If you hold the film rights to an iconic and beloved comic book series, one would think you would do everything possible to see that it flourishes under you watch. For 29th Century Fox, The Fantastic Four is an asset that should be a gem of their studio as the long-running Marvel comic series has had legions of fans for generations.
The previous two films did well enough but still had their detractors amongst the fans. So, Fox opted for a hiatus and then a radical reboot of the series complete with casting choices that were considered very questionable.
The new version features Miles Teller as Reed Richards, a young man obsessed with teleportation to the point that his teachers and other students laugh at him for his odd and obsessive ways.
His only friend is Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell), who despite a lack of scientific knowledge supports Reed in his efforts which eventually allow him to be recruited by Dr. Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey), who discloses that he is working on a large scale teleportation device and seeing how Reed pulled it off with a device he made in his garage, is eager to see what he can do at a fully-funded facility.
Reed meets Franklins adopted daughter Sue (Kate Mara), as well as his son Johnny (Michael B. Jordan), while they work with the mercurial Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell), to complete the device.
When the team finds success, they are horrified to learn that the government plans to take over control of the project so Ben, Victor, Johnny, and Reed opt to use it themselves to visit the other dimension in order to leave their mark in history.
Things at first go well but when a mysterious force envelops them, odd things start to happen when they return home. Reed is capable of stretching himself, Johnny is a living fire, Ben is covered in rocks, and Sue is phasing in and out.
Flashing forward the group is under the watch of the government and Reed has fled not wanting to be a part of whatever is going on. Ben is used for special operations and blames Reed for abandoning them as Sue and Johnny are prepped for the field.
Now one would think a setup like this has some potential at the very least for some action and great FX. Sadly the film lurches ahead fairly light on action. The threat to the film appears, and within 10 minutes has moved to a fairly underwhelming final conflict that is so obviously done in front of a Green Screen that it loses much of the intended impact.
The best I can say for the film is that it is a forgettable and flawed film that tries to launch a new franchise in a new way. But the casting choices in the film are so wrong, that it undermines it at every step. Setting aside the debate over an African American Johnny Storm, Miles Teller is so bland; he just does not scream leading man or driving force behind the team.
The same can be said for pretty much the entire cast. The backstories hint at various things but their actions conflict several aspects of the film which to be honest are fairly forgettable.
The entire movie is like watching a Jr. College Fan Film where the cast has a Green Screen and studio funding, but not a clue on how to carry out a story, modern action sequences of character development.
Fox needs to take a serious page from Sony and work with Marvel if they are going to continue this franchise, or return the rights to Marvel so fans can finally get a film that does justice to the source material.
I am glad that Director Josh Trank is no longer associated with the pending Star Wars film as this movie is a train wreck that spits all over the history and legacy of the source material.
2 stars out of 5.
Second Review by Christopher Daniels
Fox is back with their latest attempt to make money with the Marvel name. Unfortunately, they once again miss the mark.
Fantastic Four, one of Stan Lee’s most beloved comic book superhero teams, hits the big screen for another reboot. There are fresh faces, a new director, and new writers. With them came new hope for a great comic book movie.
The film starts off with a young Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), and his best friend Ben Grimm (The Thing) working on a science experiment to teleport matter over great distances.
Seven years later, at a science fair, Dr. Storm and his daughter Sue (Invisible Girl/Woman) assess Reed’s work and invite him to come to school at the Baxter Building.
Reed is immediately put to work on the same project he was working on inside his garage, only on a larger scale, and with substantially more resources at his disposal.
When they complete the device, with construction assistance from Johnny Storm (human torch), they are transported to another planet where things go wrong and their bodies are altered to have amazing abilities.
If you are a fan of comics, nothing I just wrote is particularly new. Fox went with the usual origin story of space radiation and otherworldly substances that give the group their special powers.
Victor Von Doom plays his usual important part, but in a way that you may not be happy about; I certainly wasn’t.
This movie had a great start, and was reasonably entertaining most of the way through. But it quickly became a film that can only be described as contrived and condescending. The studio tried too hard to make a movie that was clearly meant for kids and young teens.
The campy one liners and poor script made me feel like they were pandering to me. My generation of 30-somethings consists of some pretty smart folks. Let’s hear some more detailed science, and watch the characters do more than just excitedly pound on a keyboard.
Let’s forget about the huge plot hole regarding Reed’s plan after he left the compound. My biggest question is: what happened with Doom? Why was his character taken in such an odd direction instead of having him be the awesome, megalomaniacal ruler of a country — the way he’s supposed to be?
Fox needs to stop trying to make these films and let the professionals over at Marvel Studios handle it. They make great comic films that treat their audience with respect and reverence, acknowledging their capacity to follow a more complex plot.
I recommend not supporting Fox’s continued struggles to make a good Marvel film. It’s not worth your money. Stream it online via Netflix if you must, but stay out of the theater for this one.
Edited by Jeff Boehm
2 out of 5 Stars
