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Review: Fantastic 4 (2015)

By Christine Petralia

Image courtesy of 20th Century Fox

August 12, 2015

 

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

While I can see why this reboot of Fantastic Four got bad reviews, I actually really liked it. It was very plot-driven, with the four main characters struggling to learn how to master their new super-human powers. But that’s why I liked it. It was character building for what I can only assume are a few more films in the future. That is, if Marvel goes ahead with them after dismal reviews for this 2015 reboot.

 

The film starts seven years ago, where childhood friends Reed Richards (Miles Teller) and Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell) work on a prototype teleporter. Fast forward to present day where the pair demonstrates this better prototype at a science fair. While the ‘experiment’ doesn’t impress the judges, it does gain the attention of Profession Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey), director of the Baxter Foundation, a government-sponsored research institute for young prodigies. Storm invites Reed to join the foundation and help his children, Sue (Kate Mara) and Johnny (Michael B. Jordan), complete the “Quantum Gate.” The three are joined by Franklin’s protégé, Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell), who just sounds evil to begin with, who designed the machine.

 

The four complete the experiment, which allows the machine to travel to another dimension and return. Franklin believes the machine can be used for good to learn from and study the planet and help Earth. When they present the machine to the government, officials have different ideas, as they want NASA astronauts to be the first ones to head over to this new planet/dimension, known as Planet Zero. Disappointed they won’t be the first ones to the planet, Reed, Johnny and Victor decide to go up first on their own. Reed makes sure to recruit Ben, though, as he was the first one who believed in him.

 

Things go horribly wrong on Planet Zero though as the guys attempt to gain some samples to bring back. Victor is left behind, as the pods that Reed, Ben and Johnny are in quickly get damaged. The remaining three manage to make it back to the lab with the help of Sue, but barely alive and completely changed forever. Johnny is left burning, Ben is under a pile of rocks, Reed can suddenly stretch his limbs and Sue is left flickering. All four are brought to a lab to be tested on and studied by the government.

 

Reed tries to find his friends in the lab and manages to escape. Meanwhile, Sue and Johnny work to control their powers – her invisibility and force fields; him the power to burst into flames. Ben is immediately sent out with the military to destroy enemies with his super-human power of being, well, a rock. Reed becomes a fugitive, on a mission to find a cure for whatever it is that he and his friends now ‘suffer’ from. He is tracked down by Sue and brought to Area 57. He’s convinced to open another portal to Planet Zero, with the promise of help to find a cure. The government’s explorers are faced with Victor, who has basically become one with the planet and very, very evil. He’s brought back to Earth, where he destroys the lab, kills Franklin, among others, and heads back to Planet Zero, but not before opening a black hole that will destroy Earth. To the rescue are Sue, Johnny, Reed and Ben. They head to the planet to battle and stop Victor.

 

After saving Earth, they are called heroes and given a brand new base of operations by the U.S. military. They decide to use their powers for good and call themselves the Fantastic Four.

 

Could the movie used a little more action? Absolutely. But keeping the film at a short hour and 40 minutes, there wasn’t much room for it. It took about an hour for the group to even travel to the planet and gain their powers, but, again, this is something I liked. I found myself getting a little bored with the complicated and very action-driven Avengers 2 this summer, so the Fantastic Four was a breath of fresh air for me. Perhaps the next installment will feature more of the action and fun super-power skills, though I hope the creators keep the good plot and just add maybe 20 extra minutes of action.

 

And for those who are wondering, there’s nothing at the end of this Marvel film, which was the only disappointment in my book.

 

 

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Want more film reviews and more!  Check out the archive section for all of my writing!

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