Just saw it.
We got caught in mall Christmas traffic and miraculously walked into the theater exactly 2 seconds before the trailer began.
I can confirm that yes, the YouTube camera phone version folks are watching is completely,
unbelievably blurry. There is so much lost.
After seeing the real thing, I am completely, 100% satisfied. The Surfer was the Surfer. I could discern no liberties taken whatsoever with his character.
There's a moment where the Surfer phases out from a building that's slowed down a bit to allow the audience a full reveal, and it's quite nice. (Johnny is saying "Cool" in response to that.)
The features of the Thing are definitely improved. There seems to be more definition of his rocky plates and he's definitely a deeper shade of orange.
The shot where he looks up, slack-jawed, at the Surfer is perfect.
My guess is the Surfer doesn't just whizz by, but makes a real stop -
and perhaps an announcement - before Johnny gives chase. This would explain the whole rooftop wedding, which is a deviation from the comics.
There was a fair amount of good audience response, starting the moment the Thing was shown. Lots of "whoa" sounds. Folks were diggin' it.
There was a guy that yelled out "Yeah!" as the "4" logo slammed on the screen at the end. (No, it wasn't me.)
Quite simply: This is not FF1.
I do hope they make it available online soon so you can all see it.
It is
really something.