By Keeva Stratton
There’s been a lot of buzz around the new Fantastic Four film.
Its young stars include arguably this generation’s most talented young male actor in Miles Teller, as well as Kate Mara, whose portrayal of an ambitious and seductive journalist in the television series House of Cards was enough to temporarily weaken the knees of the usually unflappable Frank Underwood. The film also casts Michael B Jordan, known for his excellence in The Wire, and Jamie Bell, best remembered as Billy Elliot.
With such an incredible young cast, and on the back of many a quality Marvel release, expectations were high—perhaps a little too high for the final result.
Reed Richards (Miles Teller) is an intellectually brilliant young boy who wants to invent a teleportation device. When he is caught stealing a car part from the car yard owned by Ben Grimm’s (Jamie Bell) family (to power his invention), the two form an unlikely friendship. After graduating high school, the pair’s invention is noticed, and Reed is given a full scholarship to complete his machine at the mysterious Blake Enterprises.
The machine transports Reed and three others into another dimension, where they are exposed to something in the environment that mutates them. Reed becomes stretchy, Ben becomes a strong rock creature, and their compatriots Sue Storm (Mara) and Johnny Storm (Jordan) are left with superpowers of their own.
Initially kept in a secret army base, they must quickly learn to adapt to their new existence. With the promise of being cured, they comply with the army’s demands and are used as weapons. When they realise that their true strength is in their ability to work together, they decide to combine their powers as a force for good.
Together, they are Marvel’s first ever super group—Mr Fantastic, The Thing, The Human Torch and The Invisible Woman—the Fantastic Four. But, unlike other reimaginings of Marvel comic book characters in recent films, the transformation here feels a little kitsch.
The villain, Dr Doom, once part of the team, is a little one-dimensional, and the resolution to the film is quick and overly neat. What’s missing here is what would naturally be the real struggles in coming to terms with eternal freakdom, especially for The Thing.
Having such a talented young cast and not giving them the chance to really connect their emotions to the characters is part of the letdown. But, if this is the Marvel film aimed at younger audiences, then its overt simplicity might be fitting.
Overall, not fantastic, but no doubt it will deliver some fun to comic lovers.
Directed by: Josh Trank
Starring: Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B Jordan, Jamie Bell
Rating: PG
Runtime: 100min
Release Date: 6 August
Reviewer rating: 2.5/5
