Since 2010, Fox’s Fantastic Four reboot was kept under wraps, with fans demanding to see/hear something from the film. In 2011, we heard that Chronicle director, Josh Trank, would tackle the new film, and that X-Men: Days Of Future Past writer, Simon Kinberg, would provide the screenplay. Later on, the cast was revealed, an African-American Johnny Storm, a Caucasian Susan Storm, a “douche-bag” Reed Richards, and a “skinny” Ben Grimm. Now, if you are wondering where those quotes are from… well they are from below. The comment section, to be more clear. As you can tell, this film has not exactly had the best fan-reaction. I mean, why would it, not like it is from Marvel Studios or directed by Joss Whedon.
Today marked a special day in the world of comic book movies. Fox dropped the first trailer (teaser) for this year’s Fantastic Four. This is of course, following the rather awesome interview with Collider yesterday, between Trank and Kinberg, which revealed our first look at Johnny Storm played by Michael B. Jordan, of Fruitvale Station fame. The trailer, which clocked in at one minute and fifty-five seconds, revealed fairly little of the film, but it was enough to get this “Fox-defender” giddy.
One of the amazing things about this trailer was the tone. As I mentioned earlier, Trank’s interview with Collider surprised me, especially when he mentioned how the film was inspired by David Cronenberg, who of course directed the classic, The Fly. After doing some research about the classic director, it appears that most of his films deal with the repercussions of human discovery, something the Fantastic Four has always dealt with. Following the 2005 film, I think this is a really great way to go about rebooting the franchise. The cheesy/fun tone did not work the first time, and rather than recycling what has already been done (and failed), Trank and Fox have opted for a darker and more gritty take on Marvel’s first family, something I am quite happy about.
One of my favourite parts of the trailer, is at one minute and five seconds (or you can check out the image above). Here, you see a crawling figure. I assume this Victor played by Toby Kebbell, I have heard it is Reed Richards, but that looks nothing like Miles Teller. I love this shot so much because it speaks to the horror fan inside, a man crawling to safety with blood splashed across his desperate face, it’s truly beautiful. Plus, the killer soundtrack, and that sort of screech like sound that is heard also captivates the horrors of their failed journey.
Another great part of the trailer was the footage. I found it to be quite similar to the teaser trailer to Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, Interstellar. The piano playing while something extraordinary and motivational is discovered, you cannot help but see the similarities. While some have complained about this, I find it encouraging. What I loved about this trailer was that it did not give anything away. You look at the “teaser” trailer for Avengers: Age Of Ultron, while I am very excited for that film, the trailer really gave away a lot. It showed off a little too much for a “teaser.” Which, again, is why I love this trailer. It shows… practically nothing. I mean, it really does not show anything that we did not already know, and that is part of the reason why I find it so enjoyable.
Some people have given the monologue delivered by Reg E. Cathey, of House Of Cards fame, a negative review. Calling it “generic” and “silly.” Yet, these are the same people praising Michael Douglas’ monologue in the God-awful Ant-Man trailer. What I find so awesome about Cathey’s monologue, is that it is actually motivational. It, like the title suggests, is “Fantastic.” Using some of the most obvious, but awesome, literary techniques, like foreshadowing, the monologue helps establish what we are getting into. When Cathey states, “With every new discovery, there is risk, there is sacrifice and there are consequences.” We can clearly picture, and imagine what he means.
When his character, Franklin Storm, reveals ”With every new discovery,” He is discussing the Negative Zone, and when he states “There is risk,” He is talking about the challenge that lays ahead, especially once they receive their “powers.” The line, “There is sacrifice,” Really amazes me, in the trailer, we see Susan Storm, played by the beautiful Kate Mara, crying over, what we assume is Michael B. Jordan’s Johnny Storm, her adopted brother. While I highly doubt Johnny will bite the bullet so early in the potential franchise, it would be quite cool to see him save the team and lead the audience to imagine he is actually deceased. The final part of the monologue, “There are consequences.” Deals with the aftermath of their [The Four and Doom’s] journey to the Negative Zone. The biggest consequence, perhaps, is the birth of Doctor Doom, while he could also be referencing the Fantastic Four’s new found abilities, however, considering the line is said sadder and more sinister than the previous ones, we can safely assume he is discussing Doctor Doom.
As I have said before, this film has everything going for it. Trank shot down those rumours that revealed how revolting he was on set, often appearing on set drunk or high. I found it quite funny that people actually believed that, especially considering Disney hired the director for one of their biggest franchises. The cast is impeccable, everyone in this film is fantastic. Teller is an extremely unique and talented actor, who will own the role of Reed Richards. While I would love to go on and on about how great the cast and crew for the film actually is, I feel like I would be boring you, because even you, yes, you: the one who has been hating on this film since it’s conception, knows how great this flick actually will be.
While those are my thoughts, I now ask you, how'd you guys and gals feel about this trailer? Comment below and let me know! And if you like what you see here, hit that big red thumb below to get this on the main page.