I had watched the Tim Story duology released back in 2005 and 2007, then decided I could possibly continue Tim’s Story. What he and his team had accomplished thus far was honestly a fairly good adaption with as much I know about the Fantastic side of Marvel Comics. And to be honest with you, I had recently rewatched the Raimi Spider-Man films and ye ole Daredevil film and I have to wonder what people were so disappointed by with Fox’s Fantastic Four . Like in this time period if you were a sci-fi nerd, you had the previously mentioned movies along with Star Wars, Harry Potter, Blade, the Matrix, the X-Man, and eventually the Batman and Iron Man movies to watch in this time period. You’re standards couldn’t have been too high to be disappointed by these films with such good casting that provided very good character drama.
But I digress (its just weird it doesn’t have a cult following on Letterboxd), this post will be a little draft of what a third and potential fourth movie would be for Story’s saga albeit I cannot read his mind and I don’t know everything they would’ve planned as they have barely said anything. In review first I will describe what I liked with this adaption…
(2005) Fantastic Four: While borrowing the satellite of power-hungry Victor von Doom; Reed Richards, Ben Grim, Susan and Johnny Storm suffer mutation rebuilding their matter on a quantum level thus gaining powers. Going under semi-quarantine, they bond and learn of the growing power of Doctor Doom who threatens New York.
- here I like that since no other Marvel character exists, no mutants or mutates or Strange or Thor or whatever, the only power system in this universe relies on solar flares. That’s how our five characters get their powers and it keeps it super sci-fi in this way. I know Doom usually has some sorcerer and technological powers but just making him a Steel/Eletric type due to a sunbathe makes sense here. Also they wasted no time in giving Susan her extra powers or letting Johnny hit his ult “Supernova”.
- I liked all the dynamics
- Reed-Ben: they really are best buddies holy shit i loved them. Reminds me of Murdock and Nelson, smart talented guy and his bigger slightly less smarter friend who is emotionally wiser. But I liked that they were besties and that Doom got a chance to twist that even if for just a moment.
- Reed-Victor: they actually did not seem to hate each other. Like tbh Victor just hates everyone else here but Reed is totally willing to be nice to the guy until Act 3. And then bro steals his girl, oh its so rival-mode and its so good. Honestly if this saga had like 8 movies I only see them becoming friendlier after movie 5.
- Johnny-Susan: good sibling dynamic simple as.
- Johnny-Reed: they can’t really hate each other it seems no matter how much one infuriates the other. There’s like a special type of mutual reverence.
- I will also add things I didn’t like, it was high key unnecessary to do the nudity joke with Susan twice also she later learns to invis other objects not even connected to her so idk, funny she didn’t do her clothes as well at least the first time.
- Cool scene on the Brooklyn (not a new yorker) bridge of them using each of their powers to save the day. One thing I noticed the comics did in the Lee-Kirby era is in any page where the 4 could show their powers, they would even if technically only one of them may be needed. Movie does good at this.
- I saw one person complain about CGI but I don’t know why, again what are their expectations. Thing looked great, Doom’s powers worked, and even smaller stuff look like idk how you fucking expect for fictional super powers. Can’t even do a lot of this stuff practical but whatever.
- Also it’s interesting RDJ was in the possibility to play Doom in this movie. Considering they went with a corporate version of the character, I do believe it would’ve worked but maaaaaybe RDJ wouldn’t be able to the monologues evil enough like Julian McMahon.
- Loved the Doom-scar dynamic. Great choice to not scar his whole face and just give him something he could’ve fixed with a bandage and some makeup but then his ego wouldn’t like that.
(2007) Rise of the Silver Surfer: When an ufo causes warping of the planet, Reed and Susan have to post pone their wedding just one more time to stop the impending threat of Galactus while Johnny grows up and Doom returns.
- OUTSTANDING move at having Doom come back. I mean I guess in that time period with Magneto and Norman Osbourne being present in each of their trilogies it makes sense Doom would but by now that is a bit fo a surprise. I mean if the MCU did adapt an actual franchise for the F4, they should at least never kill off or fridge Doom. He should be even more active than Loki and Bucky were in the first three phases. But his slow and calculated but predictable return just to steal a cosmic surfboard was done very well, feels like it was just stolen not even inspired by the comics.
- Holy aura farming and hype moments with the Silver Surfer. I now completely understand why he has a fanbase although I just kinda remember him in the Superhero Squad Show. And then I liked his dynamic with Ms Richards, he basically changed his entire life just because he yearned for his wife.
- Tbh with you, and this IS cope, I liked that Galactus was a force of nature and not just a big guy. Like they say they didn’t have the time to finish his design or even whatever for the CGI for him but throughout the movie Surfer was just hyping him up as just like…Judgement Day. It’s just a cosmic storm that happens and he just so happens to be the angel harking it. Yes they could’ve easily just gotten a guy in costume with some greenscreen and have him walk through a model NY like the King Kong movies but whatever. They wanted these movies cheap and it was already more expensive than the last one with what they came out with and they didn’t make as much money back.
- Johnny’s arc here was nice, he was able to humanize himself once he realized he isn’t that cool being humbled by the Surfer. And the moment he couldn’t even touch his hurt sister Reed said “you might kill someone” DAMN! You could see Chris Evans almost cry. So then he locked in at the end and clocked through Doom in the silliest (but still good choreographed) final fight I’ve seen in a while. Plus he wasn’t as flirty I seeing him growing up.
- Exploring Reed’s character in this movie was fun. He’s genuinely giving a seminar to the huzz at a loud club at a bachelor party for him, he could’ve just given Ben the Surfer scanner to man so he doesn’t get interrupted when at the vows scene, and then he flops his cock out to the general in that one scene just to aura farm. Great.
- Also that general was basically supposed to be Nick Fury but there was issues of using that character so he was just renamed and I guess not given an eyepatch. And I wonder if they knew they were gonna cast a black or white Fury cause in the end it didn’t matter either way but hmmm. But then he fucking died lmao.
- Lastly I kinda liked that since the story started in space, they made the second antags come from space and show the dangers of space. Just from superpower inducing solar flares but cosmic forces of destruction instead of just Mole Man or Molecule Man. It keeps this franchise connected to a cosmic theme (And space is usually fantastic) while you could keep the real stuff to Daredevil, the Man v Monster stuff to Spider-Man, and the utter woke nonsense to X-Men (in this decade).
- At the end of the movie, they teased “someone” (Namor) sunk Venice (which out of all places is insane) so I’ll use that.
tdwriter 