Fantastic Four
Rating : 4/10
Release Date : 21st August, 2015
Time : 100 minutes
Director: Josh Trank; Writers: Jeremy Slater, Simon Kinberg, Josh Trank based on the Marvel comic by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Music : Marco Beltrami, Philip Glass
Starring : Miles Teller, Michael B Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell, Reg E Cathey, Tim Blake Nelson, Owen Judge, Evan Hannemann, Dan Castellaneta
Owen Judge, a young kid, wants to build a teleportation device, despite the cynicism of his teacher, Dan Castellaneta. With his friend, Evan�s support, he succeeds and when older (as Miles and Jamie), they manage to build a larger machine, which, at a science fair, catches the attention of Reg Cathey (who runs a foundation) and his adopted daughter, Kate Mara. Toby Kebbell and Reg�s son, Michael also join the project. They succeed with a monkey but then, when they experiment on themselves, things go wrong�
This film gets a lot of Super-hero movie rules wrong
a) It�s too soon for a remake � the last one in the series was just 8 years ago � the earlier faces are still fresh in our minds and the comparisons are inevitable
b) There is no action � just a lot of unbelievable scientific mumbo-jumbo about teleportation, dimensions. You don�t even see the Four in action till the last 15 minutes
c) The whole premise � the whole bit about space travel - is scarcely credible. As mentioned in the movie, the ease with which it happens gives it a school project feel
d) The casting is all wrong. None of the four, with the possible exception of Miles Teller, exude any charisma or flair. Everyone is too grim, somber. Even Toby Kebbell (remember him in RocknRolla?) fails to lighten things up as the bad boy.
e) The mood of the film is just too melancholic, especially for a super hero film. No one smiles, has fun. The rivalry between Miles and Toby is scarcely developed as is the romance between Miles and Kate. Everything is just about the project and the foundation led by the benevolent Reg Cathey (House of Cards) versus the board led by the war-minded Tim Blake Nelson
The talented Miles (Whiplash) is probably the only one who shines in this version. The others fail to demonstrate any personality or traits, and along with the entire film, make no impression whatsoever on our minds.