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Post by Gray Lensman on Jul 4, 2005 3:26:07 GMT
Fair enough. I'll be sure to review it, then. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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Post by Terrordar on Jul 5, 2005 6:14:41 GMT
Some people on SHH who were allowed early screenings say it has been good.
BUt then again, the ones who posted all liked Ultimate more then 616.
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Post by philster on Jul 5, 2005 7:25:40 GMT
My initial expectations for this movie were so low that I think it won't be anything but a pleasant surprise judging by the ads I've seen.
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Post by Shan on Jul 6, 2005 17:56:14 GMT
This gets funnier all the time. ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) Seems like I am always waiting to hear what you guys think before seeing a movie. ;D I don't mind though. And I look forward to the reviews from all of you who go see it. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) Shan ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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Post by Shan on Jul 6, 2005 17:56:46 GMT
Phil, why are your expectations so low? Shan ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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Post by philster on Jul 6, 2005 21:22:24 GMT
Because you've got one guy who can stretch, a monster-type guy, a girl who turns invisible and creates invisible force fields, and a guy that turns himself completely on fire. Add to all that Dr. Doom, one of the most electrifying (literally in this movie it would seem) villians of all time. The origin of the Fantastic Four also involved some craziness while out in space in a rocket. That's a whole lot of special effects, and you can only do so much with a movie budget. From what I've heard, there were a lot of re-written scripts for this movie, trying to make it fit the budget, while they had trouble getting a director to stay on. Then when they finally got one to come on, I heard some things that they were intending to do (such as only making the Human Torch being able to emit flames from his hands) that sounded like they were trying to save as much money as they could. Also, I just wasn't much of a fan of the Fantastic Four in the comics to begin with. Mr. Fantastic (the stretchy guy) was one of my least favorite characters in all of comics, because I always felt he was walking a fine line between arrogance and stupidity concerning other people (despite being able to invent ANYTHING at the drop of a hat). But judging by the ads I've seen, they seem like they did figure out a way to tell a pretty exciting story, after all. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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Post by TheScreamMan on Jul 6, 2005 21:31:45 GMT
Last i heard was they had always intended for Johnny to flame on and for reed to be able to stretch as he doesm in the comics. What happeend was people saw the first thing pics, where he doesnt look as hard and jagged as he does in the comics.
What ACTUALLY was the plan originally was thet each of their powers would evolve and grow. Johnny would be able to generate flame at first, and as his power and control grew he would become the human torch. Sue would originally just turn invisible, then the forcefields would come over time. reed would stretch like rubber; he'd stretch out then snap back straight away and eventually learn to stay stretched for longer periods. And Ben would start looking like he did in the first photos an then get rockier and harder and stronger as the film went on.
now i dont know if they kept all that or not. i dont think they did, since I have a fair idea of the sequence of events. but people need to learn to give a film a shot before they condemn it. sometimes it might just surprise u with how cool it is.
i direct your attention to War of the worlds.
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Post by philster on Jul 6, 2005 21:47:13 GMT
Which I didn't like ![:D](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/grin.png) But I get your point ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png)
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Post by Terrordar on Jul 7, 2005 3:18:17 GMT
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Post by SilvaShado on Jul 7, 2005 4:04:34 GMT
I'm gonna go see this. I haven't read any of the comics. The FF don't interest me much at all. It looks like a decent action flick according to the preview I saw. I have free tickets and my best friend wants to go (she has the same opinions as me). My fiance hates the FF and says I should go see War of the Worlds, which doesn't interest me at all.
And there you have it! When I go see it, I'll write up my thoughts on it. Hopefully around the end of the month. ^_^
....although, there is Batman. I'll have to see what my best friend wants to see.
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Post by hector on Jul 7, 2005 6:33:54 GMT
Phil, why are your expectations so low? Shan ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) Phil already gave his, and my reasons are not entirely different. First and foremost is the director. Tim Story directed a regular comedy (Barbershop) and a dreadful one (Taxi) Based on his previous work, I don't think he's the right director to capture the grand and bright world where the FF live. In other words, he's a pretty styleless director. Raimi (Spider-Man) had his quirkness and Byran Singer had a couple of critically acclaimed and ingenious movies. The same with Christopher Nolan and Batman. Tim Story has a bad movie starring Queen Latifah. Strike one for FF. There is the budget, echoing Phil's concerns, to do a FF movie right you need money, a lot of money. More money than a studio would consider for a relativeley untested property like FF. Strike two. There are other concerns, the cast doesn't seem approapiate, and the changes made to the story seem rather pointless. I could be wrong, though. Maybe this movie will be amazing. But early reviews are alredy saying 'it's better than Elektra' which is hardly a compliment. Being optimistic, I think this movie will be a second tier superhero adaptation. Not as bad as Daredevil or Punisher, but nowhere near the good ones, Superman, Batman Begins, X².
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Post by TheScreamMan on Jul 7, 2005 11:34:13 GMT
i thought it was great!
Linda has neevr read any FF and barely new anything about the characters and thought that Ben was just so sad and cool. The ending isnt very climactic, but they got the characterisation spot on, and the powers all look great!
I dug it.
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Post by hector on Jul 7, 2005 23:57:11 GMT
Some reviews:
"The really good superhero movies, like Superman, SpiderMan 2 and Batman Begins, leave Fantastic Four so far behind that the movie should almost be ashamed to show itself in the same theaters." -- Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
"If you want to see how members of a family that's fraught with discord and dysfunction learn about teamwork and the nature of kin -- and dispatch bad guys in the process -- rent The Incredibles." -- Steven Rea, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
"Compared with the psychological probing and spiritual brooding of Batman Begins, Fantastic Four is proudly dumb, loud and inconsequential." -- A.O. Scott, NEW YORK TIMES
"The superhero genre has been intelligently revitalized of late thanks to great directors like Sam Raimi (the "Spider-Man" movies) Bryan Singer (the "X-Men" movies) and Christopher Nolan ("Batman Begins"). But comedy director Tim Story ("Taxi," "Barbershop") is out of his depth in "Fantastic Four," which may be the worst comic-book picture since "Batman and Robin" almost buried that franchise eight years ago. That is, unless you stretch the definition to include "Catwoman," which went so far past awful it became wildly entertaining through the sheer power of irony." -- Rob Blackwelder, SPLICEDWIRE "For a comic book movie, FANTASTIC FOUR won’t win over any new converts to the genre. Ranking below the HULK and above DAREDEVIL, FANTASTIC FOUR will be enjoyable for people not as familiar with the property and just want to dump their kids off for an afternoon of simple fun." -- Stefan Halley, HERO REALM
"Fantastic Four isn't even close to Sin City, Batman Begins or even Constantine, but it’s a relatively quick, vibrant, focused origin story. " -- Nick Rogers, STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER (SPRINGFIELD, IL)
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Post by philster on Jul 8, 2005 11:20:56 GMT
Really promising reviews, Hector ;D ![::)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/eyesroll.png) < Going to see it tonight ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png)
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Post by Terrordar on Jul 8, 2005 16:51:31 GMT
Yea, so am I Phil.
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Post by philster on Jul 8, 2005 23:00:07 GMT
Saw it. Not bad. (But not great either.) They did a fine job with characterization and special effects. (What was really lacking was strong direction... Tim Story is decent, just not as good as Christopher Nolan, Sam Raimi, or Bryan Singer.)
Definitely liked this much better than Hulk at least. (But it wasn't as much fun as Incredibles.) Lots of good lines, good action, and funny moments. (But also some parts I wasn't too crazy about, but these would be spoilers so I'll elaborate more later.)
Doom actually wasn't all that bad a villian. (Just not as GREAT as he could have been) but good enough.
The best thing about this movie was definitely the guy who played Johnny Storm though. He's the reason I got excited about this movie (from the ads), and he delivered big time. He was the heart of the team in this movie. That guy has such a good on-screen personality, he'll be a fun one to watch in future roles, he just seems to exude genuine delight in playing this particular one (kind of reminiscent of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in Pirates of Caribbean).
The Thing also looked great, better than I thought he would. Looked just like the Thing of the comics. I'm glad they didn't take a major CGI approach with him like they did with the Hulk, I think it worked in their favor.
The main weakness was just the direction of the movie, and the script could perhaps have been a little better, especially in the early going. The story moved too fast at some times. But they definitely made the Fantastic Four appealing as a superhero team and I guess that's what counts the most. This was a movie that could have been much, much worse, but it was a solid movie.
The best part? The "end fight" was one of the most spectacular I've seen in comic book-based movies. Very good usage of special effects there.
I guess I'd give this one a 6 out of 10 as a rating (Batman Begins would get a 10 from me and War of the Worlds would get a 3 from me just to give you a comparison).
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Post by Terrordar on Jul 8, 2005 23:03:52 GMT
Yea, all the reviews I've read so far tend to lean towards "Meh, its nothing super-great, but its not bad,"
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Post by philster on Jul 8, 2005 23:05:43 GMT
Yeh, it's like that for me too. I wouldn't call it "nothing special" because it truly was special to see them able to bring the Fantastic Four to the silver screen and make the movie an enjoyable one to a degree, but it wasn't a GREAT movie.
Still, this one will definitely go into my DVD collection.
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Post by Terrordar on Jul 8, 2005 23:40:30 GMT
I'm seeing it in 2 hours, so I'll give you my 2 cents then.
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Post by Gray Lensman on Jul 9, 2005 0:17:53 GMT
I finally returned from the FF movie.
Overall, I would say that it's a good movie. My hope was that the movie would properly capture the spirit of the FF, even if I disagreed with certain changes. In that respect, I'm satisfied with it.
The strength of the film is in the characterization. This movie nailed the FF in that respect. Reed, Ben, Sue, and Johnny all acted generally as they do in the comics. The relationships are captured as perfectly as they can be. We see the love Reed and Sue have for each other even though they relate to the world differently. We see that Ben and Johnny are friends even though they drive each other insane. We see Ben's gruffness and nobility, Reed's guilt, Johnny's enthusiasm, and Sue's deep inner strength. These four people are not just a superhero team, but a family of celebrity adventurers. The movie understood that perfectly.
The casting was generally pretty good. I expected Michael Chiklis to nail the tragic character of Ben Grimm and he did. I was impressed by Chris Evans as Johnny Storm-- he's not my favorite character, but he easily stole the movie. Ioan Gruffudd did a solid job as Reed, though not earthshattering. I even liked some of the minor supporting cast choices-- Stan Lee as Willie Lumpkin, the FF's mailman, was particularly inspired. Alicia Masters fell somewhat flat to me, but for the most part, the cast delivered the goods.
My favorite of the FF has always been Sue. My take on Sue generally is that she is as important as Reed to the FF. Sue leads the family, while Reed leads the team. I most wanted Sue to come across well, and for the most part, she did. I had my doubts about Jessica Alba, but she managed to overcome them with a good portrayal. I really felt like the essence of Sue made it to the screen. The script really showed all the important facets of Sue Storm, and Alba played all of them really well. The strong personality, the caring motherly side, the class, the lady who feels like no one sees who she really is... it's all there. I was pleased to see one of my favorite characters brought to life here.
Doom is still the weakest point here. Doom wasn't as bad as I thought, but he wasn't exactly the villain should be either. Granted, if we told Doom's complex story as it exists in the comics, he would need his own movie. Still, I think the change from Lord of Latveria to businessman made him less unique and more generic. He became less like Doom and more like the Green Goblin. Also, it would have been nice if we could have seen Doom's twisted sense of honor, which was rather lacking here. On the plus side, I did like the idea of Doom planning to gain power all along, even if I'm not fond of the organic armor. I also enjoyed seeing that Latveria is a part of his background, if only to see him as ruler in a sequel. So while he's nowhere near as complex and intriguing as the original Doom, it could easily have been much worse.
All in all, this movie is worth seeing. It's a solid portrayal of a classic Marvel series. Is it great? Well, no, I can't say that. The biggest problem is the competition FF is facing this year. Sin City and Batman Begins blow FF out of the water. It's not enough to simply be good against competition like that. FF does, however, have the spirit and fun charm of the comic, and worth seeing on that basis.
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