Many claim that Venom: Let There Be Carnage deserves an R-rating, but it’s actually not necessary. For a long time, it was unclear which rating the MPAA would go with, but now it’s been made official: Venom 2 will be a PG-13 film.

According to the MPAA, the Venom sequel receives this rating for “intense sequences of violence and action, some strong language, disturbing material, and suggestive references”. This isn’t all that surprising, considering that its predecessor was rated PG-13 for similar reasons. However, not all are in agreement that this is the direction Venom: Let There Be Carnage should have taken. Movies like Deadpool showing that R-rated superhero movies can work has led to a greater interest in future films set in the genre taking more risks and leaning into darker territory. With Venom being an anti-hero of questionable morals, there was some expectation that the Venom films would follow Deadpool down this road.

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The inclusion of Carnage as the main villain further contributed to the calls for an R-rating, but even with him involved, Venom 2 can still succeed as a PG-13 movie. It’s true of course that Woody Harrelson’s Cletus Kasady being a deranged serial killer is going to require Venom 2 to feature a significant amount of gore, but the movie can do that in an efficient way without pushing it to an R-rating. The movie is said to have “intense sequences of violence”, which will allow Venom 2 to depict Carnage in a manner that’s true to the spirit of the comic book character.

Venom in Venom Let There Be Carnage

In the comics, Carnage has had some outrageously horrendous things, such as the times he gouged out people’s eyes, committed mass murder, and generally staying true to his namesake. And Venom – who can be a bit gruesome in his own right – has had his fair share of dark moments. Venom: Let There Be Carnage can accurately capture these elements of the two characters by pushing the boundaries of the PG-13 rating, but without going beyond it. Looking at the level of violence Venom was able to get away with, Venom: Let There Be Carnage shouldn’t have any problem being an action-packed gorefest. It can’t be loaded with F-bombs and bodily explosions like Deadpool and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squadof course, but that’s not going to have much of an impact on the actual quality of the movie.

As the studio likely expects, the rating should be a boon to its box office performance, since it opens it up to younger audiences. This paid off tremendously for the first movie, which ultimately raked in over $850 million. So in regards to its MPAA rating, it only makes sense for Venom: Let There Be Carnage to repeat what worked for the first film.

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