Will Fantastic Four Finally Get It Right?

Will Fantastic Four finally get it right?

It’s a question being asked by super fans of the comic book series as well as moviegoers who have endured Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

The 2005 film has the dubious distinction of making my ten worst superhero movies of all-time list. And it’s inclusion on my list is very well-deserved.

Despite it’s nearly $160 million domestic box office gross, the film was well, umm, gross. With the exception of Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/Human Torch, the film’s casting was curious, at best. Ioan Gruffudd is a very solid actor but his casting as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic was a surprise because he doesn’t have the kind of leading man magnetism that you’d expect in a film of this scale.

Jessica Alba as Susan Storm/Invisible Girl just didn’t cut it. Real talk: most of the films that she’s been in have been pretty mediocre. I personally think her best work may have been her small screen role in Dark Angel. And last but not least, I just felt that Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm/Thing was a goofy caricature. His best work, too, was on television (the cop show The Shield).

The combination of the aforementioned dubious casting of its lead characters, along with a plot as flimsy as supermarket unmentionables, made 2005’s Fantastic Four a definite dude.

The sequel to the first dud, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, was a smidgen better, but not by much. The same cast returned, with a slightly better plot-mainly aided by the inclusion of the anti-hero/villain Silver Surfer character. He’s one of the more compelling characters in comic book lore. His begrudging “alliance” with the “entity that consumes planets” Galactus, adds a layer of complexity that makes the film somewhat watchable.

The “New” Fantastic Four

With the encouraging new Fantastic Four trailers, I am more hopeful for this latest iteration. But beyond the trailer, the casting is a major upgrade.

20th Century Fox (the studio that produces the film) has gone dynamic and young with the lead actors in the upcoming Fantastic Four. Unlike its predecessors’ stars, this film’s cast has a stronger silver screen resume.

Miles Teller (28), who plays Mr. Fantastic, is a fast-rising, critically acclaimed actor buoyed by his recent strong showing in the Oscar-winning Whiplash (2014). Michael B. Jordan’s (28) casting as Johnny Storm is not only notable because he’s an African-American actor depicting a superhero who is white in the comics, but because he’s also one of the best young actors in Hollywood. His exemplary work in the riveting Fruitvale Station is his most recent accolade in a growing list of recent accolades, which also includes a noted turn in the award-winning, cable television series The Wire.

Kate Mara (32) is the least-critically acclaimed of the group. For my fellow geeks reading this post, you probably remember her bit role in Iron Man 2. Many of her recent films, including Deadfall and Transcendence, have not fared too well with critics, so this may be her moment of truth as Susan Storm. Jamie Bell (29) who portrays Thing burst onto the scene-winning multiple awards for his role in the British dance drama Billy Elliot (2000), and also voiced the well-received lead character in The Adventures of Tintin (2011).

Buoyed by a more fantastic four lead actors in the titular role(s), I expect the latest iteration of this seminal Marvel comic to do exceedingly better than its predecessors. You may think that’s not saying much, but hey, you’ve go to start somewhere.