If you’ve seen the Fantastic Four films from 2005, you’ve basically seen this one. I had really hoped this Fantastic Four would be different from those. I mean, the older movies had a better story line and a lot more action than this one. But they were still kind of, “eh”. The only time you see our heroes actively using their powers in the new one is when they’re practicing to control them, or in the very final battle scene. Well, Reed uses his powers a bit more, but no spoilers. You’d expect to see lots of action when you go to see a super hero flick! This just didn’t deliver.
It’s a good origin story for sure. The reintroduction to these characters was one of the only things they got right. You get a lot of back-story, but it just seems to drag on and on. Some scenes seemed to be rushed through while others you thought, ‘when are we switching gears?’ As soon as our heroes and our main villain receive their powers, the movie takes a huge nose-dive.
The Human Torch looks terrible. They went backwards and made him look worse than he did in the first two movies, which is a big step back. Then they belittle a character, turning him into a goon. I did a little research to find out this character was so much more, for example a football star in college and then eventually the pilot of the rocket that he and Reed Richards had been working on together. It gets worse. How you ask? When we are introduced to Dr. Doom for the first time, he comes out looking like the Putties from the Power Rangers 90s TV show. This is a simple formula: make the heroes look cool and make the villain look evil and not ridiculous. They basically failed at both.
Ryan and Marisa share different views on some of the cast!
Marisa: Miles Teller plays Reed Richards, horribly. I mean, this kid was decent as a menace in the Divergent films, but he does not do well as Reed. He has some okay moments, but many of his scenes look like they might be footage from your middle school class play (yeah I’m not even giving him high school). I was incredibly disappointed in his performance. But I also have to admit, after thinking further on the subject of the other actors, it felt as though there was no connection between any of them. As if no one believed they were the character he or she was playing. But Teller especially drew me out, one scene in particular was so cringe-worthy, I dwelled on it for the rest of the movie, which helped ruin it for me.
Ryan:
The one positive that this movie has is the cast. I could not praise a cast more than this group of young actors and actresses. This cast is the only thing that put butts in the seats in that theater, and it will be the only thing that will get people into the seats if somehow they make a sequel. This cast went above and beyond to give a great performance and it will probably be overshadowed by all the problems this film has. To me, that’s very disappointing.
Another thing that was a little out of place was the gore. It’s not a whole lot, but it makes you question the “kid-friendly” aspect of this supposed “superhero” movie.
We should have known there was trouble coming our way when there had been rumors of problems on set with director, Josh Trank, who was then pulled off a Star Wars film, but that’s another story for another time. Then on opening day of the movie, Josh decided to try and point the finger at the studio and trash talk his own film. So, the warnings were there and we should have listened. Will we ever learn our lesson?
Fantastic Four is a failed attempt to reboot a dead franchise and makes it an even worse situation for the studio. The effects are sloppy and not appealing. The end result is a story that ends up being chopped up to a point where you are let down. If you’re curious about how this movie compares, wait to watch it at home. Cinema Wise gives Fantastic Four a 2.25 out of 5. Sit on your couch to watch it if you have to.
Cinema Wise 