Venom Trailer 2 Reactions: 2 Ups & 7 Downs

2. The Direction Looks Totally Mediocre

Venom is directed by Ruben Fleischer, who got his career off to a stellar start with Zombieland, but hasn't turned in a single good movie since, with both 30 Seconds or Less and Gangster Squad proving woefully underwhelming.

It's not terribly surprising, then, that his fourth movie isn't looking all that spectacular either: there are barely any shots in the trailer that stick out as especially inventive or even basically memorable (save for the Venom money shot, of course).

It has the style of a workmanlike project helmed by a journeyman filmmaker, and there are even some goofy moments that suggest there might be a clash of tones throughout, especially some of Brock's vaguely quippy dialogue and the iffy beat where the symbiote drags him back to his motorcycle in mid-air.

When a filmmaker is already on the skids, the last thing you really should do is give them an expensive comic book movie, because effects-driven fare can really bring out the worst in directors who don't know how to work with them.