Fantastic Four underwhelms

Movie:     Fantastic Four

Grade:   C

In a Nutshell:   Marvel is at it again!  Unfortunately, the newest film in the comic book franchise doesn’t have the humor or joyful whimsy that has made some of their most recent films shine.  Director Josh Trank creates an unmemorable remake that has underwhelmed box office sales and fans.

Uplifting Theme:

·         “We can’t change the past, but we can change the future.” – Sue Storm

·         “The failures of my generation are the opportunities for yours.” – Dr. Storm

·         “We are always stronger when we are together.” – Dr. Storm

Things I liked:

·         I’ve always liked Kate Mara.  She never ages and has such a feminine look. It bugged me how shellacked her hair was in every scene though.

·         Reg E. Cathey has such a deep voice that everything he says seems profound.

Things I didn’t like:

·         It’s a bit slow-moving in the beginning and seems to take itself too seriously.

·         The special effects are mostly “Meh”. 

·         There are no fun surprises at the end of the rolling credits like some of the previous Marvel movies offered to loyal fans who stay seated in their chairs.

·         The film had some development problems, which seem to affect the final product.

·         The dialogue is pretty weak.

·         That traveling bubble thing was just silly.

·         The movie spends quite a bit of time setting up character development in the beginning, but there’s just not a lot of chemistry going on between any of them.
-     The villain was weak and only has a brief moment of true evil.
-     Where was Stan Lee?

Funny lines:

·         “Reed, you’re insane.” =  Benn Grimm (Jamie Bell/Evan Hannemann)

“Thanks” – Reed Richards (Miles Teller/Owen Judge)

·         “I gotta say, it’s fun having you here.” – Sue Storm

“Really?”  - Reed

“No.” - Sue

Interesting lines:

·         “Music is just a series of cultured patterns.  Musicians create a pattern that makes us anticipate a resolution and holds back…makes you wait for it.  There’s patterns in everything and everyone.” –  Sue Storm

·         “Albert Enstein said that if you can’t explain it simply, then you don’t understand it well enough.” – Dr. Franklin Storm

Tips for Parents:

·         Some profanity and violence.
-     Yep, it's all about merchandising.

A better version of Fantastic Four is this one: