Peter James Mann
There Will Be Carnage
Eddie Brock and our favorite symbiote are back! Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage comes out TODAY! As is my current tradition here on the site, here are my top picks for flicks to watch before you head to theaters this weekend!
1. Venom
You should definitely see the first film, well, first. It establishes this film’s universe, introduces us to all the major players, and we get to see what makes Tom Hardy so great as Eddie Brock and the title symbiote.
Fledgling reporter Eddie Brock is on the verge of an earth-shattering story only to be attached to it himself, literally, when the symbiote Venom binds with Eddie’s body. What results is a surprisingly funny and fun ride. Yes, it has RomCom vibes, which can be a bit of an odd choice sometimes. But it’s a wonderful 180 from our next film’s take on Venom.
2. Spider-Man 3
Man is this a rough watch, especially now. While some 00s films once panned have become accepted over the years (looking at you, Star Wars Episodes 1-3), this one is still rough.
It has moments, especially with The Sandman, which feels like there was more heart put into his story. Venom, for the most part, feels tacked on and overly serious. It’s actually a fantastic contrast to Tom Hardy and highlights all the right and wrong choices made through the years.
3. Legend
Tom Hardy has played different characters in a relationship before, including all the way back to 2015’s Legend: a crime film about two twin brothers, one a suave and sophisticated businessman while the other is an unstable thug. It shows not only the versatility of Hardy, but how able he is to play against himself.
There is a level of self-deprecating comments and humor that seem to come out both here and in Venom, but it is definitely more pronounced, and more romantically leaning, between Eddie and Venom. If you haven’t seen this movie, it’s a great British crime film.
War for The Planet of The Apes
Andy Serkis has worked with Woody Harrelson once before, but as Caesar in the reboot of the Planet of the Apes films. In War for the Planet of the Apes, Woody plays the colonel leading the human resistance in the film and he is just as menacing there as well.
Directed by Matt Reeves (who is also helming the upcoming The Batman), this film is genuinely brilliant. It’s one of my favorites of the rebooted series. The colonel is genuinely heartless, cunning, and shows Harrelson’s ability to play really dark characters. But, of course, his upcoming role has a lot of parallels with one of Harrelson’s most iconic performances.
5. Natural Born Killers
Oliver Stone’s cult classic and Tarantino’s bane, Natural Born Killers is the script that made QT decide to become a director in his own right, thinking that the film was butchered by Stone. It’s Bonnie and Clyde through Tarantino’s eyes and much, much darker.
However, what Stone brought to the table is a 90s acid trip crime film with one of Harrelson’s craziest performances. When we see him this weekend as Cletus Kasedy, he’ll be drawing a lot from this character, Mickey Knox. Regardless of how you might think this movie should have been handled, it’s still worth a watch.
6. Deadpool
There have been some parallels between Tom Hardy’s Venom and Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, and for good reason. Both properties have dark, wacky humor mixed with a good amount of action and gore. Both are propped up, rightfully so, by the rabid support of fervent fan bases.
Deadpool, I found, pairs well with Venom as a double feature. If they were able to be on screen together, I could not imagine the blooper reel. Please, Disney and Sony, make this happen.
7. The Thing
For those of us who want to know what an R-rated Venom would look like at its extreme, look no further than 1982’s The Thing. If you want body horror, this is your film.
An alien lifeform replicating and living inside its host is taking over a research team in Antarctica. The Thing even operates a little like a symbiote. I wouldn’t be surprised if it served, at least somewhat, as an inspiration for how Venom operates. Especially how the “blood” of the thing can be pretty much anything, even sharp claws and teeth.
Well, that’s all for this week. I hope you get a chance to see Venom 2: Let There be Carnage this weekend! I hope I do too!
