Venom: Let There Be Carnage - Big, dumb fun

I have to confess that I've forgotten a lot of what went on in the original film.  In fact, I think that's the point - it was pretty forgettable, but not in a bad way.  I quite like superhero films and it ticked every box, without being that memorable (and having a particularly dark final battle).  I guess 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' is more of the same.

Tom Hardy is, as you'd probably expect if you've seen him in anything else, great value for money as the protagonist, journalist Eddie Brock, who's been given a juicy story to write, courtesy of an imprisoned serial killer, played by Woody Harrelson.  Unfortunately, during a visit Woody takes a bite - literally - out of Hardy, transferring a little bit of the 'symbiote' alien that lives within the mild-mannered journalist.  So, you're left with the never ending trope of an antagonist with similar powers to the hero.

I think a lot of die-hard Venom fans (of which I'm not) lamented this as a wasted opportunity, as they were expecting Venom and Carnage (Harrelson's symbiote) to go head to head throughout most of the movie.  As it turned out they only real go toe to toe in the final showdown.  The bulk of the film is spent with Tom Hardy and Venom bickering between themselves as to whether they should embrace a life of crime-fighting, or try and suppress it.  This is actually quite fun, but if you've tuned in to see a royal rumble and get given a sit-com, then you're going to be a bit disappointed.

I quite enjoyed 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage' for all its flaws.  Hardy and Harrelson are both heavyweight enough to make the film at least enjoyable, if not that memorable.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that