Eddie and Venom are the two key ingredients in this sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Well their turbulent, yet loving relationship is, which was the highlight of the previous film. Andy Serkis directs an action-packed sequel that gets downright to the business of the comedy and action of the film. The addition of Carnage played by Woody Harrelson is impressive, to say the least, where he's been given a good back story. The action is almost non-stop and the love between Eddie and Venom is certainly layered and deep, while at the same time having an energetic and comedic route. This sequel is wonderful and improves on the first film by a ton.
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Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Venom: Let There Be Carnage morphs to 4K from Sony and Columbia Pictures that has a 4K + Blu-ray combo pack, along with a Digital Code. The discs are housed inside a hard, black plastic case with a cardboard sleeve that features some amazing artwork of Venom and Carnage face to face. There is an insert for a digital copy as well.
NOTE: We weren't able to source 4K images before publication. When we can we'll zip back in and swap in some new images and if we can a video sample.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage comes with an excellent 2160p UHD 4K transfer with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 that looks excellent with its enhanced Dolby Vision/HDR10 upgrade.
To start the film, the color palette is dreary and drab with muted greens, blues, and grays inside police stations, offices, and insane asylums. There are few amber lighting conditions in this regard, but it looks great for its tone of a dark comedy that is icy cool on the surface. Inside Eddie's apartment, the color scheme is a little warmer with red brick walls and yellow note pad papers everywhere, and more home lighting. As the film plays out, Carnage comes into play and his red coloring brightens up the screen. The fire and explosions are well-lit up with orange, yellow and red that look great. The Dolby Vision allows the darker shadows of seedy alleyways and nighttime sequences that contrast nicely with the black levels of Venom himself, where it's easy to tell the difference between the night sky and Venom's color.
The EDM scene is ripe with bright neon colors of the concert-goers and the lighting of the locale, which is quite impressive. Skin tones are a little darker than normal, but it seems that's the tone of the film. The detail is vivid and sharp as well, even in these darker sequences. The CGI effects of Venom and Carnage are incredible, revealing every texture and skin imperfection nicely. Even Carnage's tongue looks exquisite as it kills its victims. Overall, the image is a bit darker, but that only accentuates the brighter red of Carnage. Lastly, there are no big issues with aliasing, banding, or noise.
This release comes with a wonderful Dolby Atmos track that hits all of the action beats perfectly. From the rainy city to the motorcycle engines and vehicles driving in the busy city, this sound design is excellent. The surround sound and use of all speakers come into play constantly with Venom's arms waving around rooms and trying to make dinner or trying to eat humans. Other ambient noises consist of people talking and screaming in the street, rainstorms, and other natural events.
The escape of Carnage inside the jail is fantastic with all the sounds of guards being destroyed and metal clinking. Explosions, gunshots, and the music of the film deliver the low end of bass that has a big rumble to it that never crosses into rocky territory. The height speakers bring a ton of sound effects that are robust and loud as Venom and carnage battle it out inside a fiery building. This Dolby Atmos track is wonderful, action-packed, and loud. The dialogue is always clean, clear and easy to follow and free of any audio problems.
There are 78 minutes of bonus material here, all of which are promo-type EKP interviews and behind-the-scenes featurettes. There are some funny and entertaining bits on the making of the film, along with some cool Easter Eggs.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a big improvement on the first film. Its short runtime, an affinity for comedy and action, and brilliant performances by Hardy and Harrelson are what make this sequel work so well. The 4K presentation with Dolby Vision looks great and is an upgrade from the 1080p HD version, although it's a darker-looking image. The Dolby Atmos track sounds triumphant and the bonus features are entertaining. Highly Recommended!
