Fantastic Four -Fails to Impress, Leaves Audiences Wanting More

You never want a movie to be bad, you go in the movie house hoping for a good movie experience and being the optimist that I am, I really had high hopes for this one. Heck- I even wrote a whole piece on why this Fantastic Four reboot matters. Unfortunately, Marvel's first superhero family has yet to have a good movie adaptation still. 

Marvel has had a series of successful movies thanks to their tried and tested formula (action + humor + relatable characters + relevant to the times) 2015's Fantastic Four veers away from this formula as they bring a darker, edgier feel to the 1960's comic to the screen. While I would applaud Director Josh Trank for taking this gamble I would have to say that good movies is like baking a cake, all the ingredients should be precisely measured in order for you to enjoy a delicious dessert. It seems that in the goal to have a different superhero movie, Fantastic Four suffers with the obvious lack of humor and action sequences that make people want to see super hero movies in the first place. While I could have pardoned the absence of a few laughs and my jaw dropping to amazing action sequences, for a younger, darker and edgier story, it was the long and dragging plot that finally broke this camel's back. There was so much back story at the expense of an "actual" story, it progresses really, really, slowly, peaks a little as it nears the end, then just ends. 

The only saving grace in the movie? A really bad ass Doctor Doom with skills worthy of a Mortal Kombat "Finish Him" move. There was some improvement with The Thing's look, leaving the spandex for a bigger and bulkier build. Alas, he doesn't really get to clobber much of anything in this movie. 

I already wrote about bringing the modern family dynamic with the interracial adaptation of Sue, so I'll just mention it here that was something that did impress me, so I'll just leave that here in the what-was-good-about-the-movie-paragraph. 

"There is no Victor - just Doom" 

We see the friendship of Reed Richards and Ben Grimm in the film but even that back story fails to really warm any hearts. Even Johhny Storm's strained relationship with his father won't have you trying to stop a sniffle in the movie house. 

Sue Storm is depicted as someone who loves music (it helps her think) but from someone who loves music as well, I really wanted to know what kind of music was she listening to? Is she into EDM? Does she prefer Calvin Harris or Zedd? Maybe Steve Aoki? Or is she more of an Ed Sheeran-Taylor Swift kind of girl? Is she on Spotify? They could have used that angle for a great OST. Just my two cents. 

All in all, the story failed to put "being human" in the characters. Yeah Johhny Storm is on Instagram but that wasn't enough. 

The 2005 Fantatsic Four was a box office success despite it being bad but they still had the 2007 Silver Surfer sequel. The 2015 take on the franchise feels like a really long prequel to what could possibly be a more action filled sequel, (I would like to see more of the teamwork and how their abilities will play off each other) should Fox decide on taking that direction. I also missed the whole Fantatisc Four family dynamic where Ben and Johnny squabble like siblings, Sue plays mommy and Reed is the Dad with the corny jokes. Will we get to see that in a Fantastic Four movie that is actually good? Only time can tell but one thing is for sure...the third time is not the charm for this franchise. Could it be the fourth? They are called Fantastic Four after all. 

Why the 2015 Fantastic Four Matters

While channel surfing one time, I remember running across 2007's Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, I watched it for a few minutes and I could feel the vomit coming up my mouth. It was just so bad. Despite being box office hits, the 2005 Fantastic Four and it's successor were met with mixed to negative reviews from fans and critics. 

Jessica Alba who played Sue Storm / Invisible Woman was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actresses for both movies, Alba along with co-star Ioan Grufford (Reed Richards/ Mr. Fantastic) were also nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst On-Screen Partner for Rise Of The Silver Surfer, the only saving grace? They didn't win. So despite having only a few years in between the films, it seems that a re-boot of a Fantastic Four movie is a must, if not as a redemption then as a way for possible future movie crossovers. 

Director Bryan Singer (X-Men: Days Of Future Past) teased on a possible X-Men/Fantastic Four crossover, according to the director this would depend on the success of the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse and Fantastic Four reboot. Singer said: "You have to see how the films evolve before you make the decision to commit to that." 

So what can we expect from the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot? 

Here is what we know so far: 

Miles Teller who is 28 will be bringing a younger vibe to Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic which probably means we won't be seeing his distinct white hair. Teller has received numerous nominations for his work on Whiplash and The Spectacular Now, winning the Sundance Film Festival Award for Special Jury Prize for Dramatic Acting for the latter.

In what could be considered as a controversial casting choice, Michael B. Jordan will be playing Johnny Storm / The Human Torch, who has always been drawn as Caucasian in the comics. Captain America (Chris Evans) played the role in the 2005 and 2007 Fantastic Four movies. While fans have no doubt on Jordan's acting prowess (he is an award winning actor and has even been dubbed as a 'young Denzel Washington' ) the only issue they have is Why cast a Black Human Torch? 

In an article I read, the writer explores why casting a black Human Torch can make the movie a better one. The Fantastic Four has always been seen as a family unit and  in the 1960s, the 'traditional' family was always seen as white. 

Times have changed and it's been 50 years since the Fantastic Four have been created, modern families consist of a mixed unit now. We have interracial marriages, families of mixed ethnicities as well as interracial adoptions and speculation is that this is the direction to which the movie will take, since Sue Storm / Invisible Girl who is Johhny's sister will be played by Caucasian actress, Kate Mara. 

With this change to the modern American family why not change Marvel's first family? In this way it makes them more relatable and relevant to contemporary audiences. 

Jordan's casting also means completely severing Chris Evans (a Caucasian actor) to the role and allowing Jordan to make the role completely his. Plus, in my opinion, it would be nice to see more heroes of different ethnicities. 

The new Human Torch talks about the backlash on his casting: 

"I know I can't ask the audience to forget 50 years of comic books Jordan says in an interview. But the world is a little diverse in 2015 than when the Fantastic Four comic first came out in 1961".

"This is a family movie about four friends - two of which are myself and Kate Mara as my adopted sister - who are brought together by a series of unfortunate events to create unity and a team. That's the message of the movie,if people can just allow themselves to see it." 

Fun fact. Miles Teller and. Michael B. Jordan co-starred together in the romantic comedy That Awkward Moment, along with Zac Efron. 

Kate Mara plays Sue Storm / The Invisble Girl. Jamie Bell plays Ben Grimm / The Thing to complete a younger and edgier Fantastic Four. 

Probably considered as the most controversial super hero reboot yet, Fantastic Four has a lot working against it but sometimes it is these movies that pass through trial by fire (pun intended) which come out as successful and memorable. 

The new Fantastic Four opens on August 5 nationwide, from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.