Title: Fantastic Four
Director: Josh Trank
Writers: Simon Kinberg, Jeremy Slater, Josh Trank, Stan Lee (characters), Jack Kirby (characters)
Stars: Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell, Reg E. Cathey
Release Date: Out Now
Review by: Dave Griffiths
Ever heard the saying make sure you read the fine print? Well that is certainly the case with the latest reboot of Fantastic Four. See, a quick glance of the poster and you’d think that Fantastic Four is a Marvel film, that’s right from the same people that gave us The Avengers and even made Guardians Of The Galaxy and Ant-Man cool. But be warned because nobody that had anything to do with those films remotely had anything to with this Fantastic Four film. See this didn’t come out of the Marvel/Disney stable this is instead Twentieth Century Fox’s attempt to hold onto this franchise and kept it from Marvel. And the resulting product is somewhat frustrating.
Directed by Josh Trank (Chronicle) the Fantastic Four centres around Reed Richards (Miles Teller – Whiplash) who alongside his buddy Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell – Billy Elliott) created a teleportation device that attracted the attention of Dr. Franklin Storm (reg E. Cathey – The Machinist) and his scientist daughter, Sue (Kate Mara – Iron Man 2). Soon Reed finds himself working on the project with Franklin, Kate, Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan – Fruitvale Station) and Victor Van Doom (Toby Kebbell – Wrath Of The Titans) but in a desperate bid for a ‘first’ (and some slight intoxication) an accident occurs that changes their lives forever.
The most frustrating thing about Fantastic Four is that early on this feels like it is going to be a good ‘origins’ story but somewhere along the filmmaking process director Josh Trank loses control of the film and it ends with a clichéd finale that barely even rates a mention. The film spends way too much time telling the story of Reed and co before they become the Fantastic Four and then spends virtually no time showing the audience how they learnt to control their newfound abilities. The Fantastic Four versus The Military is the best part of the film, but sadly the rushed second half of the film just doesn’t allow for it to be explored anywhere near as much as it should be.
The result is even though the film is made up of actors of the caliber of Miles Teller, who has wowed audiences with his performances in The Spectacular Now and Whiplash they never really get a chance to show their acting muscles and the film just peters out and eventually becomes one comic book movie you would rather forget. Now excuse me while I go and watch Guardians Of The Galaxy for the tenth time.
2.5 stars
