In 1963 Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created the Fantastic Four and dubbed it the Worlds Greatest Comic Magazine – it may sound like hyperbole but at the time it was true – The book was innovative in several different ways – 1) it was the first time super heroes appeared without costumes, 2) it was the first time a super team consisted of people who didn't always get along and 3) It was the first time there was a team of adventurers were actually family, albeit a dysfunctional one.
The team of Lee/Kirby went on to create 100 issues together, creating new worlds and characters for every issue with a minimum of re-uses...The level of imagination and creative output during these years has rarely been matched if ever, in successive years...leaving the Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four a benchmark of the industry. And yet, if that were as good as it got, that would be a pretty good legacy to leave behind... but there were several artists and writers to follow who put the stamp of quality on the FF in the following years. But with such a prodigious amount of quality source material, why are all of their movies so bad?
Getting into the whys and wherefores of a Hollywood Box office bomb such as the latest Fantastic Four movie may be a mystery too big for me to solve, but despite that, I've been able to cobble together a list of 10 things Hollywood could do to make a GREAT Fantastic Four movie .
*Click on pics to enlarge*
1) Treat the material with respect
The notion that a scientist would bring his girlfriend and her kid brother into space with his test pilot buddy might seem ludicrous now...(Unless you consider that the most impressive first date ever. ) Nevertheless, it was the 1960's and the space race was on – the public's imagination was stimulated , and reaching the stars was a palpable dream at the time. The idea of common people reaching space made for great fantasy and stories. Only now, in a modern context, does it seem less likely than ever that civilians would reach outer space on their own. Still, reworked in a modern context the story still has validity since it all boils down to how you treat the material.
On some level, all superheroes can be viewed as unbelievable, but Marvel Studios has proved that they can take obscure, far out characters such as Guardians of the Galaxy and even Ant-Man and tell a compelling story. With relatable, balanced character interactions and strong character arcs The Fantastic Four should fare just as well as these "obscure" hit properties.
2) There should be stunning visuals and exploration into the unknown
As previously mentioned the stories of the Fantastic Four are some of the most imaginative in comics.There are journeys to the subatomic Microverse; Interdimensional travel to the Negative Zone; and travel forward and backward in time. There are also underwater conflicts with Atlantis, meetings with the genetically modified Inhumans, visits to the High tech Nation of Wakanda, not to mention saving the planet from being consumed by the space entity Galactus... and that's just scratching the surface of the stories.
And yet Hollywood is convinced that adventures set in New York or another dimension that somehow looks just like Nevada is doing service to the material. Not even. Rather there should be cutting edge theoretical physics, alternate dimensions, different spectrums of reality: these are the things that SHOULD be in a Fantastic Four movie. The Fantastic Four have been described as imaginauts – explorers of the imagination and the Unknown. But the limits of Hollywood purse strings and uninspired concept design haven't stepped up to the task of bringing these environments to life.
3) Keep the dysfunctional Family dynamic
There's a perception that family stories are boring and uncool...Because in this day and age, who wants to watch some "Wonder Bread" Brady Bunch superheroes? But this is the first family of Marvel Comics...They go traveling to faraway galaxies and back before breakfast. Their babysitter is a witch. Family friends include the king of a High tech African Nation, another king whose very whisper can destroy a city- and yet another King that rules the underwater nation of Atlantis. In short they're weird. In fact, as far as families go they are only as boring as the families from the Incredibles, The Simpsons, Family Guy or Bob's Burgers - family dynamics are always relevant no matter what decade you examine. The Fantastic Four is no different - there's tons of drama and character interaction that can be milked from the team's interaction.
4) Keep the science updated and cutting edge –
Sure when they first debuted, the Fantastic Four was trying to get a rocket into space...nowadays that's old hat. Needless to say the concept has been updated since then with some versions of the story having the FF travelling to the Negative zone (N-zone), or initiating Dimensional travel (Planet Zero) in order to get their powers...Either way Reed and Crew are always trying to forge ahead to the forefront of theoretical science... Put plainly, Science Fiction if done right is never outdated. So long as the basic premise of the Fantastic Four keeps up with the scientific theory of the day , The FF will always be relevant to our modern way of life.
5) Leave Doom out of it.
Doctor Doom has appeared in all three Fantastic Four Movies (Four of them if you count the shelved Roger Corman Film), and he's sucked in every single iteration. He's one of Marvel's greatest villains and yet after 4 attempts Hollywood still hasn't gotten him right. And there's a reason for that. Doom's origin and backstory deserve a whole movie by itself. Hollywood needs to stop trying to shoehorn his origin in with that of the Fantastic Four's. Christopher Nolan wisely held of on using the Joker in "Batman Begins". Instead, he took the time to build the character of Batman/Bruce Wayne and established the conflict with two other villains. He took the time to make a good story with less known characters before raising the bar with the Joker in the sequel. At this point I highly recommend the next reboot of the FF does the same...Maybe there can be a hint or foreshadowing of Doom, which in turn can lead to a whole movie devoted to his origin and showing exactly why he's the greatest villain the Fantastic Four has ever faced. Here's hoping Marvel Studios can get the rights back to this franchise and do the character of Doctor Doom justice.
6) It Should have heart
The point of the best FF stories is that they have an emotional resonance – they're not just high minded sci-fi tales. One of the greatest FF tales was "This Man, this Monster"; a tale that ran the gamut with emotions. It showed not only how noble and selfless Reed Richards was but how his example, in the moments before his death, inspired a petty rival and antagonist to become a better man and a hero. The story was also laden with pathos for Ben Grimm aka the Thing; loathing his monstrous condition until the villain takes on his form, steals his identity and replaces him on the team. Ben's self pity becomes concern for the safety his friends. Unfortunately, he's turned away as an imposter and he angrily leaves the scene - on the one hand reverted to his human form, but cast aside by the people he calls family.
Another famous FF story, "The Coming of Galactus" has the, initially cold ,Silver Surfer prepare the way for his master Galactus to consume the Earth. However, upon witnessing the nobility of mankind he rebels against his master and becomes an intercessor for humanity. Again there are a variety of tales involving the Foursome, but the best FF stories involve a heartfelt emotional arc in addition to the obligatory sci-fi story.
7)Keep the Characters & relationships dynamics
Part of the engine that makes this property go are the interpersonal dynamics between the characters. Reed and Ben are best friends, but Reed blames himself for Ben's monstrous transformation. Heck, even Ben blames Reed for his transformation from time to time! Sue not only keeps Reed grounded in reality(instead of in his empirical world of numbers and equations)but in her best incarnations she's the most level headed and powerful member of the team. Johnny Storm hit the jackpot in terms of having the most glamourous powers, but there's a part of him that feels bad for Ben ; who is really his buddy. This is why Johnny makes it a point of pranking him: so Ben doesn't get too self–involved in pity...And this is just the beginning of character combinations;as there's also Reed and Johnny, Ben and Sue, Sue and Johnny... There's a reason these characters have survived for over 50 years!
8) Get a braintrust of people that KNOW the characters
Stan Lee, John Byrne, Walt Simonson,Mark Waid, Jonathan Hickman, Mark Millar, Brian Michael Bendis...If you're planning a FF movie and you haven't consulted each and everyone of the above names; you are doomed to failure (no pun intended). These celebrated writers have guided the Fantastic Four to stellar heights on the comic book page, and with a braintrust such as this to review your story/screenplay, it makes failure less likely. Pixar studios was one of the first studios to set up a braintrust for directors; a system where a director would submit his latest project to scrutiny from various individuals on production. In this system a Production Assistant's insightful comments were just as likely to be utilized as a senior director's and producer's. The director is heaped with constructive criticism and s/he has carte blanche in terms of deciding what to heed and what to toss. Marvel Studios also does this to a lesser degree, with a number of their in house comic writers consulting on hits such as the Daredevil Netflix series, the Iron Man Movies, and the Avengers films to name a few. Unfortunately, even though the Fantastic Four are originally a Marvel Comic, the film rights are held at the moment by 20th Century Fox, keeping it from benefiting from the successful formula applied to the Marvel Studios movies. With A braintrust of people who actually "get" the property, a Fantastic Four movie would do box office gold.
9) Keep the day to day dramas as well
Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find clothes for The Thing? How hard it is for him to drink a cup of coffee? What about the constant complaints from the neighbors about the incessant noise, Dimensional portals, and super villain attacks on the Baxter Building? Not to mention being constantly hounded by fans and the press... and horrible landlords! The FF's day to day lives are just as surreal as one of their adventures. It's one of the things that make them NY's premiere super team – as much as the Avengers, if not more so.
10) Keep The mood and tone optimistic
Sure the Fantastic Four deals with their fair share of alien armies, giant monsters, and megalomaniacal despots... but when the chips are down; even when all reality is at stake, The FF never cave into cynicism and despair. Not to say that all of the stories are a laugh riot all of the time, but the fearless foursome face unspeakable odds and the worst villains in the space time continuum – and they do it as a family. If 20th Century Fox could manage these 10 elements in their films, they might actually have a movie that people would want to watch!
That's enough out of me on the subject – IF you have any better ideas for the Fantastic Four, post in the comments section and let the world know!