Venom: Let There Be Carnage Review - 5 Ups & 5 Downs

Though Venom didn't receive much love from critics back in 2018, it sure was embraced by audiences, grossing a wildly unexpected $856.1 million worldwide, launching a fully-fledged franchise in the process.

Three years on, the sequel has "finally" arrived, with prior director Ruben Fleischer substituted out for Andy Serkis, while the majority of the ensemble cast returns.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is not a great or even particularly good movie, but it does at least offer incremental improvements over what came before, and if nothing else should satisfy those many who seemingly enjoyed the original.

Thanks to the fine efforts of a totally game Tom Hardy and director Serkis sensibly keeping the pace lightning-fast, the Venom sequel certainly isn't a chore to sit through, even if it's unlikely to win the franchise any new converts.

Given the solid critical uptick compared to the first film and its already-strong box office performance, fans probably won't have to wait long for the inevitable threequel to be announced, which going by that mid-credits scene could be something very special indeed.

But first, here's where Venom: Let There Be Carnage makes some missteps...