Why The Venom: Let There Be Carnage Trailer Has Fans Worried
The trailer for "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" has arrived and it likely has some fans of the toothy character hopeful that the sequel will be an improvement over the first film in the live-action franchise. While 2018's "Venom" raked in over $800 million at the global box office (via Box Office Mojo), it failed to impress critics, as evidenced by its 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
One of the biggest issues raised about the first film (other than the fact that there was no Spider-Man) was its cinematography and lighting. Ty Burr called it "one of [the] dingiest" movies of the fall 2018 movie season in their review for The Boston Globe, while Peter Howell of The Toronto Star wrote, "The movie also looks like hell, with bog-level computer effects and washed-out colours resembling those of a 1998 sci-fi movie on a VHS tape that's been left out in the sun." Considering Venom itself (Tom Hardy) is a very dark blue creature, the overall murkiness left many feeling like they weren't able to fully appreciate — or see — the centerpiece of the film.
With the release of the "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" trailer, fans have taken to Reddit with a familiar concern. While some have noticed a bit of an improvement when it comes to the lighting and look of the movie, others are worried that the sequel has fallen into the same drab trap of its predecessor.
The lighting in the Venom: Let There Be Carnage trailer is already raising concerns
In a Reddit thread about the new "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" trailer, fans have been sounding off with their worries about the movie's lighting situation. User u/AkhilArtha felt that the sequel already looks better than the first film, but said, "I still wish it was better lit." Meanwhile, u/lordDEMAXUS bemoaned, "It's still incredibly flatly lit."
They weren't the only ones expressing concern. User u/Danishroyalty wrote, "Yeah I get that they want the movie to be dark and ominous. But I really want to be able to see Carnage clearly ... Hopefully it was just the trailer and we get some much better scenes in the film." For u/danielcookscoolokay, the lighting situation stands in stark contrast to the impression they are getting from other aspects of the movie. They said, "Poster looks fine, Carnage looks good, trailer makes the movie look decent. But the lighting in this just makes it look sooooo weird."
Some commenters even bandied about possible explanations for the murky look of the movie. User u/jacomanche posed the question, "Why does the footage look dark overall?" In reply, u/Griffdude13 posited, "To cover poor or unfinished cgi, I imagine."
And u/detective_lee even invoked one of the most controversial recent lighting decisions in film or television by writing, "Most of this trailer was as dark as S8E3 of ['Game of Thrones']."
We'll see how the final product looks when "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" hits theaters on September 24.