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! 😀

 

LATE REVIEW: Whiplash

Howdy ladies and gents, I have returned after a few days with a new film review and today I’m FINALLY getting around to talking about Whiplash. I’ve heard so much about the film and since its release in America I’ve heard everyone sing its praises, but I hadn’t seen it and even after its UK release this year I had to wait even longer to view it because my local cinema never bothered to show it. However, I saw it and I’m gonna say this right now, Whiplash is one of the best films I have ever seen, period.

The plot can be summarised as the following: Andrew Neiman is a student jazz drummer and we following him on his journey to become the best drummer ever as seeks the respect and approval of a monstrous teacher, Terence Fletcher.

Talk about an intense film. At the time of me writing this review my heart is still pounding from the intensity of this film, that’s how much of an impression it left on me. Whiplash has a story that would be familiar and relatable to any person who has tried really hard at something that they are passionate about, whether they succeed or failed. This film deals with themes of dedication, passion and obsession. This film is about a power struggle between two opposing forces, both of them want the same thing, but have very different means of how they wish obtain perfection. The amount of tension in this film is unreal with so many moments throughout making sit so still just waiting to see what happens next, its heart-pounding action on the highest level. And that ending, my god, talk about edge-of-your-seat action, one of the most tension-filled, heartfelt and satisfying endings to any film I’ve seen in a long time.

Now let’s talk about that cast. Let’s talk about Miles Teller as Andrew Neiman, bloody hell what a performance. Neiman is a bit of a loner and hangs out with his father, the only outlet he has is drumming and after he comes into contact with Fletcher his drumming technique becomes everything and he works his ass off just to get the approval of one of the meanest teachers ever. Neiman wants to be the best and he goes above and beyond to become the best, to the way he trains and see how fixated he becomes on this hobby after meeting Fletcher shows how much drumming really means to him whether he’s mashing up his hands, getting pissed off at Fletcher or shutting out the people that care about him. Teller commits to this role 100% as he is charming, dedicated and emotive as this kid who literally bleeds for his passion and you feel for him every step of the way. And then there’s J. K. Simmons as Terence Fletcher. Bloody hell, talk about mean. He is a jazz instructor who gives out tough love, but it is only to get the best out of his students and while you understand why he does what he does, it still feels like he steps over the line. Fletcher must be the most disgusting, abusive and cruel teacher in the history of existence, not since Agatha Trunchbull has there been such a mean person who verbally assaults students, however this guy is worse. He verbally rapes anyone who isn’t on-point and he doesn’t care who is watching, and for Neiman is like having the weight of the world on his shoulders. Simmons is so magnetic and attacks this role with such force and aggression, when he’s angry it’s like a frigging hurricane comes and knocks everything over. Also Paul Reiser and Melissa Benoist are good as Jim Neiman and Nicole.

Oh and the presentation was gorgeous. The film was shot really well with a lot of great lighting, moody colours and great editing and camera shots were used in the music sequences where each scene moving along with the same amount of aggression or style as the jazz itself. Oh and the music, dear god, the music. I’m a big fan of jazz music, I believe it is one of the most universal forms of music to get down with and enjoy and this film has all of the right sounds. The music is perfection with all those gorgeous horns, pianos, percussion and everything, from the small sessions to be big performances, it was the best thing ever.

In conclusion Whiplash was amazing. I wasn’t sure if it would meet the hype after all of the time I spent reading reviews and hearing people go on about, but I guess seeing is believing. The story was great, the two lead performances were astonishing and the soundtrack was perfect. I cannot recommend this film enough, it is awesome. End of.

Rating: 10/10 (Yeah a perfect rating, haven’t given one of those out in a long time)

So have you seen Whiplash (and let’s be honest everyone ha at this point) and if so what did you think of it? Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the nest 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.