Serkis is Symbiote

Leave it to the man who basically created cinematic internal monologues to direct a Venom movie with such smooth skill. Andy Serkis, the quiet movie giant of the past 20 years, starting with the role of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings (a big step in the now popular artform of motion capture) takes the reins from previous director, Ruben Fleischer.

The first Venom film came out to a strong box office yet mixed reactions. It was comical yet felt overstuffed and never really connected to its core. It was a disjointed action film that never seemed to decide if it wanted to be a standalone film or part of its bigger universe. Its sequel however, completes the best choices a sequel could make, getting rid of the weak points and focusing on its strengths.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage, picks off where the first film leaves off, with Woody Harrelson's serial killer, Cletus Kassady. Giving some back story on its villain, the story moves back over to journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) who is having some couple issues with his symbiotic alien inside of him, Venom. Brock is still struggling with his fallen carer/ life while Venom is struggling to adapt to poultry as a diet. Things start to change when Brock makes headway with a case regarding Kassady with Venom's expert assistance. The duo then has to face the truth about their partnership but also Kassady's new source of power, Carnage.

Carnage is short and simple. After the mistakes of the first one, this story truly embraces what it is, a dark comedy. It is neither a superhero story or dissertation on villianhood. Brock knows he is not a typical hero and Venom knows that too. Serkis also understands the relationship between CGI and story crafting so well that nothing is lost within the special effects heavy action and title character. Running at barely over 90 minutes and with a minimal main cast, Carnage never feels like overkill (literally) and it provides a good amount of emotion and comedy so nothing is lost. Serkis doesn't make his movie feel like it's trying to compete with the superhero films that bookend the movie. While it is worth it to stay through the credits for some typical hype, Carnage can exist perfectly on its own.

It is definitely Hardy's performance that anchors the story. Pulling double duty with his CGI alien co-star, his comedic chops are by far the best part of the film. Michelle Williams returns as Brock's former love interest who is dealing with moving on from aliens but also wanting to help Brock. Naomi Harris joins the cast as Shriek, unfortunately, a character who isn't given much to do besides motive for Kassady. Harrelson's entrance to the comic book world was a bit disconcerting at first but Kassady is a psycho serial killer on the run with his girlfriend so it began to feel normal. The movie benefits from its smaller cast as it allows the film to focus neatly without distractions.

Carnage almost seems like a fresh drink of water in the almost overwhelming superhero genre. It is not a parody but it also doesn't seem to care about the genre it has naturally been put thrust into. It enjoys itself and balances the act of respecting the audiences' intelligence while also knowing the importance of laughing. Serkis has been been a constant fixture in cinema, showing up again and again, never disappointing. It seems like a perfect twist of fate that he starts to make his impact in the Hollywood director's year official. Carnage is an overall satisfying cinema experience from start to finish for any fan of action and/or comedy.