Fant4stic is something......

Story 

Fant4stic is a reboot of the Fantastic Four, telling the story of Marvel’s first family and how they got their powers. Now, here is the thing: I don’t have beef with the story per se. (Scratch that, I do.) Is it comic-accurate? No. However, something is interesting here. In the hands of a better director, it could have been a semi-decent watch, but we are left with this boring, convoluted mess. 

Having given it some more thought, I actually do have beef with the story because it does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for the Fantastic Four. It butchers what is supposed to be their origin story. There is no mention of space, cosmic radiation, which is how the four got their powers in the comics. I can understand taking creative liberties, but what changes something so integral to the comics?

Acting 

I am not going to single out any one actor, but while watching the film, it looked like none of them wanted to be there. I don’t know if they were told to act dour and low-energy all the time, but it’s boring and almost depressing to watch. A lot of these actors thankfully have gone on to have career highs, such as Miles Teller in Top Gun: Maverick and Michael B Jordan in Creed and Sinners (if you would like to know my thoughts on both, you can click here and here. Self-promo, I know)

Writing/Direction

I am not going to sit here and say Josh Trank is a bad director, as I have not seen anything he has done (I am pretty sure this movie will put him in directors’ jail), but what I will comment on, though, is the bizarre pacing. It is established early on that Doom is the villain, but you barely until his return from the dead 

towards the end of the film. I assume it was supposed to add tension, but the movie is painfully slow until he comes back, and it doesn’t make the film any better. 

I  genuinely think that a lot of my gripes with the movie stem from the writing and direction. The people who made this movie don’t care about the Fantastic Four; there is no group dynamic, and each character feels like a cheap parody of their comic counterpart. 

While writing this review, I did some research and found out that Josh Trank isn't a fan of the Fanrastic Four and while you don't need to be a fan of the comics to make good movies about them, there is a certain amount of love and care that fans of a property bring to that property when they adapt them. Apparently,  wanted to use The Avengers as a template for this movie, and Josh Trank hated that idea. Now, while I do think the four have their own specific tone that is different from the Avengers, it is not this. 

Something I am also not a fan of is directors ranting on Twitter during the opening weekend of the film, talking about how their version of the film would have received better reviews. I understand having to defend your vision as a creative, and I am sure there was miscommunication between him and the studio, but it felt like passing the blame around. 

CGI/Set Design 

This is one of the few times I wish you could see my face as I write this because I am laughing. Now, the CGI isn't bad, as there are a few effects that I do like. The scene where Reed is stretched out in the operating room looks pretty good, and so do a lot of Sue's powers. Ben's CGI isn't bad either; however, I do not understand the decision to make him naked in this movie. 

Score/Soundtrack

I have nothing to say, and I ALWAYS have something to say about the score of a movie. I don't remember anything about the score, and if I did, I can't say if I would like it or not. 

Overall Thoughts

Random point, but I am currently on a flight as I write this, but that will not stop me from roasting this movie. It is a badly acted, lazily written mess that is trying way too hard to be edgy and different. Usually, when it comes to bad movies, some of them enter, so bad it’s good, but this doesn’t do that. It is bad from start to finish.

I remember when I first watched this movie in 2016, and I was irritated. Was I irritated after watching it this time? No. However, I didn’t remember just how boring this movie is. 

Not only is this a bad Fantastic Four movie, but it is a bad movie. If it were called something else, I don’t think I would have liked it anymore, but calling it a Fantastic Four movie shits on the legacy that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby built in the 60s. The thing that I liked about the 2005 movie, especially, is that it wasn’t afraid to lean into the campy nature of the four. I may be blinded by nostalgia, but I really do not think it is a bad movie, especially when you compare it to this dumpster fire. 

New Rockstars breaks down the easter eggs in this movie and are a lot kinder to this film than I want to be