VENOM trailer gives us very little Venom or Tom Hardy other than voiceover

Venom trailer keeps things a Tom Hardy mystery for now

The first trailer for the Tom Hardy-starring Venom movie has finally dropped, and it’s underwhelming at best. Fans of the comic book character as well as film-goers are still skeptical about the movie, and rather than wow and excite viewers with an exceptional trailer we got…this. It sounds harsh, but the trailer suffers from a simplistic voiceover from Hardy that does little to give me hope for the writing. On top of that, we get a split second glimpse of the symbiote as a wriggling blob (which will attach itself to Hardy at some point), a few closeups of Hardy’s face, and a general “Huh, that’s it?” vibe once all is said and done. It’s a shame to hate on a trailer so hard right out of the gate, but I can’t imagine anyone watching this trailer and jumping for joy. That said, give it a watch and judge for yourself.

Check out the first trailer for Venom:

Jumping for joy? Not quite. Sure, this is only a “teaser” trailer, and we’ll certainly get another trailer or two to try and pull us in before release, but this really feels like a misstep in my opinion. Tease us with a trailer that sizzles, don’t drop a dead fish in our lap.

I really feel like I’m giving this trailer a tough time, but there’s a lot of anticipation surrounding this particular Venom movie. While it may be taking inspiration from two comic book storylines, and it has a certain built-in appeal for Hardy’s involvement alone, the director makes people anxious. Ruben Fleisher (Zombieland, Gangster Squad, 30 Seconds or Less) somehow got his hands on this, and I don’t think he was top-of-mind on anyone’s list for knocking a Venom movie out of the park. And Venom without Spider-Man? I’d love to be surprised and enjoy this as a freaky film just in time for Halloween, but the movie feels like an experiment more than anything at this point.

There’s not much of an official plot synopsis for Venom floating around right now, but we’re sure to learn more about the plot as the year goes by. For now, here’s a pretty slim press release plot synopsis:

One of Marvel’s most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes to the big screen, starring Academy Award® nominated actor Tom Hardy as the lethal protector Venom.

Venom stars Tom Hardy, Riz Ahmed, Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Woody Harrelson, Scott Haze, Reid Scott, and Michelle Lee. The movie hits theaters on October 5, 2018.