Venom: Let There Be Carnage is a slim, quick, 90-minute machine director Andy Serkis.
In confirming the runtime of one hour 30 mins, a bit shorter than the 1-hour 52-minute Venom, Serkis says Venom 2 is a thrilling adventure that doesn’t waste any time in getting to the primary battle between the lethal guardian Venom (Tom Hardy) and the ultra-lethal villain Carnage (Woody Harrelson).
Serkis explains the runtime length of the movie
In an interview with IGN during an Instagram Q&A before the release of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe spin-off swings into theatres on October 1st. Serkis will explain the reasons why Venom 2 is a nimble 90 minutes.
“It was all the time going to be a [leaner]. We’ve always wanted the movie to be a truly thrilling ride. Also, a quick, strong film … that isn’t tying in exposition too much,” Serkis said.
“But with that said, I believe that what we’ve achieved is the right balance between being able to drop anchor with all the characters to make you feel like you’re completely engaged in them and that you’re not rushing to the next action or battle section.”
The sequel, composed by Kelly Marcel from a story she co-wrote with her star and producer Hardy and producer Hardy, was conscious of wanting to “get Carnage into the story at a certain point, and they wanted to not go on for too long before they could do that.”
However, Venom 2 is, as Serkis says is a love story between Symbiote and host. “By similar tokens, at the center of this film is the amazing bond with Eddie as well as Venom,” explained Serkis. “And therefore, we didn’t want to sort of rush through it.”
#Venom2 director Andy Serkis confirms a 90-minute runtime for #VenomLetThereBeCarnage: https://t.co/cT9FUmoRtx pic.twitter.com/aMW4x1fXBp
— ComicBook.com (@ComicBook) September 19, 2021
Finding the balance of the film
When serial killer Cletus Kasady (Harrelson) bonds with a blood-red symbiote to unleash maximum carnage — as much as is allowed by a PG-13 rating — the odd-couple comedy culminates in a vicious symbiote-versus-symbiote showdown.
Finding the right balance in making edits for Venom 2 is “about finding the right tone to ensure that viewers always seemed like the comedy was backed by genuine emotion, pathos, and real emotions,” Serkis said.
“You are enticed by. For instance, when Carnage becomes real, Eddie is hiding in the tiniest of places and trying to locate him. This created its internal intensity, and speed was impossible to escape.”
Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment/YouTube