Venom: Let There Be Carnage — has Sony and Marvel’s fractured relationship affected the franchise?
The second instalment in the Venom franchise, Let There Be Carnage, once again leans into the audience’s willingness to escape into a world of fantasy.
Andy Serkis has been drafted in to direct this sequel in an attempt to build on what was an underwhelming first film. His recruitment is likely a nod to Sony and Marvel’s decision to join forces following years of tension surrounding legal rights to characters.
Serkis, who previously worked for Marvel when appearing in Black Panther and Avengers: Age of Ultron, attempts to bridge the gap in standard between previous Sony projects by using the typical goofy humour and explosive action you already associate with the genre.
Unfortunately, it falls rather short in both of those aspects, resulting in a melting pot of awkward jokes and loud noises that will soon see the film forgotten about when Marvel releases another extravagant, guaranteed to be successful project.
The biggest revelation that comes out of the luckily short 90-minute run time is the end credit scene, which reveals Tom Hardy’s Venom will now be a part of the rapidly growing Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Luckily for the diehard fans and avid cinema goers who continue to empty their pockets for these ionic comic-book characters, this means Hardy will no doubt be appearing alongside Tom Holland’s Spider-Man for years to come. Both actors now seemingly locked in for the future, December will see Sony and Marvel team up again to bring us one of the year’s most anticipated films: Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The fractious partnership between the two companies all stems from the extremely popular and profitable character of Spider-Man.
When a major deal between the two fell through in 2019, there was serious concern that Holland’s wall crawler would never be seen alongside other heroes on the big screen again. But in April of this year Sony and Marvel finally put aside their differences and inked a deal that would see characters belonging to both parties appear in future projects.
All of this brings us to the title question about the franchise. Sadly, it’s not as simple as a yes or no answer. Although the Venom films have not been perfect, we all still pile into the cinema eager to watch.
And with the healing process now in full effect, things are looking as promising as ever for fans and studios alike.
