Story
Eddie (Tom Hardy) and the alien symbiote, Venom (voice of Tom Hardy), that he’s hosting are still working out how to get along and how to share a body. Although Eddie’s former girlfriend, Anne (Michelle Williams), is with someone else, Eddie’s career is going well. He has landed an exclusive interview with an infamous serial killer, Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson).
During Eddie’s initial interview with Cletus, Venom uncovers a clue to the location of the bodies of Cletus’s victims. Eddie gets the credit, and Cletus is sentenced to death. In a final interview, Cletus bites Eddie and ingests some of Venom’s blood. This transforms Cletus into Carnage (voice of Woody Harrelson), a far more deadly and lethal version of Venom.
Cletus escapes from prison and sets off to find Frances Barrison (Naomie Harris), a long-lost lover from whom he was ruthlessly separated. Frances has a deadly super-scream that has kept her locked up for years.
When Cletus sets Frances free, Eddie and Venom must set aside their differences and work together to defeat a pair who might seem more powerful but who aren’t as perfectly matched.
Themes
Parasites; alien life forms; childhood trauma; serial killing; revenge
Violence
Venom: Let There Be Carnage has frequent violence. For example:
- Frances screams at a police officer, who shoots her in the head and throws her out of a moving van.
- Venom erupts from the side of Eddie’s neck and tries to eat a police officer.
- Eddie and Venom fight together in a toilet cubicle.
- Venom says that he’ll remove a man’s head and use it for bowling.
- Venom eats some chickens.
- A mass grave is discovered. This is where Cletus buried the bodies of the people he killed.
- Cletus pushes his wheelchair-ridden grandmother down the stairs to her death.
- Cletus electrocutes his mother.
- Cletus’s father brutally beats him as a child.
- Boys beat Cletus. Frances saves him by screaming.
- Cletus attacks and bites Eddie.
- Venom headbutts Eddie twice. They smash each other into furniture and a refrigerator. They throw stuff out the window, and Venom strangles Eddie.
- Venom destroys Eddie’s bike and rides off in another body, flipping the rude finger.
- Cletus is strapped to a chair and given a lethal injection.
- Cletus and Carnage smash up the prison.
- Carnage stabs his tongue down a man’s throat.
- Carnage creates a whirling tornado inside the prison. He sucks the warden into its centre and eats him. Cletus says, ‘Warden, you tasted just like ham’.
- There is a decapitated body.
- A truck is thrown over a bridge.
- Cletus kicks a shop assistant in the head. He repeatedly smashing the man into the ground and stomps on him until he’s dead.
- A character threatens another and says, ‘I will slice your face into a pie’.
- Carnage kills the guards at a secret facility. Police shoot at Carnage and Cletus and then are killed. Helicopters come down in fiery explosions. Scientists and police lie dying or dead everywhere in the aftermath.
- Carnage and Venom fight in a cathedral. They stab, throw, punch and impale each other.
- A character has his eye poked out while he screams.
- A character tries to burn Carnage.
- Eddie and Cletus fight, smashing and punching each other as they wrestle. Cletus tries to smash Eddie with a hammer while telling him that he’ll watch Anne die.
- Venom is stabbed in the leg as he tries to save Anne. Venom is choked, stabbed and suffocated. He’s repeatedly impaled through the chest.
- A large bell knocks Frances down and crushes her.
- Venom eats Carnage.
- Venom bites off Cletus’s head.
Sexual references
Venom: Let There Be Carnage has some sexual references. For example:
- A woman tells Venom he looks sexy.
- Anne has to convince Venom that he’s attractive to get him to help her.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Venom: Let There Be Carnage shows some use of substances. For example:
- Many characters seem to be vomiting or drunk.
- Eddie seems to have a hangover and tells Venom that he can fix it.
Nudity and sexual activity
Venom: Let There Be Carnage has some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- A cartoon figure is shown standing up in a bath tub, naked from behind. She’s then electrocuted by her son.
- Frances and Cletus kiss passionately as Carnage wraps his tentacle-like arms around her cell, crushing it and pulling her closer into Cletus’ embrace.
Product placement
Ketchup is named and used in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, although the product itself isn’t shown.
Coarse language
There is some coarse language in Venom: Let There Be Carnage.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is the sequel to the 2018 movie Venom by Marvel studios. This movie is full of fast-paced action and violence but is somehow lacking in depth. It isn’t a family movie. Rather, it’s best suited to Marvel fans and mature audiences.
The main message from Venom: Let There Be Carnage is that sometimes the most unlikely partners can make a pretty good team.
Values in Venom: Let There Be Carnage that you could reinforce with your children include teamwork, forgiveness, courage, persistence and tolerance.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage could also give you the chance to talk about the real-life consequences of things like:
- the use of violence to sort out conflict
- child abuse
- bullying
- murder, especially for families left behind.