The second trailer of the up and coming comic book villain film, Venom, was released earlier last week. And it looks lethal (venom…lethal, you get it). It was bold, brutal, and all Tom Hardy, bringing the hype up to dangerous levels ahead of the film’s debut in October.
What we saw
After Eddie Brock comes into contact with a symbiote, his life takes a weird twist. Twist for better or worse? That’s up to you, good and evil is so subjective. One thing is undeniable, Eddie’s life is not the same, and he has to come to terms with his new alter-ego if he’s to extend his time on the planet.
It’s the typical ‘human beings are disposable’ theme, a mad scientist wanting to take humanity to the next level and introducing this creepy, extraterrestrial matter called a symbiote which, when combined with human cells, will produced an enhanced species that can then be turned into a weapon, or to flip buildings on end.
Unassuming Eddie is now a threat, there are car and motorcycle chases, and when he gives in to his dark side, the familiar jagged-toothed, wide-grinning face of one of Marvel’s most popular villains comes to the fore, and Eddie Brock is no more. The line itself, “we are venom” indicates some sort of Gollum-complex, two characters in the same body, and the question we are all left with is: will Eddie embrace his inner demons and let himself go?
The trailer was dark, twisted, and full of Marvel pomp, and it will set the precedent for comic book villain movies, with Joaquin Phoenix’s Untitled Joker Origin film set for a 2019 release (yeah, I don’t think Leto’s stand-alone Joker film will compete in the same category).
Jury’s on the fence with the CGI
It’s a new era, and that means we’re bound to see a lot more of CGI in the coming years. At least until they find a new tech to replace it, or do away with it entirely. They’d be hard done to find a way to animate Venom’s character without putting it through a computer, and as a result that’s what we’ve got: CGI-heavy Venom.
I guess it’s up to individual viewers what they make of it. Some think it’s overdone, but others might argue: how else? Venom’s character doesn’t simply don a suit and a mask and sling around on, well, CGI webs. He’s a mutated form, with limbs shooting out as and when required, enlarging and shrinking, essentially a shape-shifter that would be quite a challenge to render without computer graphics, and if they did manage, it would probably take a decade to make.
Blockbusters are pumping out by the tens every year, and there just isn’t any time to go all orthodox especially when creating larger-than-life characters, although I’m sure purists of cinematic art would beg to differ.
Hardy’s swap an indicator that the tables have turned?
Arguable. DC have their own hit films lined up, with Aquaman, Wonder Woman 1984, Shazam! And more hitting the big screen, not forgetting the aforementioned Joker film starring one of the most versatile and brilliant actors of our time.
The DC films better be good, however, or else there will be one undisputed victor in the universe of comic book films.
In case you missed the trailer, here it is:
