Fantastic Four (Rated B)
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell
Genre: Action Adventure
Dwight's Rating: 2 stars
Fantastic Four, you say? Well, perhaps Fantastic Three-Fourths!
Not because these heroes aren't "fantastic" or because only three out of four of them are special. Rather, it's because something's not quite right about this reboot of "Fantastic Four" -- based on the Marvel Comic superhero team -- lending it the overwhelming sense that this movie is only three-fourths of a whole.
Well, maybe it's more accurate to say two-thirds! And those first two-thirds begin a long, LONG, set-up for what promises to be an exciting showdown. These anticipation-building moments are actually the best part of the production, simultaneously providing an in-depth study of some potentially interesting characters.
We are transported to an alternate universe, as four young outsiders gain superhuman powers as their physical forms are altered in unbelievable ways. Reed Richards (Miles Teller, "Whiplash") becomes Mr. Fantastic, able to stretch and twist his body at will, while best bud Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell, "Billy Elliot" and TV's "Turn: Washington's Spies") gains immense strength as The Thing.
Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan, "Fruitvale Station" and TV's "Friday Night Lights") becomes the Human Torch, able to control and project fire, while his sister Susan (Kate Mara, "Brokeback Mountain") becomes the Invisible Woman. Together, the team must harness their new abilities to prevent the evil Doctor Doom from destroying the earth. It's at this point -- the third and final act (the third-third) -- when things completely fall off a steep cliff.
That long, slow, build up, and that ultimate showdown that we had been so eagerly awaiting is quickly ruined, with an inexplicably lukewarm battle scene that is hurriedly addressed and wrapped up far too neatly and conveniently. It's as if the production crew ran out of studio time, and was told to vacate forthwith.
The film feels half-baked. Yet shockingly, at just over one hour and 40 minutes, may actually be too short! (Egad!). Although, arguably that long initial set-up could have been shortened or rearranged.
Blame the director? Not so fast! Director Josh Trank has publicly been critical of the finished product, claiming he had little or no say in the final cut, and that executives at 20th Century Fox essentially took over. Things have been getting even nastier in the press now, as reports of behind-the-scenes and off-the-set chaos abound. It's clear that something went terribly wrong. And that's most unfortunate.
However, I honestly wonder if "Fantastic Four" should have made it to theaters in the first place. It feels an awful lot like the pilot for a TV show. And it really should have been or still should be considered better suited for television. It could certainly be more promising than Marvel's current TV offering, "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." This leads me back to what is now becoming my ongoing rant about superhero comic book movies, and what seems like a bombardment in cinemas of a new superhero franchise or sequel every single month.
A small percentage of these are amazing ("Guardians of The Galaxy"), some of it is promising ("Ant Man"), but a lot of it is complete and utter dreck. Marvel gets most of the blame because it's been leasing out the rights to its comic book characters to many different film studios, and everyone is trying to get a piece of the pie -- hence the sense that there's a ceaseless parade of these flicks every year.
Ironically, Marvel's archrival -- the more judicious and selective DC Comics -- has been gaining some ground with a slightly more conservative approach. DC has been having some better success at television, most recently with the well-regarded "The Flash" and "Gotham". And early reviews for its upcoming "Supergirl" are good, although bizarrely both "Gotham" and "Supergirl" will be pitted against each other on Monday nights this fall.
On the movie side, the most talked about and anticipated superhero comic book feature film in a long time appears to be "Batman v Superman" -- although I have a very bad feeling about that one. But at what point will all of this be too much? "Fantastic Four" is being called a flop, making only about $25 million ($65 million worldwide) in its opening weekend on its estimated budget of at least $120 million budget. (It opened second to the still-going-strong, and very exciting, "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation".)
"Fantastic Four" could have been the victim of other bad reviews. But I wonder if the issue isn't just simply burnout. Because, regardless of whether it's Marvel or DC or whomever, these are all superhero comic book characters, and there are many similarities. And with all the reboots and sequels and spinoffs and prequels, it feels like we're seeing the same things over and over again!
If only the film studios would recognize that the more they continue to crank these out, the more they will become just like the evil corporations they so often rail against. And soon almost four-fourths of us will be praying for any superhero -- or even a super villain -- to come and shut the whole thing down!
o Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of " Morning Blend" on Guardian Radio. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.
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