Fant4stic Post your review here! (Fant4stic Four)

[Snow Queen]

I think it's absurd hyperbole to say 'the world' hates it. I saw it tonight and the cinema was almost full, I heard no one badmouthing it on the way out (I was listening out for that), no shouting during the movie. I heard one group of teens say it was 'better than the first one' and that 'the last part saved it', so those people preferred it to Tim Story's film and liked the final battle and superhero stuff.

Step outside the geek bubble. Ordinary people see things without having all the baggage of what's been said on internet forums.

As for 'tampered with', many films have additional filming, reshoots and are otherwise reworked during and after production. We don't know what Trank's complete vision was for the film so we don't know if it was better or worse. The 'tampering' may have improved it for all you know.

I'm not defending the film, other than to say it's not an utter disaster or a trainwreck. It shocked me that it wasn't a total wreck after what i had been reading online all these months. Luckily i didn't let it sway me from seeing the movie.

It's not just geeks who hate this movie.

 

[def28]

I think it's absurd hyperbole to say 'the world' hates it. I saw it tonight and the cinema was almost full, I heard no one badmouthing it on the way out (I was listening out for that), no shouting during the movie. I heard one group of teens say it was 'better than the first one' and that 'the last part saved it', so those people preferred it to Tim Story's film and liked the final battle and superhero stuff.

Step outside the geek bubble. Ordinary people see things without having all the baggage of what's been said on internet forums.

I think it's hyperbole to say the opposite. I have seen very few comic films get this kind of backlash. I mean very few. I've heard people say they preferred the first two. But now it's just your word vs mine which equals nothing but pointless debating. What I can do to look outside of that is look at general consensus regarding reviews, audiences scores etc. Not just SHH members.

As for 'tampered with', many films have additional filming, reshoots and are otherwise reworked during and after production. We don't know what Trank's complete vision was for the film so we don't know if it was better or worse. The 'tampering' may have improved it for all you know.

I completley agree, and have actually defended that notion.

I'm not defending the film, other than to say it's not an utter disaster or a trainwreck. It shocked me that it wasn't a total wreck after what i had been reading online all these months. Luckily i didn't let it sway me from seeing the movie.

I'm glad you thought it was worth seeing

It's pretty dramatic to say that "the world hates this", man.

I said the world kinda hates this, which was meant as a reply to "only Marvel Fanboys" hate this. It's not confined to that. There are people everywhere who are disliking the film pretty strongly. I never literally meant every single person on this planet.

I just don't get where the positive reaction should be coming from. There's barely anything positive coming out of this flick from anywhere be it audiences, critics or fans. There's zero positive hype.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I think it's absurd hyperbole to say 'the world' hates it. I saw it tonight and the cinema was almost full, I heard no one badmouthing it on the way out (I was listening out for that), no shouting during the movie. I heard one group of teens say it was 'better than the first one' and that 'the last part saved it', so those people preferred it to Tim Story's film and liked the final battle and superhero stuff.

Step outside the geek bubble. Ordinary people see things without having all the baggage of what's been said on internet forums.

As for 'tampered with', many films have additional filming, reshoots and are otherwise reworked during and after production. We don't know what Trank's complete vision was for the film so we don't know if it was better or worse. The 'tampering' may have improved it for all you know.

I'm not defending the film, other than to say it's not an utter disaster or a trainwreck. It shocked me that it wasn't a total wreck after what i had been reading online all these months. Luckily i didn't let it sway me from seeing the movie.

Please explain the reviews and the consistently down-trending weekend box office.

 

[X-Maniac]

It's not just geeks who hate this movie.

LOL.... As if all those 'audience' scores aren't from online geeks. Most likely they are from the internet movie geek world who populate forums and Facebook groups.

Most 'normal' people don't go round adding ratings to RT. I don't know a single person who adds their rating to RT.

I know people like to brandish the scores given on RT and other sites, and it is a part of online film discussion (and fanboy bragging rights).

But it's not the entire picture. You're still inside that geek bubble.

I don't think the film deserves a score as low as that. It may not be perfect, but what is? Three people stood up and shouted 'well that was s**t' when I saw Jurassic World. I didn't much like Jurassic World myself. Didn't stop it making a billion though.

Green Lantern and Catwoman were far worse CBMs.

F4 does not deserve that low a rating.

 

[Tony Stark]

This is not just the worst comic book movie ever, it's the one of the worst films I've seen in a long time. I can sit through Green Lantern, I've never watched Catwoman, but I'd immagine it's pretty forgettable. I saw Elektra and I can't remember a single thing about that film.

When a film sucks this bad that it is forever etched into your memory on how bad it was, it absolutely deserves to be this low.

Guess what Tim Story will be cheering that when people talk about "that horrible Fantastic Four movie" they won't be thinking of his film. That's how ****ing bad this film was.

 

[Snow Queen]

LOL.... As if all those 'audience' scores aren't from online geeks. Most likely they are from the internet movie geek world who populate forums and Facebook groups.

Most 'normal' people don't go round adding ratings to RT. I don't know a single person who adds their rating to RT.

I know people like to brandish the scores given on RT and other sites, and it is a part of online film discussion (and fanboy bragging rights).

But it's not the entire picture. You're still inside that geek bubble.

I don't think the film deserves a score as low as that. It may not be perfect, but what is? Three people stood up and shouted 'well that was s**t' when I saw Jurassic World. I didn't much like Jurassic World myself. Didn't stop it making a billion though.

Green Lantern and Catwoman were far worse CBMs.

F4 does not deserve that low a rating.

Just going to ignore the critics part of that to try and prove your point. Good to know.

This is not just the worst comic book movie ever, it's the one of the worst films I've seen in a long time. I can sit through Green Lantern, I've never watched Catwoman, but I'd immagine it's pretty forgettable. I saw Elektra and I can't remember a single thing about that film.

When a film sucks this bad that it is forever etched into your memory on how bad it was, it absolutely deserves to be this low.

Guess what Tim Story will be cheering that when people talk about "that horrible Fantastic Four movie" they won't be thinking of his film. That's how ****ing bad this film was.

Catwoman's not forgettable. No, no, that movie's so much worse than forgettable.

 

[X-Maniac]

This is not just the worst comic book movie ever, it's the one of the worst films I've seen in a long time. I can sit through Green Lantern, I've never watched Catwoman, but I'd immagine it's pretty forgettable. I saw Elektra and I can't remember a single thing about that film.

When a film sucks this bad that it is forever etched into your memory on how bad it was, it absolutely deserves to be this low.

Guess what Tim Story will be cheering that when people talk about "that horrible Fantastic Four movie" they won't be thinking of his film. That's how ****ing bad this film was.

LOL... have a herbal tea and calm yourself down...

 

[X-Maniac]

Just going to ignore the critics part of that to try and prove your point. Good to know.

Well, the critics (at least, the first batch, who were geek blogs and film sites) were aware of the background of the rumours about Trank, the production etc. So they viewed it with that already in mind. Other critics often follow the crowd.

I know it's not been favourably reviewed, according to RT, and isn't much loved by the audience members who went to RT to add their verdict. I can see all that.

But I honestly don't think it's THAT bad.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Well, the critics (at least, the first batch, who were geek blogs and film sites) were aware of the background of the rumours about Trank, the production etc. So they viewed it with that already in mind. Other critics often follow the crowd.

I know it's not been favourably reviewed, according to RT, and isn't much loved by the audience members who went to RT to add their verdict. I can see all that.

But I honestly don't think it's THAT bad.

How you feel about the film is how you feel about the film. What I think might be at issue for some is extrapolating that upon general audiences. The box office predictions weekend predictions keep going down for this. That speaks straight to world of mouth.

 

[X-Maniac]

How you feel about the film is how you feel about the film.

Yes, and that's what this thread is for...

 

[danoyse]

It's pretty dramatic to say that "the world hates this", man.

Going by the box office numbers so far, most of the world isn’t even going to bother seeing it, so there won’t be enough people to make that claim anyway..

 

[roach]

Just got back from a showing. I thought I'd have the theater to myself but it ended up being packed.
It's not the worst comic book movie but not the best either. It was just ok. The third act felt tacked on...probably could have used another script draft.

 

[Kelly]

Let's not steer this discussion into one of geeks vs. normal moviegoers. But let's remember that the vast majority are not waxing positive about this movie...so having positive things to say are going to be met with a great amount of discourse....that is the reality at this moment....some are simply going to have to handle that. Both sides can do this with respect...if you can't then this is probably not the place to be right now.

 

[X-Maniac]

It would be more appropriate if this thread were steered into more posting of actual reviews, as per the thread title. I'd like to hear from more people who've seen it, rather than all those who have made their mind up never to see it.

I'm not sure right now how I'd rate or rank it, but it's better than the Tomatometer suggests - and far better than Ghost Rider 2, Green Lantern or Catwoman.

 

[DCnightwing23]

I think another thing that comes across in this film is that of confidence the studio had with what they creative team was doing. They didn't stick with what Trank and co. had been working on. As the first leak of info spilled onto the internet, which had to have been the Doom stuff (hacker Domashev) Fox definitely lost it imo. Unlike WB, with Ayers and the changes look-wise made to iconic villain Joker, who stood by the changes to the appearance with confidence. This studio quivered with fear at the first sign of trouble. Rather than sticking by their director, without studio interference the movie would have no doubt been much more cohesive. You can hate on that hacker stuff all you want, but this was apart of a larger film. Something with more depth than what we ending up with. I wouldn't have minded the changes to some characters. Fantastic 4, truthfully, has become so minute in the comic book world. I believe Grace Randolph (who i don't even agree with all that often) pointed out that not a lot of the fan base is left, heck even the last issue didn't sell well. It's a comicbook team that never aged well, unlike some others. So to play a little loose with the source material like Trank wanted to do was right, because he had a specific genre he wanted to tackle with this team (sci-fi, horror aspects)

Ultimately, we as a fanbase got the short end of the stick with the finished product. While the potential is certainly there, and this is still the best F4 film we have seen so far, it's failed us in a lot of ways. I definitely think you have some original themes and ideas here, and ultimately we havent had a sci-fi/horror comicbook movie since TDK which was the last movie to come close to those elements. The cast is superb here together despite the writing being so off in the third act. And i definitely want to see a sequel where Fox stands by the creative process of whoever they bring on, and truthfully I would stand behind the elements that you can tell weren't studio driven but Tranks, there's a lot of potential for greatness in those ideas.

Again, I don't think it's as bad as most have made it out to be. And Fox now has another 7 years to potentially another one. I still give this film a 6.5 or 7/ 10 the first two acts had humor, character development I enjoyed and so many terrific ideas worth exploring more.

Btw, here is the Beyond the Trailer video that touches on ideas that worked in this film and that would work for a sequel (if that even happens)

[YT]yB6hvauxBZc[/YT]

 

[mkilban2]

I knew from early on in production that this wasn't going to be a very comic accuracte FF movie, and in allhonesty tthat's what made me so interested. I enjoyed the director and cast so I had solid hope that this would be a good film, but probably not a good FF film.

Afyer just recently finishing it I'm left wanting more and wishing a few things were done differently. The first 45 minutes of this film are incredibly solid, the cast meshed well and it really felt like all thw negativity I've seen was way overblown. Everything is firing on all cylinders until the team comes back from Planet Zero.

Here the movie starts to get a bit messy, the timejump is nice to save us the time of them coming to terms with their powers and was a nice idea to move the film along, but after that it's at a standstill. The team only becomes a team in the last 10-15 minutes and even then they're begrudgingly working together. We only see them as they should be in the final scene, which is a big bummer.

Doom was handled well in characterization both pre and post transformation but his look was crummy and his motives were a bit lame to me.

I wish this entire film could have been the quality of the first 45 minutes and the feel of the last 5 minutes. The rushed nature of the last third of the film is really the only flaw in my eyes.

I hope for a sequel because I think the movie did a good job of creating the origin and setting a solid base to build upon, but with the universal negativity and the seemingly low box office numbers it's looking doubtful.

I'd probably give this a solid 7/10.

 

[Kelly]

It would be more appropriate if this thread were steered into more posting of actual reviews, as per the thread title. I'd like to hear from more people who've seen it, rather than all those who have made their mind up never to see it.

I'm not sure right now how I'd rate or rank it, but it's better than the Tomatometer suggests - and far better than Ghost Rider 2, Green Lantern or Catwoman.

My review: the actors made the movie not awful, unfortunately they had nothing fantastic to work with...

 

[The Guard]

I’m going to try not to use the term “cringe worthy”. Crap, I did it already.

Anyway…

This isn’t the cinematic abortion people are saying it is. Most critics are saying that this isn’t a particularly good movie because of a couple of key flaws and the third act. And that’s absolutely the case. This is a…it’s not an uneven film and its not “all over the place” throughout the film; it’s a compartmentalized film.

The whole “grounded” thing actually works really well. There aren’t a lot of big, comic booky speeches and flashy dialogue, but the people in the movie feel real, and so much of the movie is their subtle, silent reactions to situations and each other. That’s pretty bold.

Nor is this a really “dark” film. There are serious moments, there are weird moments, but in general, this isn’t some dark, gritty miserable trudge. A lot of it feels like “a day at the science office”. Not lighthearted and funny, but not really all that dark and dreary, either.

The first third of the movie is very well made. Compelling ideas are well-paced, the film is nicely structured, and characters are introduced and intertwined quite well.

The second act is less compelling, but a bit more entertaining viscerally, with some of the earlier elements being expanded on, and it segues into B-science film territory. This is clearly intentional, right down to the score. The “body horror” elements work very well, and are emotionally anchored effectively.

The third act is just awful, largely because it is so rushed together. I think the movie could have survived all of the “generic comic book moments” if they hadn’t all been mashed in so closely together. But it starts after Doom returns from Planet Zero. The scale of the disaster is fine, the basic concept is pretty cool, the effects are actually pretty solid, and the action isn’t the trainwreck people have implied…it’s just all so rushed. There’s no pause before a character springs into action or into a particular attack, it all just happens. It also lacks emotional stakes. You can buy people are in danger, but you don’t feel it at all. It’s all just “expected” because it’s a superhero movie.

The first third of the film really is fantastic. Might be one of the better-executed earlier portions of a superhero film I’ve seen. People have called the build up to the adventure elements “boring”, and I wholeheartedly disagree. It’s boring if all you want is action and jokes. But the process of discovery shown in the first third of the movie is very refreshing and fairly compelling. From young Reed and Ben, to the development and evolution of Reed’s dream project, to their realization of it. It’s all very well handled in a slow-burn fashion. You get to see their dream take shape.

People have also talked about the acting being bad. Nope. The acting is subtle. Probably the most subtle we’ve seen in a superhero film, but these are some pretty good performances regardless. The standout is Kate Mara, who does a lot with very little scriptwise. But Teller is quite good as Richards and Jamie Bell has some very nice moments as Ben. Reg Cathy is pretty good, and even Harvey Elder is fun to watch most of the time. Surprisingly, I was least impressed with Michael Jordan as Johnny. There were really only a few, brief sequences where he felt like he had any real charisma. He took a much more serious approach to the character.

Scriptwise, the movie ranges from subtle character moments to big, explosive comic book action tropes. The main problem is that other than their transformation, there’s nothing in between to flesh out the core conflicts of the film. There’s no transition period. They’re either terrified of their powers, or they’re already getting used to them. What it all IS is explored nicely. What it all MEANS, not so much.

Most of the dialogue is solid, if not particularly memorable. There are a couple of really awful generic lines in the third act, but for the most part, the dialogue isn’t bad, its a bit more grounded than what fans are used to of late.

Effects have been getting hammered, but I honestly thought they looked pretty decent for the most part. There was a lot made of the "green goo", but I don't think it was goo, or lava. It looked like a sort of energy/light. That was kind of cool, actually. The Thing generally looked pretty darn good. Realistic, and a little bit cartoony, but not so much that he couldn't look a bit scary. They went for a sort of 80's/puppet design, which is interesting. Most of their powers looked very good. Sue's effects were a bit more out there, but were rendered fairly well. Reed's stretching looked convincing for the most part as well. The end, with the large-scale disaster, all that looked pretty solid, though the color palette was odd, with the dark landscape mixing with all those bright useages of power. The effects when Doom "breaks out" aren't terribly good, but I think my issue there is more the vague concept of the extent and form of Doom's powers.

The story itself is fairly compelling, and the characters begin to be, but aren't developed enough. Reed Richards has a clear character, and a character arc, but like the overall story, there are pieces missing. Reed's story is about the hubris that goes along with brilliance, and the associated responsibility therein. In the middle of the film he runs away…and because the film never addresses it properly, it feels like its just sort of because. While there is enough presented in the film to suss out why he does this, and why he doesn’t just come back, and the impact this has on his former associates, and some of this works, there needed to be a scene or two of Reed trying to find a cure, learning to control his powers, etc. We needed to see some conflict over what he had done and what he was going to do. Not just in running away, but in creating the gate and going to Planet Zero in the first place.

Sue Storm is “the invisible woman” because she works behind the scenes. Her getting left behind when the others go to Planet Zero isn’t as bad as it sounds, because it somewhat furthers that idea. She’s sort of the silent, steady soldier, doing what has to be done at pretty much every turn. It didn’t have to be this way, but it works fairly well most of the time.

There needed to be some kind of scene where Ben reacts to what he’s become. Not a rock monster…but a killing machine. A tool. He feels trapped. It’s there in the story structure and the visuals…it’s not there enough in the dialogue or the character interactions.

The whole “One Year Later” thing could have worked with a bit more development of those core ideas. There needed to be a couple of scenes where the Four actually react to what they’ve become on a level other than their initial shock and horror. This could have taken place after the “One Year Later”, it could even have been taking place after the military had them training and running missions and so on. But it’s not in the film, and it’s a big missing piece.

There had to be a happy medium between no exposition and tons of it. That’s what this movie is missing. The middling, structural bits that tie everything together. The middle is missing. And I don’t mean just in terms of the actual middle of the film…but of the character development and the story. The characters are already somewhat broadly drawn, which would be okay if those broad elements were fleshed out just a bit more in relation to the story itself.

And because that’s what the film is mostly missing, while the script may be at fault for these weaknesses, I think the runtime and compression of the movie is the major flaw the film has. There clearly is just not enough time to tell the type of compelling, emotional story that is at the core of all this, or was, at some point or other. There is clearly stuff missing. Not tons of it, perhaps, but there's stuff missing.

Von Doom's character suffers the most for it. It’s obvious some of his material was cut out of the film. The result is awful. Kebbel is quite good in his earlier scenes, and the seeds to his villainy are sown early on, suggestions about his usurping of order, but Doom’s ambitions and motivations are ambiguous at best. His “turn” is unearned and unbelievable, and not remotely worthy of the character he's based on. His powers are insane, and visually kind of fun to watch, but it’s too hollow to enjoy.

The film itself isn’t entirely hollow, though…it’s just missing some key pieces. In the end, this is a movie that, far from “not knowing what it wants to be”, oddly very much knows what it wants to be at any given time, and is simply awkwardly put together and compressed into what someone thought people wanted to see out of a superhero movie. It’s not three different movies or any of that…it’s not even two movies in one…there’s generally a consistent tone and approach to the material until the final disaster/battle. Even the humor fits nicely into the film’s tone, because a lot of it is subtle and character-based.

It’s just a weird mix of a subtle, well-made film and an unsubtle mess of one. I don’t even know if I’d call it a bad movie, so much as one that is ultimately disappointing. So disappointing that it can't be considered a good movie. But neither is it a mediocre movie. Its too ambitious in places, and has some very nice ideas in it.

After seeing it, I’m in the camp that believes the final result is likely a case of serious editing/studio interference. I don’t know if that’s because Fox got scared the movie wasn’t action-packed enough, or because Trank couldn’t hack it or had on set problems or what, but this is clearly not the film that was intended, and that appears to have been at least partially made. The first third of the movie? I buy that that’s close to the film Trank/FOX/whoever originally wanted to make. Ditto the B movie/science fiction portions of the film. The third act? Beyond a similar fast pacing, I very much doubt most of that is Trank’s work. I guess it doesn't really matter whose "fault" it is...the film is what it is.

It's a shame, because in a lot of ways, this is a fascinating, unique take on the Four and their world, and I could see a sequel working with some key improvements and a bit more focus on the source material's scope and overarching concepts.

 

[Golgo-13]

This movie makes Batman and Robin and Ghost Rider 2 look like Schindler List and The Shawshank Redemption.

 

[mkilban2]

Great review Guard, pretty much exactly how I saw it as well. It certainly isn't a disaster like some are making it out to be, it's just missing a few things.

 

[AndrewGilkison]

In this day and age we can clearly do better, even if "it's not as bad as everyone says it is".

 

[Tony Stark]

Great review Guard, pretty much exactly how I saw it as well. It certainly isn't a disaster like some are making it out to be, it's just missing a few things.

Define "some", because this is being eviscerated by a pretty substantial majority of the people who saw it.

 

[Spider-Vader]

This was probably the worst superhero movie I've ever seen & up there with the worst movies I've ever seen.

Nothing f***ing happened. There was no character development, no action, the acting is embarrassing, barely any plot.

This was the most disrespectful treatment of superheroes I've ever seen, yes even worse than the infamous Barakapool. Dr Doom got the blunt of it, this was as far away from the character of Dr Doom as possible.

Josh Trank can go f*** himself with trying to take the blame off of himself. The whole movie is a train wreck & it comes from the tone of the movie; this tone does not work with these characters! This is almost as bad as making an edgy movie about f***ing Monopoly or something.

0/10

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Going by the box office numbers so far, most of the world isn’t even going to bother seeing it, so there won’t be enough people to make that claim anyway..

The CinemaScore is C-.

http://www.cinemascore.com/

The world hates it.

 

[Urich Leeds]

Well I've seen it. And I don't know how to feel. It goes to hell after the accident. But to be honest, it wasn't that great up until then either.

It's not a traditionally bad film. Its not bad for the reasons Batman & Robin, and Catwoman are.

It's really weird. Just not a good movie.