Searcy (LP) Transported to an alternate dimension, four young outsiders gain superhuman powers as they alter their physical form in shocking ways. Young Reed Richards becomes Mr. Fantastic, able to stretch and twist his body at will while his pal Ben Grimm gains immense strength as the Thing(at the cost of his appearance). Johnny Storm becomes the Human Torch, able to control and project fire, while his sister Sue becomes the Invisible Woman, with the power of invisibility and force fields. Together, the team must harness their new abilities to prevent their old friend Victor, now Doctor Doom, from destroying the Earth. Many had wondered whether this film should have seen the light of day, given the fact how far the tone and story are from the mainstream Fantastic Four. The film was released by 20th Century Fox, and earned $56.1 million in North America and $167.8 million total worldwide, turning a profit of $47.8 million.
Other problems including creative differences between the director, Josh Trank, and the film’s studio, 20th Century Fox; Fox ultimately calling for reshoots which ended with inconsistencies within the film and fan backlash which lead to major character changes. These are just a few of the many problems that faced Fantastic Four, most of which lead to its downfall. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an entertaining movie but has many flaws that take away from the film. The first two-thirds of the films(taken from Trank’s original cut) were perfect. Now Fox’s reshoots of the final third act of the film, on the other hand, shoved exposition down our throats and shifted focus from the main character. The final scenes did nothing to save the film, adding character traits to characters that seemed to pop out of nowhere, most notably giving the villain arc to a character with almost absolutely no backstory. He is shown as an anarchist with a large distaste of people, except for the main character’s love interest. Many of the characters were given very little backstory, Reed is a misunderstood genius, Ben is the brawn, Sue is a sarcastic introvert, and then Johnny is the rebel.
The film is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, and language. The film is based on characters that were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and were published by Marvel Comics. The film stars Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Toby Kebbel. Reg E. Cathy and Tim Blake Nelson also star in the film. A sequel was scheduled for release on July 9, 2017, but was eventually removed from Fox’s schedule.
