Sgt_Gath
Diamond Member
- Jul 25, 2014
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Fantastic Four
Holy Hell...This was bad. Really bad.
I'd read some negative reviews beforehand, but decided to go ahead and brave a watch anyway. While I wouldn't call the film "unwatchable" per se, describing it as being a misguided, convoluted, insulting, and ultimately pointless mess would be something of an understatement.
Among the film's the more obvious problems....
1. The whole "edgy Millennial superheroes" angle is awkward and unnecessary. Any serious exploration of the concept is dropped almost as soon as it is brought up for that exact reason. Just about the only thing it contributes to the film (besides a weird and rather laughable introduction to Reed Richards - a.k.a. Mr Fantastic - as a 10 or 12 year old boy genius capable of building a prototype matter teleporter in his garage out of spare parts) is a heavy handed speech about the power of the new generation to "save the world" given by a token mentor figure early in the film that comes completely out of nowhere. It also provides a convenient - though largely only implied - excuse for Doom's brooding nihilism and violent anti-authoritarian tendencies.
2. This film's script desperately needed to be streamlined, if not rewritten entirely. There are elements that work here and there, but the plot spends way, waaaay too much time and energy on some subjects, while skimping on others. This results in character motivations - and even personalities, to a certain extent - which tend to be vaguely defined at best, and outright nonsensical at worst. Awkwardly inserted conflicts which are left largely unresolved, in addition to numerous time wasting plot cul de sacs (along with accompanying plot holes), abound throughout the film as well.
3. As a result of #2, the climax feels so rushed, awkward, and underdeveloped as to be simply cringeworthy. It literally lasts all of about 15 to 20 minutes, and arrives almost out of no where on the heels of more than an hour of tediously meandering origin story. "Dr Doom" is really given no time whatsoever to be built up as a menacing villain. He just pops up after being absent for more than 45 minutes (mind you, his last appearance before this point having him be nothing more than a slightly dickish twenty-something scientist, rather than a monster, with no transition in between), kills a few people with his new powers, fights the heroes for a bit, and is dispatched. That's it.
4. Oh! And the special effects weren't even good. The "Invisible Woman's" force fields in particular just looked like complete ass.
Overall: 3.5 out of 10
I could have forgiven a lot of the problems in this film if it were at least building up to a worthwhile villain or climax. However, this cinematic abortion couldn't even deliver that much.
Holy Hell...This was bad. Really bad.
I'd read some negative reviews beforehand, but decided to go ahead and brave a watch anyway. While I wouldn't call the film "unwatchable" per se, describing it as being a misguided, convoluted, insulting, and ultimately pointless mess would be something of an understatement.
Among the film's the more obvious problems....
1. The whole "edgy Millennial superheroes" angle is awkward and unnecessary. Any serious exploration of the concept is dropped almost as soon as it is brought up for that exact reason. Just about the only thing it contributes to the film (besides a weird and rather laughable introduction to Reed Richards - a.k.a. Mr Fantastic - as a 10 or 12 year old boy genius capable of building a prototype matter teleporter in his garage out of spare parts) is a heavy handed speech about the power of the new generation to "save the world" given by a token mentor figure early in the film that comes completely out of nowhere. It also provides a convenient - though largely only implied - excuse for Doom's brooding nihilism and violent anti-authoritarian tendencies.
2. This film's script desperately needed to be streamlined, if not rewritten entirely. There are elements that work here and there, but the plot spends way, waaaay too much time and energy on some subjects, while skimping on others. This results in character motivations - and even personalities, to a certain extent - which tend to be vaguely defined at best, and outright nonsensical at worst. Awkwardly inserted conflicts which are left largely unresolved, in addition to numerous time wasting plot cul de sacs (along with accompanying plot holes), abound throughout the film as well.
3. As a result of #2, the climax feels so rushed, awkward, and underdeveloped as to be simply cringeworthy. It literally lasts all of about 15 to 20 minutes, and arrives almost out of no where on the heels of more than an hour of tediously meandering origin story. "Dr Doom" is really given no time whatsoever to be built up as a menacing villain. He just pops up after being absent for more than 45 minutes (mind you, his last appearance before this point having him be nothing more than a slightly dickish twenty-something scientist, rather than a monster, with no transition in between), kills a few people with his new powers, fights the heroes for a bit, and is dispatched. That's it.
4. Oh! And the special effects weren't even good. The "Invisible Woman's" force fields in particular just looked like complete ass.
Overall: 3.5 out of 10
I could have forgiven a lot of the problems in this film if it were at least building up to a worthwhile villain or climax. However, this cinematic abortion couldn't even deliver that much.
