to tell a funny story about how he landed on death row following a serial killer career that began by killing his mother and grandmother. He is a villain in need of a nasty death.

But while this movie centers on the raging fight between Hardy’s Venom and Carnage as noted, you watch a love story develop on several levels that will warm your shocked hearts. Harrelson and Naomie Harris’ Shriek are a romantic duo that simply seek to escape confinement to end up in each other’s arms. Their commitment would have made the devil weep.

But it is the relationship of Hardy’s Eddie Brock and the parasitic Venom that will leave you thinking that you are watching a remake of the “Odd Couple”. Eddie’s former lover Anne (Michelle Williams) has found a new guy (Reid Scott) who is not possessed by a brain hungry symbiote. Eddie and Venom are left forming a friendship that will leave you smiling at the most unexpected moments.

However, it is the end credits that captured the attention of most viewers. You get a glimpse into Venom’s past that leaves you hoping that their relationship has a romantic future. Regardless, their future involves an encounter with Spiderman so sequels await movie lovers like me.