Reasons for the disappointing numbers-Discussion

[honest george]

The only thing good about the Fantastic Four franchise was Human Torch and The Thing. Silver Surfer was made well, but making the board the source of his power was ridiculous. It's a shame the director made it so campy instead of making it feel more natural and having genuine fun with it.

I agree that Thing and Torch were the best aspects of both films. The board power source was, IMO, the only way they could think of to power SS down long enough to get some back ground on him. Considering they couldn't overly define Galactus (so SS couldn't oberve the fight between FF and him and thus come to their aid) the script didn't have very many options.

 

[mtd20_2000]

The answer to this question is rather simple:

TIM STORY SUCKS!

 

[honest george]

The answer to this question is rather simple:

TIM STORY SUCKS!

I still have no idea how this guy got the job.

 

[Nightmare]

What movies did he do before? Besides Barbershop.

 

[Zombie_Comics]

He did Taxi

 

[honest george]

He did Taxi

Another action packed, special effects extravaganza!

 

[smoothbody]

UHH,UMM, the CAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NUFFSAID2004]

Oh, c'mon. This movie was just plain "awful"..

 

[Rich Santoro]

The problem was that they were made like Saturday Morning Cartoons (having thing doing a little jig at the bar... Reed's stretchy dance... Johnny as a ridiculously over the top hot shot - no pun intended). The movies did not take themselves seriously enough... the details weren't delved into deeply enough, leaving a very superficial presentation.

They were watchable, and had their moments... Torch looked cool overall, Thing shoulder thrusting the semi, the River Thames scene and the Eye of London. I liked Surfer, and FF2 was a bit better than number 1... but still a dissapoinment. After X-Men and Spiderman did so well, it is like the studios just saw these properties as vehicles for easy cash, and took the characters, but made their own films.

I would say that the FF movies were better than Ghost Rider, DareDevil, Elektra, Punisher, Blade 2 and 3, X-men 3 and The Hulk... but they were weaker than the Spiderman series (even though SM3 was a let down), Blade, X-Men 1 and 2, Ironman and TIH. So I would give FF2 a C+ and FF a C-

 

[Erzengel]

Wow you are being generous, I'd put FF series over GR, Elektra, possibly Blade Trinity. And that's it.

 

[Rich Santoro]

I am not being generous... that is how bad I though those other films were.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I'd argue the FF movies are entertaining, well produced, fun. I'd certainly rather watch either than many comicbook movies. And the Extended version of the first movie is actually very good.

However, these are simply very expensive b-movies, whereas the Fantastic Four (the FANTASTIC FOUR!) should be huge, soaring epics of imagination and adventure. As many have said, they should be like Back to the Future meets Star Wars.

RotSS felt like a prologue to a proper, two-hour plus FF movie wherein the team go into space, through the Nagative Zone, and fight Galactus at the climax with the aid of an entire planet of bizarre but noble aliens.

 

[samsnee]

It was too campy for sure and didn't really have any subtlety to the characters. Before Iron Man came out, they had one of the more unique opportunities in that they didn't have to worry about secret identities or any of that. And they just threw it out the door.

Also, they completely f'd up Doom. Julian McMahon did not play the part well at all.

 

[Silver Knight]

I'd argue the FF movies are entertaining, well produced, fun. I'd certainly rather watch either than many comicbook movies. And the Extended version of the first movie is actually very good.

However, these are simply very expensive b-movies, whereas the Fantastic Four (the FANTASTIC FOUR!) should be huge, soaring epics of imagination and adventure. As many have said, they should be like Back to the Future meets Star Wars.

RotSS felt like a prologue to a proper, two-hour plus FF movie wherein the team go into space, through the Nagative Zone, and fight Galactus at the climax with the aid of an entire planet of bizarre but noble aliens.

Great post.

 

[StylishHokie21]

I think the marketing played a factor in it's poor box office. I barely saw any commercials for this movie at all.The movie was called Rise of the Silver Surfer, but Surfer was hardly in the damn thing. Correct me if I'm wrong because I haven't watched it in awhile.

The cast wasn't the greatest either. I think Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis were perfectly cast, but Alba and Gruffudd were not. They had zero chemistry together.

 

[Ace of Knaves]

in the words of comic book guy....."worst comic book adaptation ever"

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Shame...

The Fantastic Four could and should be Marvels Star Wars on the big screen.

 

[bubbadoom]

I would not call it the worst, not with GHOST RIDER in release...

 

[Ace of Knaves]

oh yea ghost rider was the biggest piece of cheese i've seen in a long time. nic cage is one of my favourite actors but the script and everything was just toooo cheesey. correct me if i'm wrong but isn't ghost rider supposed to be the darkest of all marvel comics? if so why did they make it into a kiddie friendly popcorn film!!!

 

[ReallyCoolGuy]

in the words of comic book guy....."worst comic book adaptation ever"

Not the worst. but... definitely a contender...

 

[Dr. Fate]

I think the marketing played a factor in it's poor box office. I barely saw any commercials for this movie at all.The movie was called Rise of the Silver Surfer, but Surfer was hardly in the damn thing. Correct me if I'm wrong because I haven't watched it in awhile.

The cast wasn't the greatest either. I think Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis were perfectly cast, but Alba and Gruffudd were not. They had zero chemistry together.

I thought Gruffud decent enough as Reed, but he needed an older, better actress to play off of. Alba was too much of a lightweight for Sue and did not do the character justice, not to mention that when you see her with Evans, she feels like she should be his girlfriend or a one-night stand rather than his big sister.

As for the disappointing numbers at the box office, well, it was probably a combination of being stuck in Spider-Man 3's shadow and the first movie not making enough of a good impression for people to want to see a sequel.

 

[Kelly]

I thought Gruffud decent enough as Reed, but he needed an older, better actress to play off of. Alba was too much of a lightweight for Sue and did not do the character justice, not to mention that when you see her with Evans, she feels like she should be his girlfriend or a one-night stand rather than his big sister.

As for the disappointing numbers at the box office, well, it was probably a combination of being stuck in Spider-Man 3's shadow and the first movie not making enough of a good impression for people to want to see a sequel.

I thought Ioan was the weakest of the 4. It's funny because many around here were talking about how Evans was looking at Alba, not the other way around.

I liked the characterization in the second, much better than the first......because that was what I wanted to see improved the most, I liked it better than the first, at first. BUT................

Unlike the first, which I liked better each time I watched it.......the second, I'm liking less each time I watch it because it made grand steps from the first, but seemed to stop right before the midway part, and the finale sucked............action was mediocre, and with that + weak direction on those action scenes, *sighs* I like less each time I see it.

 

[J-Sentius]

I think that the problem was that FF was too colourful, too happy.

 

[Kelly]

Well, the FF is much more colorful, and lighthearted with a thread of darkness. Pretty much opposite of some other comics out there.

But, I do think that there was a definite failure in making Galactus an extreme worldwide death threat. Honestly, I didn't see him as death threat at all. I think the biggest problem in that was time. It was written, but it was edited to death, which was what killed the first movie as well, IMO.