Master Index of Archived Threads


Fantastic Four

TEN STARS

0 votes

NINE STARS

0 votes

EIGHT STARS

0 votes

SEVEN STARS

1 votes

SIX STARS

3 votes

FIVE STARS

1 votes

FOUR STARS

0 votes

THREE STARS

1 votes

TWO STARS

0 votes

ONE STAR

0 votes

Benjamin Grimm Jul 08 2005 09:28 AM Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Jul 08 2005 02:21 PM

I had planned on seeing this movie opening night, but the local times aren't convenient. There's a 5:10, that I probably can't get to, and a 7:45, which will end at about 10, leaving the kids pretty sleepy. So we'll be going tomorrow (Saturday) morning.

Willets Point Jul 08 2005 09:38 AM

Previous FF discussion from another thread.... Edgy DC Site Admin Joined: 05 Nov 2002 Posts: 1001 Location: DC PostPosted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:44 am Post subject: Reply with quote Says a guy eagerly anticipating The Fantastic Four. Back to top View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website soupcan 198) Mike Jorgensen 1B, RF,CF, LF, 1968, 1970-1971, 1980-1983 Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3073 Location: CT PostPosted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 10:16 am Post subject: Reply with quote Don't bust Yancy for that - there are a lot of us who have been waiting a looong ime for the FF flick. I just hope that's its not as godawfully bad as the previews make it look. Of course it will be. Back to top View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Yancy Street Gang 73) Art Shamsky OF, 1B, 1968-1971 Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 5570 Location: The Baxter Building PostPosted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 10:50 am Post subject: Reply with quote I've been more dreading Fantastic Four than anticipating it. I was hoping they'd do it right, but most indications are that the creators didn't respect the source material. I'm desperately hoping that it turns out great (Gene Shalit gave it an A+) but I don't expect it. Back to top View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website Willets Point 59) Skip Lockwood RP, 1975-1979 Joined: 01 Jun 2005 Posts: 5858 Location: Heart of Red Sox Nation PostPosted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 11:18 am Post subject: Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post The guy who reviews movies for the Boston Globe gave it one star, and he usually gives at least two stars to everything including total shite. The only time I've ever seen him give less than two stars to a movie was for Gigli. _________________ "The World is Quiet Here" Back to top View user's profile Send private message metirish 191) Tom Gorman RP, SP, 1982-1985 Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3208 Location: NY PostPosted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 11:23 am Post subject: Reply with quote I enjoyed Independence Day, it was total mindless bollox but still fun, IIRC some USA,USA,USA chants went up in the theater when our hero saved the day,now that was weird. _________________ "Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous." George Bernard Shaw Back to top View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail AIM Address Yancy Street Gang 73) Art Shamsky OF, 1B, 1968-1971 Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 5570 Location: The Baxter Building PostPosted: Fri Jul 08, 2005 11:25 am Post subject: Reply with quote The Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer both gave the FF one and a half stars. My expectations are low. Any thrill I get out of the movie will be a pleasant surprise. I think this thread is forking...

Benjamin Grimm Jul 08 2005 01:52 PM

Change of plans: it looks like we'll be going to a 7:20 showing tonight. I've read a few more reviews. None have been positive (I'll have to see if I can find Gene Shalit's online anywhere) but some have been less negative than others. My expectations are very low. I'm a bit annoyed that when Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny finally get the spotlight on them, it's going to be a major flop.

seawolf17 Jul 08 2005 02:13 PM

Two words: Jessica. Alba.

Edgy DC Jul 08 2005 03:46 PM

Website: Overheard in New York Topic: It Didn't Work Until They Added that Hot Flaming Guy Jane Hirt: "What does Fantastic Four stand for? Was there a Fantastic 1, 2 and 3?" --45th & 5th Overheard by: david alfreds

Benjamin Grimm Jul 08 2005 03:51 PM

Website: Overheard in New York Jane Hirt: "What does Fantastic Four stand for? Was there a Fantastic 1, 2 and 3?" My four-year-old daughter is struggling with that same question. Numbers at the end of movies denote sequels. If they do a sequel, it'll really get confusing: Fantastic Four Two. Maybe they'd have to call it FF2: Doom's Revenge or something like that.

Willets Point Jul 08 2005 03:55 PM

Which brings up the legend of The Madness of King George. Great movie by the way.

seawolf17 Jul 08 2005 04:49 PM

The Madness Of George I The Madness Of George II

Benjamin Grimm Jul 08 2005 07:47 PM

Okay, I've seen the movie, and I'm going to be generous with my vote. FIVE stars out of ten. I was preparing myself to be disappointed, and it wasn't as bad as I had feared.

soupcan Jul 08 2005 08:35 PM

So glad to hear that, especially from an FF devotee. On the train home this evening I read the NYTimes review and they absolutely killed it. I'll see it Sunday afternoon.

Frayed Knot Jul 08 2005 08:37 PM

I never saw 'Malcolm X' because I was afraid I'd be lost for not having seen the first 9 episodes.

soupcan Jul 10 2005 08:37 PM

I took my two boys to see it this afternoon and I really liked it. I gave it a 7. I liked the new twist on the origin. I liked Michael Chiklis (The Thing), Julian McMahon (Dr. Doom) and got a chuckle out of Stan Lee's cameo as the Baxter Building's ear-wiggling mailman Willie Lumpkin. I liked the Torch character and was pleased to see that the antagonistic relationship between Johnny and Ben was incorporated into the film. The NYTimes review said the special effects were cheesy but I disagree. I thought they were fine. No idea how they could have been better. I did not care for Ioan Groffud (or however his name is spelled). I thought he was pretty wooden, ironically, as Mr. Fantastic and Jessica Alba was merely passable as Sue Storm I too was going in expecting to be disappointed and left smiling. Curious to see Vic Sage's review.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 11 2005 02:19 PM

I liked the portrayal of the Thing. I didn't see much of his sense of humor, but they handled the tragic aspect of the character very well. I really felt that I was watching Ben Grimm on the screen. (I only wish the costume included the famous eyebrow-ridge thing.) I was okay with Johnny. In the comics he's always described as an irresponsible hothead, but his actual behavior often doesn't bear that out. The movie played to that aspect of his personality much more than the comics do. But as I said, I'm okay with that. Sue was portrayed okay, too. They did the big sister thing. (I would have liked a "Be careful, Johnny" or two, though.) At times she seemed like the Sue Storm I know. Not the early, timid Sue, but the spunkier one who evolved later. Reed was awful. They really missed the boat on him. He was indecisive and befuddled. That's not Reed Richards. He's a guy who knows everything, and what he doesn't know he figures out immediately. His all-encompassing knowledge may seem absurd at times, but it's part of the fun. Nothing in the movie made it seem like he was the leader of the team. His pushing himself to the point of exhaustion trying to cure Ben did ring true, though. I just wish he had a 5 o'clock shadow in that scene. Kirby always used stubble to show that Reed was so devoted that he didn't take time to shave. I thought Doom was worse than awful. I saw very little in that movie that made me feel like I was watching Dr. Doom. Victor Von Doom is a far more interesting character than the movie indicates. He (and Reed) should have been older. He shouldn't have been making quips during battle. I didn't like the changes to his origin. (The whole Latverian gypsy thing is too good, and too classic, to discard.) He came across as a lame movie bad guy with a corny name and an iron mask. I had no beef with the special effects. My only disappointment is that they never showed Ben transforming into the Thing. Reed looked good using his powers, and so did Johnny. The climactic battle was disappointing. Alicia was such a marginal character I don't know why they even bothered including her. Either some scenes were cut, or they're planning on a bigger role in a sequel, if there is one. A more minor beef is that the Baxter Building didn't look like it should have. Instead of the modern skyscraper it was an older, more ornate building. It looked more like downtown than midtown. I would have liked seeing a computer-generated Baxter Building in the style I know and love. Overall, I can see what they were trying to do, and in most cases I applaud them for trying to do it. I can understand why someone who doesn't know the FF would find it a confusing and weird mishmash. (Of course, good filmmaking would have made the movie as appealing to the novice as it is to the fan. They seem to have failed in that regard.) They introduced a lot of the themes that make the FF what they are. Sometimes in came across properly, other times it didn't. In a sequel, if there is one, hopefully they'll hit the ground running and tell a solid story, without the necessity of all the introductions. I think they could have streamlined the origin a bit more; the movie would have been better. And I do hope that there is a sequel. If so, they should have the FF as an experienced, fully functioning team, with Reed as an authoritative leader, with Ben still tragic but sometimes jovial. And Doom, if he comes back, should be in full meglomania mode, as the conqueror of Latveria. The Baxter Building

soupcan Jul 11 2005 02:52 PM

Good points you make. True about Reed - He never came across as wimpy or unsure. He should've been older and you're right about the stubble. With Sue - Jessica Alba just didn't do it for me. Too sexy and too young. I always thought of Sue as a more 'motherly' type. I thought Chiklis nailed The Thing and I didn't mind the absence of the brow on the costume - it made him look more like the original incarnation of the character I would've like to see Johnny with blonde hair and now that you mention it a 'be careful Johnny' would've been cool. The Baxter Building didn't bother me - I went in knowing I'd have to make allowances. That seemed a small one to make - the lab in the Baxter Building looked good though didn't you think? I liked Doom. Once he was in full costume he looked great and by doing what they did to him in the end it does set it up for the Latverian backstory if there is a sequal. And if there is a sequal I'd like to see the Silver Surfer flying around in there somewhere.

Vic Sage Jul 18 2005 11:03 AM

i give it a 6/10. As much as i like looking at Jessica Alba, and as much as enjoyed the outfits she was in (and the underwear scene on the bridge), Jessica Alba is to Sue Storm what I am to Tango dancing. Reed and Doom were all wrong too. That being said, they do capture the tone and spirit of the book pretty well. I thought the effects were perfectly fine. I would've preferred The Thing to be more than Chicklis in a foam rubber suit, but it was okay. I missed the Yancy Street boys, however. Johnny Storm was perfect. The family dynamic of the group exactly right. Grimm's tragic condition captured, along with his "tough sargeant with a soft heart" character. they didn't try to overload the plot. It was a straightforward origin story, and it was fine. the scenes with the 4 of them uniting to fight Doom gave me goosebumps of recognition, as i saw one of my favorite old comics come to life. And when Johnny makes the burning "4" in the night sky... well, lets just say i'm ready for "FF4 # II" certainly not a great film, and at times not even a good one. But better than i expected, and close enough to get the benefit of the doubt.

Edgy DC Jul 18 2005 12:56 PM

What exactly is supposed to be burning in the sky when Johnny does that?

Vic Sage Jul 18 2005 01:25 PM

shut up.

soupcan Jul 18 2005 07:21 PM

Edgy DC wrote: What exactly is supposed to be burning in the sky when Johnny does that? It is simply a trail of flame smarty-pants.

Edgy DC Jul 19 2005 04:58 AM

Flame don't do that.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 19 2005 05:31 AM

Flame generated by cosmically altered DNA does.

Edgy DC Jul 19 2005 06:00 AM

My mistake.

TheOldMole Jul 21 2005 08:38 PM

Gave it three stars. It wasn't awful. It would have been better if it had been. But a comic book origin story should be the length of a comic book, not of a full length movie, and it works because it's part of a larger universe of other comic books, other stories. Here there's only the one fight scene, and it makes them seem like a collection of one-trick ponies.

Rockin' Doc Aug 01 2005 04:50 PM

Just got in from watching the Fantastic 4 with the family. It was enjoyable, but the one fight scene was pretty short and doesn't occur until the end of the movie. Jessica Alba was hot as Sue Storm. As a matter of fact, she was too hot, and too young for the role. I I think Ben was well done. The movie did a good job of relating the tragic, tormented nature of Thing. The relationship between he and Johnny was also well done. The family all seemed to enjoy it and that's the main thing when escaping to the theater for a while. I gave it a 5.

Centerfield Jan 02 2007 08:23 AM

Caught this on one of the movie channels this weekend and was pleasantly surprised. Of course, I went in expecting it to be horrible so maybe I'm lowering my standards here a little, but I thought it was entertaining and fun. I'm on board for the sequel.