Fantastic Four

I don't like comic book films about heroes with superpowers because I consider them to be heavily infantile and their audience clearly belongs to a different age category than mine. But even within what comic books work with and strive for, Fantastic Four tragically fails. It amounts to sterile boredom, where all attempts at dramatic transcendence fail and where it lacks even what its genre colleagues possess, namely exciting action and plenty of special effects. The ratio of investment to result here is catastrophic. Overall impression: 10%. (04/02/2018)

In this case, I really don't understand why they decided to start something anew here. Just so Johnny Storm can be black and the whole comic book family can be more politically correct? This is just a crazy mess, and besides, the whole film is a ridiculous construct, as if the creators were returning to the basics of comics but failed to realize it would just come off as awkward. (30/10/2015)

An old-fashioned, very good film that took a different path than the current comic book wave, which hasn't been used in a few years, and unfortunately it backfired. Most viewers probably wanted to see something else, but I enjoyed Fantastic Four without shame. In my opinion, there's actually nothing wrong with it - the viewer cares about the likeable characters, the science-boy atmosphere gradually transitions smoothly into a big adventure, the special effects are great, and the terrific music by Marc Beltrami and Philip Glass is one of the best to come out of the comic book soundtrack genre in years. It's a shame that we probably won't see any sequel(s). (24/12/2015)

An origin story like crazy, that could never find a favorable reception with the audience. It contains so many separate films that it remains almost untenable as a whole. In the first layer, it goes through the exploration of other worlds, in the second it explores oneself when trying to succeed in your field despite unfavorable circumstances. And in the third layer, a military dilemma is projected, and ultimately also the predictable realm of an action comic. To fit all of this into one blockbuster would take three hours, and even then it wouldn't be easy. Josh Trank attempts to master it in ninety minutes, which is complete folly, but it's so appealing to me because of the fight with the windmills. Also because he knew how to lead the viewer to the characters – primarily through the boyish charm of Miles Teller and the closeups on Kate Mara's eyes. That's why it's a pity that the birth of an iconic villain comes across completely empty and doesn't create a craving for a potential (however unlikely) sequel. (12/01/2016)

Wait, wait, wait… I must be about to write a review of a different movie because there's one thing here that doesn’t add up. This film has 43%? I’m definitely going against the crowd here, but the new Fantastic Four certainly doesn’t deserve such harsh criticism. To start, it’s important to note that this isn’t the typical formulaic superhero movie—it starts at a much slower pace, and action scenes are few and far between, but that doesn’t automatically mean the film is bad. Quite the opposite. The first half does a great job of fleshing out the individual characters and clearly shows us, the viewers, how each team member got their unique abilities. The cast seemed quite young to me; I’d probably change a few roles (especially Michael B. Jordan as Johnny Storm—he didn’t quite fit… Chris Evans was far more entertaining). Miles Teller as Mr. Fantastic was fun, and he handled his role well. The best character was the villain Doom, who didn’t say much, but his actions spoke volumes about him. It’s just a shame he didn’t get more screen time. The final action sequence was short but essentially to the point. Beltrami’s music complemented everything perfectly. The biggest downside of the film is probably the need for a more experienced main cast and more action. I also didn’t like the overly serious tone of the film, which sometimes undermined it (it could’ve used more fun moments). But I liked the well-told story that didn’t rush the audience, the dialogues, the music, and the villain Doom. Overall, it’s a solid three-star film, and I give it 67% (23/07/2017)