QUICK REVIEW: House of Cards Season 2

Howdy ladies and gents, time for my first TV review for a while, and after almost TWO years I’m finally talking about the second season of House of Cards. I remember liking season 1 in 2015 and I knew I’d get back to the show at some point but with all the additional TV I watched over the last two years with Buffy, The Wire, Luther, Regular Show, Better Call Saul and so on, just finding the time has become tough. But anyway I finally finished season 2 and I’m ready to talk about it.

Story-wise the show can be summed up as the following:

“A Congressman works with his equally conniving wife to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him.”

So what I liked about this season was that it picked up right where the last left off and things escalated quickly. House of Cards season 2 to me was able personal struggle. What happens when one is pushed into a corner? When they have the weight of the world on their shoulders or have demons from their past that come back to get them? These questions and more were explored for many of the characters in this show including Frank and Claire Underwood, Doug, Raymond, Remy, Rachel and Garrett the President. Tensions run high, alliances are formed and broken, and lies and deceit are abound as many people deceive, cheat and use each for personal gain with very few genuine individuals who aren’t corrupt or end up as victims. Witnessing the ever-shifting nature of the political landscape was fascinating whether it was backhanded deals, certain individuals challenging the chain of command or having to deal with financial issues, all of that stuff is really insightful and engaging. Like before some of the political jargon got lost on me and so some of the finer details did escape me, and some episodes weren’t as engaging as others, but when this show got going good gravy it had a lot of great surprises and shocking moments that increased my love for this world that is so cold, complicated, lonely and corrupt.

The cast were all very good. Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood was fantastic, I know he’s a manipulative, calculated and dangerous individual but good god do I love him. His ambition, cunning and swagger made him so magnetic to watch, he stole every scene he was in and it also helped that he broke the fourth wall every so often with dialogue which was so cool and quotable. Robin Wright was even more impressive than last season as Claire Underwood, not only was she loyal to Frank but also had her own material to deal with which was very complicated and emotionally painful, we also got to see just how much of a force of nature she could be when attacked or how she could be as corrupt as Frank. Both Frank and Claire were tested this season, having to deal with person demons and not being able to fight back on their terms. Michael Kelly as Doug Stamper was awesome, his character is very reserved, calm and yet has personal flaws which made him very compelling to watch, and I really enjoyed seeing his relationship with Frank and Rachel. Mahershala Ali was really good as Remy Danton, he’s a guy with morals and ethics, however, he was also very crafty, illusive and a bit of a troublemaker for the Underwoods.

I also enjoyed Molly Parker as Jacqueline “Jackie” Sharp, she brought an interesting new voice to the table because of her history, her interactions with the Underwoods and her ties to Remy as well. Rachel Brosnahan was really good as Rachel Posner she had a fairly complicated and emotional time this season when it came to her living situation, Doug and some of the other people she interacted with. Kate Mara as Zoe Barnes was once again pretty good too, Sakina Jaffrey had some good moments as Linda Vasquez, Constance Zimmer was really impressive as Janine Skorsky because of some of the dramatic material she brought to the table, Michel Gill definitely became a lot more interesting at the forefront of the main plotlines as President Garrett Walker, while he was the least interesting character in this show, he was certainly at his most engaging in this season. and Reg E. Cathey was great as Freddy Hayes as his character had a lot more pivotal moments to shine, beyond his interactions with Frank, there was some specific spotlight put on him that fleshed out his character in a great way. When it comes to the presentation it’s still on point. Visually the show’s shot well, has good lighting and nicely framed shots too. The soundtrack by Jeff Bell continues to be one of the shows highlights with a fantastic sound that is eery, melancholic, haunting and uncomfortable.

In conclusion season 2 of House of Cards was a very enjoyable session for me, this second session painted a detailed picture about the highs and lows of politics, the complexity of personal and professional relationships and the pressures/difficulties that come with the road to power. For the most part I was captivated with this show and I will check out the next season very soon.

So have you seen the second season of House of Cards and if so what do you think of it? Please be sure to comment below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

The Martian Review (SPOILER FREE)

Good day to you ladies and gentlemen, time for another film review and today I’ll be talking about The Martian. This is another film that’s been on my 2015 anticipated list, even when there was no footage, I had hope for the film considering that it had an interesting premise, Ridley Scott was directing and it featured Matt Damon. And after the trailers and early positive word of mouth I was excited to see this. So after seeing an early screening at Cineworld yesterday I’m ready to pass judgement!

The story can be described as the following:

“When a mission to Mars goes wrong for a group of team of astronauts, they escape, however one of their members, Mark Watney is left behind and presumed dead. With limited resources and a harsh environment to live in, Watney must fight for survival while communicating with NASA, other scientists and his crewmates on a rescue plan.”

I thought the story was really good. This is another film that focuses on survival, human ingenuity, endurance and spirit. I like how there was moral, ethical and logical dilemma’s for not only Mark, but his crewmates and the people at NASA as well, there wasn’t an easy way of doing things and for a lot of the choices that some of these characters made, there’d be sacrifices or negative consequences involved. I also appreciated the realism, the scientific talk and unpredictable nature of space, the Mars environment and spacecraft equipment. The film was also a lot funnier than I expected and I think it really helped ease the loneliness and dread. While this isn’t a brilliant or unique adventure, it is a solid and well-made film from director Ridley Scott, there is a sense of confidence and intelligence with Scott’s direction and I liked that aspect a lot.

The cast did such great work with their performances, but the main star is Matt Damon as Mark Watney. This is a character who is smart and courageous, but also has to deal with the fact that death is constantly present and could take him at any moment. Damon is a really great actor and I think a lot of people forget that, but here is allowed to be dramatic, charming, funny, frustrated and so much more, and a lot of the time he has to act alone, yet pretend like there is someone is watching and he pulls that off fairly well.

As for the people down on Earth I really liked Jeff Daniels as Teddy Sanders, he was an interesting character because he is a good person, but he also has to think of things from a business perspective and his decisions puts him at odds with his other staff members. Kristen Wiig as Annie Montrose did pretty well and I think I think I liked her performance a lot mainly because it was the first time I’ve seen her in a serious role. Chiwetel Ejiofor as usual turns in a great performance Vincent Kapoor and Sean Bean was good as Mitch Henderson too.  Mackenzie Davis was cute and good in her role as Mindy Park, Benedict Wong was quite good as Bruce Ng and Donald Glover’s appearance as Rich Purnell was strange, humourous and entertaining for sure. As for the space-based characters, Jessica Chastain did well with her material as Melissa Lewis, she’s the most developed and important of the crew and has a lot of important decisions to make too. Michael Peña as Rick Martinez was also good, he had some humourous moments and good banter with Mark. Kate Mara was also good as Beth Johanssen, I also liked my man Sebastian Stan as Chris Beck and Aksel Hennie as Alex Vogel was good but a little forgettable. Together these characters had good chemistry and felt like a good team of individuals who cared about their mission but also for each other and Mark.

When it comes to the presentation it was really good. Visually this was a great experience. Spaced-based sci-fi films have been getting better with their special effects over the last few years with Prometheus, Guardians of the Galaxy and Gravity showing more and more impressive their art direction, realism and level of detail, and this film is no different. The Martian has wonderful cinematography, editing and sound design too. I was just stunned by the scenery of Mars, all the shots on the planet were gorgeous and the scenes in space were also very beautiful with great lighting and clarity. The film score by Harry Gregson-Williams was also quite good, William’s soundtracks tend to be a little hit and miss for me, but here he did a good job creating music that really amplified the action on-screen and it had many great moments elevating the emotional scenes.

In conclusion The Martian is a return to form for Ridley Scott, offering up a thrilling and dramatic story, great performances and brilliant production value. While I wouldn’t say it blew me away, it is definitely on the higher end of films I’ve seen post-summer season and in 2015 in general.

Rating: 8/10

So what did you think of The Martian? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them below and let me know. Until the next time, see ya later! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: House of Cards Season 1

Howdy ladies and gents, time for a TV review again, YAY! Today I’ll be talking about the first season of House of Cards. I recently gave my quick thoughts in a recent blog post, but this post will be a little more expansive.

Story-wise the show can be summed up as the following:

“A Congressman works with his equally conniving wife to exact revenge on the people who betrayed him.”

At first things unfold in an interesting way. You’re basically being introduced to this world through Frank Underwood’s eyes, you learn about the world of politics and government, and then there’s the journalism side of things as well. And you see how these two things operate separately but also how they intersect and have positive and negative effects for the people on either side. But what you learn quickly is that this is Frank’s story, everything is about him, and even when he isn’t the primary focus, in some way things will tie back to him, and there lies the show’s biggest strength and flaw. Frank’s a character with ambition and aspirations, but in order for him to get from A to B, he has plot and plan ahead and this involves everyone around him whether they are his wife, friends, enemies, other colleagues or people he doesn’t know, as they serve a purpose in the grand scheme of things. It is really smart and creative to see how these stories pan out and how the characters do things that intentionally and unintentionally relate back to Frank’s main plan. Of course there are parts of the story that don’t directly involve Frank like the smaller stories involving Claire, Zoe, Peter or Doug that have varying levels of significance. I will say Peter Russo’s arc is one of the most intriguing and dramatic and Claire’s story certainly gets more dramatic towards the latter half of the season. In terms of negatives HOS takes a little while to get into, the pace is slower than most shows I normally watch, I wasn’t completely sold on the first few episodes and a lot of the time I forgot the names of many characters and sometimes couldn’t follow certain conversations because of the political jargon. And finally certain stories set up some interesting possibilities, however they don’t all pan out the way you’d want them to (or at least the way I wanted them to).

As the cast there are all pretty good. Kevin Spacey just kills it as U.S. Congressman Francis “Frank” J. Underwood. Frank’s a thinker, he’s proactive and is always a few steps ahead, and if something isn’t going his way he knows how to flip it and make the situation work for him. In some ways Frank reminds me of Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones in the sense that they are smart, cunning and confident. They know the game when it comes to politics and power, they know how to manipulate and persuade people, they’re stubborn and know no defeat. Rarely are they on the side of failure. So when they do trip up or make a mistake it is worse because they’ve been right for so long. I’ve always liked Spacey as an actor and this show really displays his acting talents in full force as he is charming, aggressive, relatable and just fun to watch. Robin Wright is just as important as Claire Underwood, at first she does come across as Frank’s wife and rock who supports him in all that he does, but as things progress you start to see that she’s a very strong individual who’s just as smart and cunning as her husband. Plus there is moments dedicated to her backstory and seeing how she develops as a person. Wright is an actress I haven’t seen that much of in recent years so it’s nice to see her in such a great role here. Kate Mara as Zoe Barnes is really good, Zoe is a young, gorgeous, intuitive and forward-thinking kind of woman who wants to further her work in journalism and will do so whether the means are morally or ethically correct or not. I love the working relationship that she obtains with Franks and how they help each other but also how the relationship changes when they really start to need things from each other. Mara plays this character pretty well with style, grace and beauty.

Corey Stoll may be the season-stealer as Peter Russo, Russo is a good man with a troubled background, he’s involved with a lot of bad stuff and that in turn leaves him in dangerous situations which he eventually gets out of thanks to Frank. So Peter, through manipulation actually gets his act together and tries to do good, and I’d like to say more but it would be ruining things. Peter’s story arc is one of the best aspects of the season and Stoll is brilliant and I really like what he brought to the role. Michael Kelly as Douglas “Doug” Stamper is great, I’ve seen Kelly in a few TV shows and films here and there, but this is the most substantial role I’ve seen from him and he’s really good as Frank’s Chief of Staff. Kristen Connolly is great as Christina Gallagher and I also liked Sakina Jaffrey as Linda Vasquez. Sandrine Holt as Gillian Cole was quite good too, at first she’s a nice and respectable lady, but then she really grows some balls and goes into some aggressive places. Constance Zimmer is good as Janine Skorsky, at first I found Janine quite mean and frustrating but she eventually cooled down and showed  more resourceful and nicer side later on. Michel Gill does well as President Garrett Walker, even though his character seems a little plain at times, at other points he’s shown to be smart and cunning too. Mahershala Ali is also great as Remy Danton, I like how he and Frank have history and sometimes are opposed but other times need each other for mutual purposes. Ben Daniels as Adam Galloway was good, however I felt like his character could have been delved into a little more or just been taken out altogether. Reg E. Cathey is good as Freddy Hayes, even though he’s only around every so often, I love his interactions with Frank and how relaxed and friendly he is. And finally Rachel Brosnahan as Rachel Posner is good as well and I found her character interesting considering her line of work and how she progresses.

Oh by the way the presentation is great. The show is shot really well, everything looks so clean, the lighting is nice and the cinematography in general looks pretty. The soundtrack is also very good as it is very dramatic, haunting and disturbing, most times it feels unsettling and it works with the action on-screen. Oh and that opening, at first I really didn’t care for it as it came across as a bit plain with the music and just a time-lapse of different locations in DC, but I started to get into it and I will say that both the music and imagery gets more interesting after the sun goes down.

In conclusion season 1 of House of Cards is pretty damn good. It introduces you to the world of politics and journalism, and how they intertwine. There is tension, drama and chaos, and it is just intriguing to see how these key characters interact and develop. I will say that certain story aspects didn’t pan out the way I would have liked and some of the political jargon lost me, but overall a good start to an interesting show.

Rating: 8/10

So have you seen the first season of House of Cards and if so what do you think of it? Please be sure to comment below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

The Fantastic Four Review (SPOILER FREE)

Howdy people of the internet and today I’m here to give you a review of a film I’ve been super curious about for AGES, I am of course talking about the 2015 reboot; Fantastic Four. Now this film has been controversial since the beginning, from the casting to the tone of the film to the story and the trailers. It has slowly been changing the minds of many detractors, but since hasn’t wowed a lot of the haters either. So yesterday night Cineworld gave us Unlimited Card holders a chance to see the film before its release on Friday and I couldn’t miss out on it. So is the film good or not? Well read on and find out! Oh and by the way there’s no spoilers so you can read it haha. 😀

The story for the film can be described as the following:

“When four people teleport to an alternate universe, which alters their physical form and grants them new abilities, they must learn to harness their abilities and work together as a team to save the Earth from the friend turned enemy, Doom.”

The story in this film was decent, but it wasn’t great. This was a film about discovery, power-hungry individuals and tragedy with key themes of family and change. There were some interesting aspects with the early aspects of Reed’s story and life after the team gains their powers, but this film has a lot of familiar story beats and their not really executed in a fancy or unique way. You definitely get the sci-fi/horror vibe that was described by the producer and director (I think that’s who was saying that) and it is was an interesting angle to approach these characters, scenarios and powers, and there’s one point (which I won’t say when) where the film goes kind of hardcore with the horror and its great. However it doesn’t fully commit to those genre influences, however, what’s worse to me was the fact that this film lacked the superhero flair and charisma that is required. And furthermore I feel like the film forsakes the superhero elements for its the sci-fi/horror aspects and rather than making a genre fusion like The Dark Knight, Captain America: The Winter Soldier or the recent Ant-Man that felt different in genre but still had superhero elements, this film just wasn’t able to replicate that as well. In this day and age of superhero films you have to bring your A-game, the bar has been set to a really high standard and you have to deliver the goods if you want to be relevant in this ever-growing sea of comic book adaptations and Fantastic Four by the time it was over felt decent, but nowhere near as epic as it should have been. This is definitely the beginning of more to come, I just wish there had been more done with this first entry.

As for the cast they do a good job considering the material they are given. Miles Teller as Reed Richards was good, he was smart, empathetic and awkwardly humourous. Kate Mara as Sue Storm was good, I liked how witty and smug she was and she had good banter with Reed too. Michael B. Jordan which most people took issue with because his race did well as Johnny Storm, Johnny was cool, brash, aggressive and humourous. And Jamie Bell was surprisingly good as Ben Grimm especially after he becomes the Thing, he was an enjoyable character and I liked the personality and relationship with Reed. As a whole the cast were decent and there were shades of the comic book personalities in their performances for sure, so there’s that at least.

And then there’s Toby Kebbell as Victor von Doom, this character is probably the most significant change in character from the comic book counterpart, he’s not very enticing character, however after he transforms he’s turned he’s a lot cooler and intimidating. Kebbell started to embody Doom’s personality eventually and he did alright, but Doom is SO much more in the comics and he kind of felt like an afterthought. Reg E. Cathey did a good job as Dr. Franklin Storm, he was the mentor and father of not only Johnny and Sue but sort of to the whole team as well. Tim Blake Nelson as Harvey Elder was your typical military official and he was fine but forgettable and finally it was random to see Dan Castellaneta as Mr. Kenny in the film and he was fun.

When it comes to the presentation it is good for the most part. Visually the film is good, I liked the use of light, colour and the CGI for the most was very detailed. This film depicted all of the characters powers well especially when it came to Johnny and Sue Storm, the Thing looked good most of the time, but at other points he looked not nearly as good (especially in daylight). As for Reed Richards, well he’s a character who was always gonna have a problem translating to live-action because of his stretching abilities. For the most part the film does Reed justice, but at points the CGI used for his movements looked off and not as polished as the other visual effects. The action sequences were nice but not too memorable. Also the soundtrack by Marco Beltrami and Philip Glass was alright but it wasn’t nearly as impactful or memorable as a film with these kind of characters should be.

In conclusion this new incarnation of Fantastic Four is alright, but it’s nothing mind-blowing. There are moments that I genuinely enjoyed, the performances were good and the action looked cool, however I feel like the film could have been so much more. The new approach to the story and genre is admirable but I feel like it took away from the usual superhero elements that make these kinds of films enjoyable. This feels like one of those films that people will either not care very much for or try a rip a new asshole, I thought it wasn’t a total disaster but it wasn’t amazing.

Rating: 5/10 (All in all decent, but nothing amazing)

So have you seen Fantastic Four and if so what do you think of it? Did you like it or were you unimpressed? Also how do you think it compares to other comic book films? Whatever your thoughts are drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: The Fantastic Four Trailer #2

Howdy people of the internet and welcome to another trailer review! Well I was having a nice casual day re-watching some Phase 1 Marvel studios films, and during a break I saw on ComicBookMovie.com that there was a second trailer released for The Fantastic Four. Now this film has been under fire from fans for the longest time, but after the first trailer dropped a good few people have changed their tunes about wanting to see this film. So what’s the second trailer like? Well read on and find out.

Check out the trailer below:

So my immediate thoughts after seeing this teaser? Well, I’m conflicted. On one hand the additional footage looks very intrigued and promising, while other parts left me not as impressed or as hopeful. But overall it is certainly making me interested in the film more so than before.

Now for this review I’m going to keep my thoughts as brief as possible since not too much has transpired in this trailer to make me go into full-on analytical mode, but I will highlight certain things that worth noting.

Firstly let’s talk briefly about the trailer as it does the following things:

1. It establishes that there will be humour in the film (which I believe is necessary considering that these people will not only have to become a family, but also because humour is pretty much part of Johnny Storm’s persona)
2. We get a little more background into the characters and their early interacts
3. It is also made known that Sue is the adopted child in the Storm family AND that her father is the man behind the research that leads the team’s eventual journey
4. These characters will travel to an alternate dimension/world (I know that was technically already known, but this trailer confirms it visually and verbally)
5. The Thing is on display A LOT
6. The powers of the characters are seen more so than before

The first trailer basically sets up a bit more of the story with us finding out that Johnny and Sue’s father has been researching into something to help understand and potentially safe the world. He’s been at it for a while, some people (probably the government) have been giving him a lot of money for the research and want answers, but it is due to Reed Richards’ intellect Dr. Storm and company have been able to take the one step further. The early appearances and interactions between the main four characters is interesting as it tells us what their personalities are and how they may butt head later on. It also looks like once these guys travel over to the other dimension, they are changed and it doesn’t look like the aftermath is good. These lot are on operating tables, showing off their powers in weird and violent ways, like a horrible transformation.

What I like about this trailer is the humour, that means the film isn’t all doom and gloom (thank god), the CGI for the most part looks very detailed, clean and has a strong art direction too especially for the other dimension stuff. I like how Sue Storm seems to be wearing something that looks very in line with the comic book costumes. Oh and the use of their powers is pretty cool with Reed stretching, Sue and her force fields and Johnny on fire and flying.

My only nitpicks are:

1. Dr. Doom, we only get a glimpse of him and yet it looks so odd, like he has a melted metal face. I know changes need to be made and maybe the film will justify it with the plot, but for now I would have preferred the standard mask (for all it’s problems I actually like the look of the old Doom from the 2005 film, yeah I said it).
2. The Thing, wow. Now I saw the images of The Thing released beforehand and he’s definitely taken a more detailed and more realistic approach, but seeing it in action is a totally different thing. At certain angles he looks kind of cool, but at other he looks hella ugly. I mean maybe he is meant to look bad to emphasise the horror of his transformation, but still he’s not that hard to ruin, and now I’m thinking I may actually like the big old orange version from the 2005 film (again, I’m saying it because I’m not afraid of the hateful comments!)

In conclusion the second trailer for The Fantastic Four is pretty interesting, but I can’t say I’m totally sold on this film yet. There are things that I liked, but there are also things that I didn’t like or just left me wondering why such things are happening. That is not to say that I won’t watch the film, it certainly looks like it at least deserves a watch and if they get the core elements of the characters and mythos right then I shall forgive all of the radical changes in a heartbeat.

So have you seen the second trailer for The Fantastic Four and if so what do you think of it? And are you more or less interested in seeing the film than you were before? Whatever your thoughts are drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

The Fantastic Four Teaser Trailer Review – FINALLY!

Well the teaser trailer for the comic book film that’s been shrouded in secrecy for the longest time; The Fantastic Four has FINALLY dropped today and I finally get to talk about it.

Check out the trailer below:

So my immediate thoughts after seeing this teaser? Not bad, this film, it has my interest. Now while it didn’t do anything to blow me away, it did paint a picture that I want to see more of. This trailer pretty much is here to give you an idea of what to expect in terms of the atmosphere and style of the film. This looks very different from the old FF films and possibly any of the recent comic book films that we’ve seen.

At first we get a very standard (and a bit generic) voice over that talks about humans’ need to build and invent and furthering those ideas on the younger generation, and obviously there’s talk of risks and sacrifice. So this guy’s monologue is a way of summarizing the outline of what the future holds for the heroes of this film. All while he is talking we see shots of a lab, Reed walking around, Ben playing baseball, Johnny fixing a car and Sue on a computer. There is a montage around two-thirds of the way in where the more interesting shots come in like Sue looking sad holding Johnny, an explosion in the city, Johnny flaming on in a hallway, what looks to be Dr. Doom dispatching some guards with electricity and Johnny’s fire against Sue’s invisibility force field. And that final shot of the four heroes together looking at that crazy light/portal thing in the sky looks menacing and flashy.

What I do like about this trailer is the tone. It feels very serious, realistic and falls in line very much with Days of Future Past or The Amazing Spider-Man. It seems like this will be one of those superhero films that is less comic book styled and more like an action drama with superhero elements thrown in.

So from what I can understand it seems like Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben are all doing their own thing, possibly looks like they volunteer for some science experiment that goes wrong and then they all gain superpowers.

I like the look of this film, the special effects look pretty clean and the scope of the film (again like The Amazing Spider-Man) looks huge, not only in terms of locations, but the way this film is shot has so much wide and establishing shots of various locations. I’m also like the effects used for Johnny’s fire and The Thing’s rock form that looks more realistic than before.

My only concern is how much they will change from the comics, but even more so than that, how serious the film will be. I like dark and gritty films, but after the Christopher Nolan Batman films I was ready for something a little lighter. Guardians of the Galaxy was hella fun and showed that you could have a comic book film that didn’t need to be all moody, but instead could a balance between humour and action. I don’t want FF the dark edition, hopefully there is some fun to be found in this film.

In conclusion the teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four is pretty good, it gives you just enough footage to give you an idea of what’s going on, but doesn’t overdo it with footage or spoil specific story details (SONY TAKE NOTE). I am now intrigued by this film, it may not be the FF that I remember, but I’m going to give this film a chance.

So ladies and gents what do you think of the teaser trailer for The Fantastic Four? Are you down with this more realistic approach or do you want something more in line with the comics? Whatever your thoughts are drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

Apparently The Cast For The Fantastic Four Have Been Confirmed!

Howdy ladies and gents, time for an important news update in the world of comic book films. For the longest time now I and a number of fans have been worried about the upcoming Fantastic Four film set to come out in 2015. At first it was great when Josh Trank was signed on to direct, been the casting rumours started, the internet set ablaze with controversy spreading left right and center and with the recent story synopsis rumours floating around, that hasn’t done anything to dampen the fire.

Now according to some sources 20th Century Fox have confirmed the cast for the film and the end result has confirmed our worst nightmares.

The following news story comes from the ever-reliable superherohype:

(Photo Credit: FayesVision / WENN.com)

“Twentieth Century Fox has cast Marvel’s First Family! Jamie Bell, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara and Miles Teller are Josh Trank’s The Fantastic Four. TheWrap broke the news, confirming months of rumors surrounding the involvement of Jordan, Mara and Teller and were the first to name Jamie Bell as the studio’s choice for Ben Grimm, aka The Thing. Bell seems to be the only one without an official offer on the table, but it is very much expected that he will be confirmed by the studio shortly.

Teller will play Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), Mara will be Sue Storm (The Invisible Woman), Jordan is set to play Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) and Bell (likely through motion-capture) would be Ben Grimm (The Thing). Previous reports have suggested that Trank’s iteration of the story also involves Dr. Victor Von Doom, so expect more casting on The Fantastic Four very soon.

Filming on The Fantastic Four is expected to begin in Baton Rouge this March. Josh Trank will direct the big screen adaptation, which is currently set for release on June 19, 2015​.”

Jesus Christ. Where to begin. You know how you have that sneaking suspicion in your mind that you about bad things before they happen, well that was my feeling about the casting for this film. I woke up this morning to see this official news story and to be honest I kind of flipped out. It seems like the casting for comic book films is getting more and more bizarre in the last 3 years. I think film studios are actually doing this on purpose to get a rise out of the fans. I mean look at Warner Bros. and their casting on Man of Steel 2, first the internet blew up about Ben Affleck, then Gal Gadot and just recently Jesse Eisenberg. Now 20th Century Fox are playing the same game and to be honest if they wanted to get attention, they bloody well accomplished that job.

Okay let’s talk about this casting a little bit. In a way I had a feeling that some of these people would be cast, mainly Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller. From all the casting rumours surrounding them I could only assume that they’d been chosen already. Jordan has been talked about for this role for around a year and since no one else was in the running I feared the worst and now it has come true. Now I love Jordan as an actor, he’s great, but him as the Johnny Storm is just so random. Miles Teller, I never seen any of his work as far as I know and he doesn’t really have the look of a Reed Richards. And Jamie Bell, another good another good actor, but not sure if he fits the profile for Ben Grimm. The only person I’m down with is Kate Mara, she seems like a capable actress to take on Sue Storm.

The main reason why this bugs me so much is because of the radical changes going on. Why do the FF team seem so young? Why did have to change the race of one of the main characters? What is the thought process behind these kinds of decisions?

Now I am all for change in the world of comic book film adaptations, it has been happening a lot in the last 6 years, but for me there has to be a reason why these changes are being made and I don’t see it. Are the public that bored with seeing average-aged actors portraying comic book characters? Is Johnny Storm that dull of a character that we have to change his race to make him relevant? Or is someone gonna give me the argument that “Oh we live in 2014, times are different let’s embrace change.” To that I say bullshit. If something wasn’t broken to begin with why change it up now? It baffles me to no end.

I hate to rant so heavily because I’m not a massive comic book purist, that being said there is a magic and sense of wonder to seeing great adaptations of your favourite childhood characters getting their own live-action film and if that adaptation blows, it hurts. I don’t want this film to suck, I actually want an amazing film, but this casting has really bothered me. This film is gonna have to do something incredible to win me over and if it does succeed I will gladly take back anything I said about it. RoboCop proved me wrong, the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is shifting my opinion too, so there may be hope. But as of right now I’m not down for this.

Now I open the floor to you, what do you think of this news? Are you down with the casting or are you disappointed. Also do you agree with my opinion or do you think I’m dead wrong, comment below yo.

 

The Fantastic Four Screenplay Completed, More Actors Testing This Month

Alrighty then, time to talk about some news relating to the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot. Even though I’m not exactly happy about the way in which this film is turning out, this latest story I thought needed to be reported on my blog. The following info comes from superherohype:

“Variety reports that screenwriter Simon Kinberg has completed his re-write of Fox’s The Fantastic Four reboot and that they’re looking to finalize the film’s cast shortly. The site notes that actors will continue testing for roles in the film later this month, including Miles Teller, Kit Harington and Richard Madden for Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic, and Kate Mara and Saoirse Ronan for Sue Storm aka The Invisible Woman.

As previously mentioned, the only name reported for the Johnny Storm/Human Torch role is Chronicle‘s Michael B. Jordan. No names have been mentioned for the Ben Grimm/The Thing role, though Terry Crews says he wants it.

Filming on the reboot is expected to begin in Baton Rouge this March. Josh Trank will direct the big screen adaptation, which is currently set for release on June 19, 2015​.”

Okay so the script is done, whoopie doo. I’m not overly concerned about that, what I wanna know is who will be playing these characters.

For me the Fantastic Four are one of the best superhero groups in all of comics, there is a wonderful family dynamic about their group, plus their powers are all really unique and cool and lead themselves to some cool team-up abilities. This group needs a proper film adaptation. Tim Story and 20th Century tried it almost 10 years ago and failed (nuff love for Chris Evans though!), so now that we’re in an age where comic book films are handled a little more seriously, there could be a good chance we could get a good adaptation… Provided that the filmmakers don’t fuck it up!

You see ever since the film was announced I was half and half about it; I would like to see FF done justice, but at the same time I don’t care because I have good movies from The Avengers to Batman and X-Men to keep me company you know? At first when Josh Trank was brought on to direct, I thought we were onto something incredible… But then subsequent stories and rumours afterwards has led me to believe that this new take on the FF source material may be in trouble. We start getting all these crazy stories like:

• Michael B. Jordan wants to be Johnny Storm
• Johnny and Sue Storm may be black
• Johnny might be an adopted brother she will explain why he’s black and Sue is white
• Oh the FF group may be multi-racial
• Now they’re looking for younger actors to play younger versions of the group

WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL MAN? Now I’m all for change and innovation in comic book films, but we need to slow down and take things slow.

Firstly let’s talk about race. Changing the race of a character is a big deal. some say that it isn’t as long as the character personality remains the same and some have said they’re played with the race of characters before such as Heimdall from Thor, Kingpin from Daredevil and Perry White from Man of Steel, but the difference there was that they weren’t the main characters. Plus it just messes with the continuity of the comics and other media adaptations. And to me if they do make Johnny Storm black I don’t feel like there will be any proper reasoning behind it, all I’m seeing from this current rumour is “We live in the 21st century, to change things up and make traditionally white characters another race, why? Because we want to be multicultural.” And again that’s all and well but I’d rather have a character’s race changed if it served the story rather than just being “fresh and out-of-the-blue”.

As for the younger cast, that is a prospect that scares me. I don’t want no FF babies. I want adults taking on the world dammit! I feel like the age change is just an excuse to capitalize on the success of X-Men: First Class and their younger actors. The same rules don’t apply to the Fantastic Four, I feel like if their young the filmmakers will make them silly, childish, reckless and lack the charisma, charm, depth and maturity that comes from the group in the comics. Plus some of the casting choices are just crazy:

Here we have the current candidates for Mr Reed Richards, a very important role to fill and these actors are Miles Teller, Kit Harington and Richard Madden. Tiller I’ve never really seen, but Harrington and Madden we all know from Game of Thrones as John Snow and Rob Stark. I’m not sure if I really get a Reed Richards vibe from any of them, especially not Teller. But if I had to choose I’d go with Harrington, he’s awesome and has a pretty good face and acting skills.

And then there’s the choices for Sue Storm:

My goodness these ladies look young. Kate Mara I’ve not really seen her in many films whereas Saoirse Ronan I’ve seen in a few. Honestly Saoirse Ronan I can’t see in this role purely because she looks and is so young, plus I dunno if this is the kind of rough and tumble action film that she could handle. I mean whose to say she can’t surprise us? But as it stands I can’t see her jumping on the superhero bandwagon any time soon. On the other hand Mara I think has the potential, while she would be my first choice she kind of reminds me of thinner Hayley Atwell and that is not on a bad thing at all. Either way Sue Storm is beautiful, yet very powerful figure in the group and with her abilities and that casting will also be bloody crucial.

Okay mini rant over. Sorry to go so overboard with my comments here but in truth this is something that concerns me, if the casting for this film is just the slightest bit off then we could be looking at another questionable film here.

So what do you think of the recent news and how do you think the production of the Fantastic Four is going so far? Are you down with it or are you concerned? Also do you think I’m right or just completely out of my mind? Whatever your thoughts are drop them below yo.