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A bit of a mess of a film, with an over-stuffed script and too many random characters and set-ups of follow-ups that might never happen. The plot is actually fairly simple, but the execution is all over the place. After trying to make some kind of sense of the previous film’s ending, there’s some really choppy moments before things get rolling. While the “on the run” portion works well enough, there’s a middle section where things slow down and drag a bit, especially after adding in some useless oddball characters. And this is after all the seemingly random scientist and military characters that are shoehorned in with pointless back stories. Once again, it’s Tom Hardy’s performance that anchors the film. The action is fine, with the finale being surprisingly entertaining. The special effects overall look good, with the new symbiote hunters being well-realized. There’s a mid-credit scene and a post-credit. Neither is anything special, and they’re both somewhat confusing set-ups for whatever future project(s) Sony is trying to cook up next.
**1/2