Back before the days of cinematic universes, endless franchises, and multiple new shows a month, the world of superhero movies was a very different beast altogether. In the early 2000s, superhero movies didn’t care about how they could franchise or tie into an existing world. They instead focused on highlighting a few key elements that would get kids, and sometimes adults, hopping up and down in their seats. With the recent release of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, it's clear to see that the new Venom movies hark back to this simpler time, and they do it very well.

Superhero movies as a genre didn’t have the strongest start. While there were many attempts early on, such as Superman and the Mole Men in 1951 or Adam West’s Batman series from the 1960s, these didn’t always go over well and couldn’t quite scratch the itch of superhero fans. It wasn’t until 1978’s Superman with Christopher Reeve that audiences felt that they had finally gotten a true superhero movie. This trend of the occasional successful movie would continue until a new era emerged in the early 2000s.

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Beginning in the year 2000, superhero movies hit an unprecedented stride. With the release of movies such as X-Men, Spider-Man, and Hellboy, superhero movies had turned around from being occasional action movies featuring superheroes and instead emerged as a genre all their own. While this doesn’t mean every movie was necessarily a hit, they all fit into the same elements and ideas that set them apart. This style continued, despite the occasional stumbles, until the release of the first Iron Man in 2008. This year marked the beginning of the end for the old style of superhero movie, and the slow transition into what is seen now had begun.

When Venom was released in October of 2018, it was up against a tough market. The MCU was at its peak with Avengers: Infinity War having just released earlier that same year. These troubled waters led to Venom receiving fairly mixed reviews overall, with there seemingly being a wide dichotomy between people either loving the movie or hating it. This split among audiences certainly didn’t hurt the film however, as it grossed over 850 million dollars worldwide: essentially guaranteeing a sequel would be made.

The confusion many face about why Venom was successful likely stems from modern audiences being trained for, and expecting, a different kind of movie. Whereas the MCU has intricate, far-reaching plots with deep character moments built over years, Venom has Eddie Brock coming to terms with the titular symbiote eating people. There is a plot to the Venom movies, however it’s not the main focus or even the point of these movies. The main point is instead more in line with those superhero movies of the early 2000s in that they are meant to showcase fun, cool moments of superhero action that scratch that itch of wanting to see certain characters on screen.

The driving force in this era of movies is simplicity, and Venom emulates this amazingly well. There is no big, building plot and the overall story can be summed up as the classic good vs. evil. When Venom fights Riot at the end of the first movie, there are some plot threads that have led Eddie and Venom to him, but the ultimate purpose is to stop the bad guy. This bad guy in turn is meant to represent the mirrored version of the protagonist; a direct comparison that makes it easy to see who is in the right and who is in the wrong. While this can make it a little difficult to discern what’s happening visually, as many complained about with Venom’s final fight scene, it is the exact same setup that many 2000s superhero movies used.

The romance, comedy, and character moments are essentially used as filler between the big action set-pieces. This movie, like those of the 2000s, isn’t meant to make audiences think of Michelle Williams as the love interest while Venom is bouncing around the lobby of a building throwing around a SWAT team. It’s meant to make the audience grin from ear to ear as they see their favorite character showcasing all of his powers. The big action moments like those are meant to be remembered over everything else. While the love interest and character arcs do come into play some, it’s always at the end for the final battle in order to add weight and recognize how far audiences have come on this journey.

While the Venom movies aren’t for everyone, they almost seem like an homage to a time long past that at this point will likely not come again for quite some time. These movies fall in line with those that care about big superhero action, easy-to-follow plots, and following the rule of cool over everything else. Combining these elements form a fun ride that, while unlikely to find constant success in the modern superhero environment, will almost always find a group of fans willing to enjoy the ride.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage is out now in theaters.

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