Comcast has a Spider-Man 3 site that features the “final” trailer for the film being released on May 4th. Aside from several new shots, a few seconds on the origins of the black costume, and lots of good Spider-Man action, it features the first real good shots of Topher Grace as Eddie Brock (Venom).
It’s looks like Venom will play a large role in the film and could possible be the main villain (and not the Sandman). It’s interesting that Sony has not really released any info about Venom to the “public,” with the only appearances of the character appearing in an NBC.com exclusive clip and this Comcast clip. If it weren’t for the Venom toys that appeared in stores this past Saturday, his appearance would almost be a secret.
Every preview I’ve seen looks better and better and I have no doubts, but I wonder how the public is going to react. I’m glad they’ve used Venom as a villain. Sam Raimi was originally opposed, but the character was a great villain in the comics before he became over-exposed and watered-down. From the few snippets in the trailer, the character of Eddie Brock (Venom) has similar motivations and that should provide quite a few dramatic moments.
I think the Raimi-Venom is a great deception for all that Venom fans. It seems Sam Raimi had an accurate perception about what thing Venom should be for Spiderman Universe. Unfortunately, in its very own creativity, Sam eliminated all the symbolisms that many drawers, despite small changes, knew to preserve.
GREAT WHITE LOGO IN CHEST. Contrast between white and black means danger, “be carefulâ€, poisson. Just look at the nature, any bug with this color pattern is saying “hey, buddy. Stay awayâ€. Instead, Raimi-Venom has a tiny grey spider, barely visible.
GREAT TEETH ALWAYS EXPOSED. This means aggression and violence at extreme and permanent. Is not Venom this, always?. Instead, Raimi-Venom has a couple of big lips covering permanently tiny teeth. Just look at the production photos.
HEIGHT. Size matters. It means power and implicit domination. Instead, Raimi-Venom is almost a dwarf.
GREAT TONGUE. Sadism and cruelty, they are basic in Venom’s personality. If it has, Raimi-Venom doesn’t shows anything like that.
After this, any doubt that Raimi-Venom is a great deception?
While I do miss some of the visual aspects of the character (especially the white spider), I think the root of what makes him great will still be there. Venom was meant to be the antithesis of Spider-Man. The anger, aggression, and hatred will hopefully show up.
Do I wish the actor was physically larger? Yes. The white spider? Yes. The other stuff I can pass on as it would be hard to meld into the semi-realistic world the film lives in. Finally, will I be there on opening weekend? Yes.