Any Fantastic Four fans?

[scottydog]

For the first time, I'm beginning to acquire an appreciation for Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four. Reed (Mr. Fantastic) is an exceptional superhero.

I have to admit I haven't seen the two movies (2005 & 2007). Are they worth a look? Does Ioan Gruffudd do a decent job portraying Reed Richards?

 

[Admiral_Young]

They're both worth a look but hardcore and even average FF fans were disappointed with them. I personally would consider myself a fan but not a huge fan of the FF. I blame my library for not having enough trades of theirs in.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I've always loved the Fantastic Four. My first super-hero comic purchase ever was an early John Byrne issue (232-ish?), a Human Torch solo story called "Mission For A Dead Man".

The movies are really hit and miss. Not as bad as some like to say, but not really all that good either. Gruffudd's Reed Richards was passable. Chris Evans as the Torch and Michael Chiklis as The Thing however were pure genius. Jessica Alba's Sue didn't really work in a lot of ways that have nothing to do with Alba's performance, but just that she was mis-cast in the part.

Where the movies really screwed up bad was with Victor VonDoom. Written wrong, cast wrong, performed wrong and just all around wrong wrong.

For my money, as badly written, acted, and produced as the Roger Corman Fantastic Four movie from the 90's was, as 50's retro as the "special effects" were, it was a far better adaptation of the source material than the more recent blockbusters. I would love to see what they would have done with a real budget (the movie was made for a mere two million bucks!).

I'm really enjoying Johnathon Hickman's current run on the book. I'm loving the sub-plot (soon to be the main plot) involving the Richards' kids, Franklin and Valeria and "The War of the Four Cities". Valeria really is an interesting character, despite only being two-ish.

 

[RJDiogenes]

I pretty much learned to read on Lee & Kirby's FF back in the 60s. It was my favorite comic by far, through the mid to late 70s, and off and on after that. I haven't read it in several years, since I gave up on nuMarvel.

The first film was okay, though they undermined Reed's character by inexplicably attributing a bunch of his accomplishments to Doctor Doom. The scene in the movie that was most true to Reed's character was when he promised to never rest until Ben was cured. I haven't seen the second one yet.

I agree that the Roger Corman film was truer in spirit to the book.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Well my only contact with the fantastic Four, or any super powered comic book people are via movies, but i thought the two FF movies were very good, good special effects and some good action, as a matter of fact i cant think of a super hero type movie that was not enjoyable to watch.

 

[Mr Light]

The movies were not that great. #1 was particularly lame. #2 was much better... though I remain pissed that Galactus was just a space tornado. Lame.

 

[scottydog]

Well, from what you guys are saying, it sounds like I should at least give the 2005 FF movie a try. It's only a few bucks.

Do the movies ever get into the science of exactly how the cosmic rays led to the four transformations?

 

[Smiley]

Both movies are very fun to watch. I give the first movie five stars and the second movie four stars.

The science is not explained at all because it is all nonsense. They might use a few technical-sounding terms to gloss over this, but of course the cosmic rays are just plot devices to give our characters their special abilities.

 

[ITL]

I loved reading FF when I was a kid in the 70's. Over here, Marvel stories from the 60's/70's were reprinted in Glorious Black And White, anthology style - so you'd get FF, Hulk, Spidey and Avengers (for example) stories in a weekly comic, with each story being chopped up into weekly segments.

I much preferred the original American monthlies, but they were so hard to get back then if you were an 8 year old kid who bought his comics second hand from a market stall. So it was a real kick when one turned up. To this day, my favourite FF is 60's FF - and even though the dialogue is frankly pish (sorry, Stan...) I still find them immensely entertaining. I love the evolution of Kirby's artwork, too.

As for the films...meh. Not too great, really.

 

[scottydog]

Both movies are very fun to watch. I give the first movie five stars and the second movie four stars.

The science is not explained at all because it is all nonsense. They might use a few technical-sounding terms to gloss over this, but of course the cosmic rays are just plot devices to give our characters their special abilities.

That's too bad about the science of it all being weak. I always enjoy science fiction more when there's the tiniest possibility of it being plausable -- the dinosaurs in Jurrasic Park are a great example.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Both movies are very fun to watch. I give the first movie five stars and the second movie four stars.

The science is not explained at all because it is all nonsense. They might use a few technical-sounding terms to gloss over this, but of course the cosmic rays are just plot devices to give our characters their special abilities.

That's too bad about the science of it all being weak. I always enjoy science fiction more when there's the tiniest possibility of it being plausable -- the dinosaurs in Jurrasic Park are a great example.

Good luck finding any movie based on a Marvel (or DC) property that takes science seriously. There is no realistic way for one guy to gain the ability to move like he's Stretch Armstrong, a woman to turn invisible (and make invisible shields out of nothing), another guy to burst into flames and not die, and one more guy to be made almost entirely of rock.

There's not even a good way to make any of that plausible. Just accept it as fantastic and move on.

 

[Chaos Descending]

The movies were not that great. #1 was particularly lame. #2 was much better... though I remain pissed that Galactus was just a space tornado. Lame.

I agree with you here, my only real complaint with #2 was the goofy portrayal of Galactus, and...

Spoiler: Climax of FF2

... the fact that Galactus seemed to be easily defeated by the Silver Surfer. The Surfer should have never, ever stood a chance against Galactus.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I liked both of the movies fine.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I love the Fantastic Four, but I tend to come and go as far as their actual comic is concerned. There are times when I'm with the book for awhile and then a change in creators will drive me away for long periods of time.

I still lament sometimes over the short-lived Marvel Knights Four series that had a slightly different take on Marvel's First Family (more rooted in the everyday rather than in the extraordinary as their regular title is, IMO).

 

[Nick Ryder]

I was heavy in FF during the Heroes Reborn and Return storylines - probably for the first time ever. I picked them up rarely before that, say what you will about Heroes Reborn, Jim Lee and Ron Lim's art work brought me into the book then when Alan Davis took it over during Heroes Return and then Salvador Larocca took it after that... I think I stayed with it for well over 40-50 issues, which is probably the longest I've followed a non-X or Avengers or Spider-Man or Ghost Rider title continuously.

I lost track of it a few years ago, heard that the Thing won't be in the Four anymore... saw solicits for Fantastic Four: Three... with just Reed, Sue and Johnny. I hope they don't kill off the Thing, I like him!

 

[Silvercrest]

How old is Franklin these days?

 

[Mike Farley]

I lost track of it a few years ago, heard that the Thing won't be in the Four anymore... saw solicits for Fantastic Four: Three... with just Reed, Sue and Johnny. I hope they don't kill off the Thing, I like him!

There are various teaser posters, each with a different member of the FF missing. So Marvel is being coy about who's leaving the book. Ben is probably the best guess since he's supposed to be in one of the new Avengers books.

How old is Franklin these days?

I think Franklin's abut 7 or 8 these days. He was 5 waaay back during John Byrne's run on the book, and I remember him being called out as 7 during Mark Waid's run.

 

[Admiral_Young]

The description for Fantastic Four: Three indicates that someone dies die...but that just maybe a deception on Marvel's part since Ben is an Avenger right now. My earliest exposure to the FF was during their early crossovers into Amazing Spider-Man. I thought the first film was decent, Jessica Alba was miscast as Susan, and they relied too much on the Ultimate Fantastic Four for their story telling which is why we got environmental monster Galactus in the second film. I also wasn't very particularly enthralled with their version of Doom, again a little bit taken from the Ultimate universe especially I believe with his origin. I've always been curious with what Sean Astin would have done with the franchise had he been granted directorial chores instead of Tim Story. I'm also curious about this "darker" Fantastic Four reboot that Marvel has planned. I think Marvel Studios should go after the rights from Fox personally.

 

[Nick Ryder]

Agreed - cuz honestly I can totally see Tony Stark and Reed facing off more. Plus it would let us see Stark Industries - Long Island. Since after all, there are Starks all over the world. Hell I'd just love to see a nod to other Marvel films.

FF shouldn't be too 'dark'. I mean its not Batman. When FF got dark in the comics, those were some of the most forgettable and best forgotten runs. Now if they simply mean 'Dark' as in say... where Thing is a bit more tortured about his condition and Sue is more worried about blinking out of existence and Johnny ends up hurting people with his flames... then okay. That's believable, they don't have to be all jokey all the time.

But the FF has always been sort of Marvel's optimistic side. The FF were the team other teams wanted to sorta be like, because the FF is a family not just a collection of various super powered misfits. Although if Marvel Films ever got the rights back, be kinda cool to see She-Hulk in the FF too!

 

[Admiral_Young]

I agree that it shouldn't be dark just like the Spider-Man reboot shouldn't be gritty and angst ridden...Fantastic Four is a science fiction superhero story about a family and while families do have their dysfunction and disagreements from time to time that shouldn't be the focus of the emotional core of the film if that is what was meant by the "dark" line. What I meant to say is that I'm curious about the reboot in general not about the "dark" part. I'm getting tired of studios using this because that was the basis of Batman and Batman was a success so they feel the need to emulate it somehow. Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four are not "dark" characters. They have villains that posses those qualities yes but the heroes themselves are heroes in a traditional sense. You can still create drama and tension without having to resort to darkness. End of rant.