I do when it pertains to certain properties...
The Fantastic Four is typically one of the more light-hearted properties... where at it's darkest should maybe be at Avengers and Avengers: AOU levels.. which i wouldn't consider those films remotely "grounded and gritty".
Similarly i feel the same way about Spider-Man, Runaways, Young Avengers, Power Pack, New Warriors, etc... there can be moments that can be a bit more "grounded and gritty" but i wouldn't want those films to be solely labeled as such because it's not a proper representation of those characters.
it's the equivalent of making a "light hearted fantasy" take on The Punisher, Daredevil, or Blade... i don't want that, it doesn't suit them
As long as you are speaking for what you are looking for and not what generally applies.
Someone could have just as easily said 'dark and gritty' doesn't suit Xmen/Batman given what they came up on, before creators and editors proved the opposite.
Anything can be done in anyway and that's the beauty of this art form, there are characters like superman(of all people) that have celebrated works across the spectrum of tone. What's really happening is people have a preference, or at least think they do at this point in time, and are arguing for it, little more. All well and good until I see words such as 'supposed to' or "doesn't suit..."
You want what you want but to speaking to some greater observation is what I find taking that a step further into self importance.
You think FF works best when it's one way, cool I suppose that explains not only where you are coming from but why you don't like what you are seeing that far(that and open mind stuff). But to reach further and claim it's not right or won't work for everyone else...
You very well might hate his movie(seems you already do), but that's a very long way from it not being amazing/awesome/good/great.
You mentioned blade. I'm not sure if you read the original comics but if you did, you would have grounds to make the same argument about colorful costumes and fun and not grounded and such. Until you couldn't...at least as far as the rest of the world is concerned.
@Willie
As for this idea that what this movie we (supposedly) haven't seen anything of can be described as something more G&G than the likes of TWS... I find all of that very much on the selective side.
Using the excuse that the filmmakers used the words in one scenario but supposedly not the other means little given filmmakers use words all the time. Bay and the GI Joe filmmakers for instance...
I even remember the TMNT reboot guy talking about things like The Raid. Hows about we judge what comes after the fact for what it actually is.
Selectively calling TWS one of the 20 things it is, whilst ignoring that it was grounded and dark and gritty then zeroing in on thing one supposed aspect of this is again...selective. What I've seen of this is akin to the Xmen movies to be honest.