Review of Fantastic Four (2015) by Kevin D — 23 Apr 2016

Absolutely Abysmal.

There are few redeeming qualities in a film like this. Everything from the altered plot line, the characterization, and the lack of any emotional quality, makes this possibly the worst Marvel (and cinematic) entry of 2015.

I for one, am really tired of writers trying to modernize or change classic comic stories, to better suit the audience. They assume that we want something updated, with lots of CGI, and twists and turns along the way. Simpler is always better. The original stories are classic, and beautiful to begin with. The genius struggle of Richard trying to prevent humanity from destroying itself, and from outside threats. The depth of love Susan has for him and the family they build together. Ben's emotional state when he knows there is no going back to his original body, and of course the positvity that the Human Torch carries for the team even in the heat of battle. They were full of struggle and strife, sacrifice and obsession, and a willingness to do good. This movie brings none of those feelings to the screen. The plot is so terribly altered from the original that it makes no effort to connect to it's origin. Everything falls flat.

The actors are so young by comparison to the characters in the comic, that I felt no real empathy towards them. Reed was a genius at birth, but no scene in this film brings about any depth of his intelligence. He's foolish, unintelligent, over-dramatic, and has very little ability to emote (considering Miles Teller's performance in Whiplash). The other characters (2 of which are just CGI monsters) are fairly one dimensional, and lack any real feeling of unity between them as a team. How they managed to do this with one of pop-culture's super families is beyond me.

Truth is, this is what happens when you have poor writing, poor direction, poor editing, poor acting, and a large budget with producers with eyes like dollar signs. Fox ruined this one from the get go.

If you're a fan of the comics (or of movies in general), then avoid this movie like the plague.

1/5.