I’ll say this: if you enjoyed the Venom/Eddie bromance stuff in the first film then you’ll like this because it takes that and basically makes it the center piece of the film. If you also enjoy silly/absurd films then this film will be right down your alley. As for me, I’m not a fan of how either of those things were handled so it just wasn’t my type of film.
This really was exactly what I wanted it to be: a better version of the first one, that leans into what made it good with some upgrades and less fat. It’s funnier more consistently, shorter, with the cool stuff being more badass, and an actual theme (relationships & unity vs chaos). I get the couple people mentioning the editing, but it’s really just the first 10-15 min that feels weirdly rushed. Which, a “better” film would’ve restructured the first half hour with another ten minutes or so added to establish the Eddie-Cletus relationship better… but, I’m cool with it as is. Being only 97 min instead of the common 2+ hrs of these films is refreshing and will ultimately make this more rewatchable long term. Shriek was such a great addition. I love that they took ideas that are in the comics and extrapolated them out for Carnage’s story that, while not 100% “accurate” in every way, ultimately made a ton of sense, in a “duh!” kinda way. Also, love that they explain nothing of her power outside of it being a mutation. Marvel Studios will never get the whole “mutants are just there; deal with it” thing this well, lol. The queer party was a lot more on the nose than I expected (not sure why I thought the queerness would be subtext instead of playfully blunt, lol), and honestly a highlight of the film for me. Honestly, another way that this is probably more Marvel mutant than I expect Marvel Studios to let their X-Men be. The Carnage design and action was basically exactly what I wanted it to be. In the comics I like that he’s more human-sized typically, but in this case they nailed the general aesthetic while letting him be what he needed to be for the first film’s Venom. The first Carnage transformation and action sequence that was posted her earlier ruled. Oops, gotta go to work, to be continued.
Another quick thought: Hilarious that they literally straight up recreated the Peter/Gwen tower scene from the end of ASM2, except Venom actually succeeds. Tom Hardy went “RIP Gwen but I’m different.”
I agree with the Carnage design, seeing it in stills or promos didn’t show the fluidity chaos it had throughout the film. The Carnage tornado was probably one of my favorite scenes. What are your thoughts about the end credit scene and where things may go from there?
I really liked this. The Eddie Venom dynamic was a lot of fun, I need more time with those 2 characters just hanging out.
I’d take an entire film of Eddie and Venom interacting with each other. No villain needed. Instead we’re going to get Holland and Eddie
My main impression, based solely on the credit scene: I don’t think Tom Holland is in Venom 3. I think Tom Hardy is in No Way Home. I have to caveat that by saying, the intersection of Marvel and Sony has spent a lot of time in flux and will probably continue to do so, which means it’s hard to predict anything. And, there’s stuff from outside of that scene which I could use as a strong counter argument. Still… it’s conspicuous that, after “Planet of the Symbiotes” was listed as an influence for the first film, this scene had Venom starting to tell Eddie about bigger cosmic symbiote things. And, when the warp interrupted that, Venom was just as confused as Eddie. Factor in Mulligan (who has a symbiote in the comics) having weird eyes at the end, and it starts to seem like the trilogy is building towards a symbiote invasion film. Venom in NWH is a bit tricky in that, with how leaky that film’s been, it’s weird to think that somehow hasn’t come up as much as Charlie Cox, the villains, and the other Spider-Men. But, the credit scene was apparently a very, very late decision, and NWH stuff was supposedly being shot as recently as August. Since Venom is full CGI, it wouldn’t take a lot to sneak him in there.
I started working at a movie theater again today, and these shows were packed (more than expected). Also I haven't been around so many maskless CHUDs in nearly 2 years so I'm definitely going to die of COVID soon, please avenge me.
Me personally, I don't see this happening unless he's in some kind of post-credits stinger, mainly because this movie already has a lot going on. The villains for NWH, although unconfirmed, have long been suggested to be Dr. Octopus, Green Goblin, Sandman, Lizard, Electro, and Rhino. This would make sense because if Tobey and Andrew are in the film, then they can elaborate on their respective villains. Throwing Venom into the mix, with no one but Venom himself to explain anything about who he is, what his deal is, etc., especially since he's not an out-and-out villain like the others, sounds like way too much to throw into the mix on top of everything else. It would make more sense to have him in a stinger and set up for a future Spider-Man vs. Venom movie, where they can really dig into the characters and give them more room to maneuver. Plus, from a marketing perspective, I would absolutely expect Sony and Disney both to want to capitalize on the hype they can create out of a potential grudge match, rather than have Venom be "also appearing" in a film stuffed with characters.
What do I have to do to convince @Jason Tate to let me develop my thoughts on this film into a proper review for Chorus dot fm? lol, but also, really.