To put it plainly and lay my cards on the table from the off-set, it is almost undeniable to me that the finest asset that Venom 2 has in it’s arsenal is the most enviable position of knowing exactly what it is, for the most part anyway. There is a wink and nod about this film that somehow manages to remove the pretentions and self-importance of the era of IP we have been living in for a while now. I can also however say assuredly that I will never see this film again, however I can’t deny that I had a perfectly enjoyable time at the cinema, although it will be a soon forgotten one, in the case of this Tom Hardy sequel.

Credit

Before I continue with my review I have to say that everything I’m saying here has to be punctuated every time with the comment “this is however saved by the films running time of 90 minutes”. I really cannot express to one just how refreshing it is that this film flew by. When it came to the finale I realised just how exciting it was that this was gonna be it and that there wasn’t gonna be another hour leading up without tension to another dull huge fight. The first ten minutes of this film in regards to plot mechanics and economy were so refreshing and blissful frankly. Now again this is seriously not to say that the script itself is anything to praise too greatly, but I do feel this is a case for the sort of comic book logic that gets brought in to justify other lesser films. Time after time terrible movies are passed off critically because some fans make their justifications referring to the ethereal concept of comic-book logic. However these problems are all still within a huge budget 2 and a half hour blockbuster from a major studio, not some issue of a long-running series long since jumped the shark. Of course this has its budget and its stars and its studio, but the 90 minutes of it all makes it feel genuine in its attempt at bringing one singular story/issue to the screen. For me in this very particular case the film succeeded.

Credit

When actors are having fun in their performance, we often have fun too. There is often a palpable sensibility around the performance that makes it just as enjoyable to watch as it most likely was to perform. Time after time in this film the wackiness of turns by Tom Hardy and Woody Harrlesson are visible and it was indeed rather refreshing to return to an over-the-topness that we have been missing for many years in these overly self-serious comic book bore-fests. I understand of course to no end that I am in the minority when it comes to preferring this to the latest Marvel movie (which for the record I have given up on wasting my time with, you’ll know when I see a next one), but this flew by whereas those other films haven’t for a very, very long time. One of the films biggest changes from the first was the introduction of Andy Serkis as director, a rightfully exciting prospect, however beyond the elements of tone and pacing that I have already praised. I can’t exactly continue in my praising of the direction itself, the action was all fine and each set piece felt different from the last in many ways, however none of them really stood out and as I sit here now I struggle to remember any particular beats of each battle. Serkis’s touch has clearly helped this sequel in many ways, but perhaps disappointingly not in others.

 -

An extremely knowing comic book farce 6/10. I had a pretty great time with Venom 2 and although it may lack character arcs of any kind or any sort of intrigue in its plot and characters, it does have 90 joyful minutes of over-the-top performances and wonderfully melodramatic lines of dialogue. Without a doubt this review would be nowhere near as positive if this was even a half hour longer, the brevity of the film in this tight 90 format leaves one feeling like a nice small lunch meal has finished, rather than in the case of many blockbusters currently, that one has consumed a banquet so huge and self-indulgent that one can barley sit anymore to see the dessert menu (after-credits scene in these cases).

P.S. Lovely little Reece Shearsmith appearance that took me by surprise and gave me another brief smile, with a delightfully a touch over-the-top American accent. A bit like Hugh Dennis bizarrely popping up in No Time to Die. I can only hope that this string of oddly out of the blue brit comedy appearances continue for the foreseeable.