Fox Fantastically Fails

When Man of Steel came out I said that if you’re a fan of the Christopher Reeve Superman then you weren’t going to like the new Superman which is based off the New 52 generation. Today I’m telling you that if you’re a fan of the Fantastic Four then don’t see this movie at all. Back in 1994, there a Fantastic Four movie that was made so poorly that it wasn’t even released in theaters. I truly feel this film should’ve gone down that same path because I’ve never seen so many people walk out of a theater before until this morning. I’m sorry to all involved with the movie because I’m sure they did the best they could to put together a blockbuster but the cold hard truth is this is a bust.

This film was problematic from the get go when it was revealed that this was going to be a different fantastic four with a completely new origin. At first I wasn’t opposed to it because as long as the story was good then I didn’t have a problem. The origin was altered in the 2005 version as well but there was still some elements that kept it traditional such as the cosmic storm and that it was the cause of their powers. The only part that ruined that series was a weak Dr. Doom that wasn’t a leader of a country, just a cheap Lex Luthor knockoff. The film also kept true to the internal struggles of the group and the traits of the characters such as Johnny Storm being cocky and Reed Richards being the over thinking egghead.

This isn’t the case of the newest version of the franchise because the new way they get their powers is nothing short of ridiculous. I saw the reaction of the crowd and the way it all occurred left the audience wondering, “Really?” The next problem occurs with the introduction of Victor Von Doom who again is no leader of a nation or even a wealthy business man like in the previous version. The only thing this film stays true with him is he’s the main villain, he has a desire for Sue Storm, and he wants to rule the world. It gets bad when has powers that he’s shouldn’t, he’s not as intelligent as he should be, and his signature look can only be described as weak like Ryan Reynold’s Green Lantern C.G.I uniform.

I respect how the whole film wanted to be taken seriously by appearing more real but it wasn’t properly executed for a comic movie. A lot of this film was more dialogue and debate instead of the fancy uniforms, the heroic music, and action. The only time this film got my attention was in the final fight scene between Doom and the group but by that time, I had seen at least thirteen people get up and leave. The ending left much opened for a possible sequel and one is scheduled for 2017 but considering how poor this movie was, I have no doubt it will be canceled. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this film didn’t make it to number one this week.

Fox really dropped the ball when it comes to this franchise which is a shame for Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Jamie Bell and Kate Mara. This film will remain a scar on their careers and if this had been their first film then it could’ve been their last. The director, Josh Trank has already came out saying that the studio is partially to blame but it doesn’t really matter at this point. The fact is this movie dared to be different from all the Marvel movies but it failed miserably. I give this film a 4 out of 10 simply because the actors did a good job but unfortunately the story didn’t make sense and the changes weren’t popular with the fans.

Do I think the Fantastic Four are cursed characters that should just be kept in the comics or cartoons as some believe? No but I do think as many do that Fox should just sell the rights back to Marvel because this is the 3^rd time they’ve made a film and they just can’t deliver the fantastic. If you were really looking forward to this movie then I’m sorry to disappoint you when I say don’t bother. When this film was over I completely forgot to stay and look for something at the end of the movie because I simply wanted to get out of there. I had really high hopes for this movie because I liked how Fox was trying to be creative unlike so many other companies but the fact is Marvel is the only one that can save the Fantastic Four.