We all know the controversy. We all heard the rumours. From the very beginning, it's been an uphill battle for writer/director Josh Trank and his attempt to reinvent Marvel's First Family for an audience that have come to expect far more from superhero films than ever before. Gone are the brightly-coloured costumes and hokey tone of the previous Fantastic Four movies, and in with an attempt at grounded, straight-faced sci-fi. Though Trank's film does start promisingly, it doesn't quite amount to as much as it wants to, resulting in something that needed a little more polish.
Taking its queues from the origin presented in Ultimate Fantastic Four, the formation of the team feels organic and clever in some ways, and undercooked in others. Though each member of the team is covered well, this FF redo has its primary focus on Reed Richards (Miles Teller), as the film begins with his childhood endeavours to “crack” inter-dimensional travel alongside Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell). His successful attempts land him at the Baxter Building, where he works with Sue and Johnny Storm (Kate Mara and Michael B. Jordan, respectively) and Victor von Doom (Toby Kebbell) to unlock discoveries in said alternate dimension. The rather enjoyable first act conjures up intrigue, acting as the build-up towards the team's fateful journey.
And this is where the film shifts, with the mission going as badly you'd expect. Trank cranks up the intensity, with the incident that gives the team their powers conjuring quite an emotional impact, and subsequent scenes being genuinely terrifying. This section of the film is more daring than other comic book movies, demonstrating the frightening feeling of receiving unexpected powers. It dabbles in dark, twisted horror, and it really works, but the film just doesn't do anything overly imaginative once the panic has subsided. Whatever energy the movie was generating dissipates, becoming sadly more lifeless as it progresses. The third act ends with more of a whimper than a bang, mainly because the tension just isn't strong enough throughout.
Clearly, Trank had a strong vision for his version of the Fantastic Four, but the final product just isn't quite refined enough to do it justice. The screenplay needs a bit of polish, with the exposition and clunky dialogue sometimes getting in the way. The film boasts a good cast, who have proven their talents before, but aren't given many opportunities to showcase them. Jordan and Bell are the strongest links (as well as Reg E. Cathey as Papa Storm, Franklin), providing as much heart as the script can allow. Once he has turned into his (rather amazing) rocky form, the Thing is one of the best parts of the movie, representing the best of the visuals. Teller and Mara are serviceable; they're neither bad nor particularly memorable.
"The incident that gives them their powers is more daring than other comic book movies, demonstrating the frightening feeling of receiving unexpected powers. It dabbles in dark, twisted horror, and it really works."
Trank's direction is confident, with a slick visual style that contrasts quite noticeably from his found-footage debut, Chronicle. The action sequences are solid (though there are only a handful of them), with the team's powers shown to great effect, but they don't feel epic enough. The characters tell us the stakes are high, but the movie doesn't show it; most of our time is spent locked inside scientific facilities, so the characters feel enclosed in their own tiny portion of the world. The film's biggest weakness, however, is its failure to truly create unity between Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben. There's very little of the traditional interactions seen in the comics, which is understandable, given this is a new take on the characters. But the relationships the movie establishes initially are only shown fleetingly post-transformation; the concluding action sequence does have a sense of a cohesive bond between the team, however.
That leads us Trank's version of another FF staple. The Fantastic Four films have always found it hard to bring the fan-favourite Dr. Doom to the silver screen in a satisfying way, and though there's glimmers of something special (the awakening of Doom and his powers is probably the stand-out moment for the character), ultimately, he's underdeveloped. There's far too little of him as an antagonist to justify his actions in the final stages of the movie, though Kebbell does a good job considering what he's given. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a cool Doom-related easter egg early on, as well.
"The film's biggest weakness, however, is its failure to truly create unity between Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben."
Certainly, there's things to like about the reboot, but a rushed and unsatisfying third act (coupled with other elements) adds a bitter aftertaste to what was a previously enjoyable superhero origin story. From the narrative to the costumes, there's a sense that this is the Fantastic Four in proto-mode, and quibbles like team interactions can be forgiven considering this is intended to be just the beginning. And who knows? Perhaps a sequel or two will build from the strengths and improve upon the faults of this film. As it stands, though, this is an experiment that didn't work out as well as it could have.
VERDICT: Trank's vision for the iconic superteam isn't the disaster many were expecting, but isn't as bold and satisfying as he hoped it would be, either. ★★★