More like fantastic FINALLY! (Sometimes, I just can’t help myself). But for real, this film has flown sooo low under the radar that endless rumors went around about how bad it was going to be.
Basically since pre-production, there was buzz that the script was somewhat less than fantastic itself, and even more controversy sprouted when the cast was announced. In what world would Miles Teller, the drunken buffoon from “21 & Over” make a good superhero? Not to mention the wild controversy involving the race change of Johnny Storm being cast as a young black man. All in all, depending on personal perception, there was a lot of negativity surrounding the production of this film. So fanboys’ and fangirls’ doubts alike were all the more reinforced the longer we went without any footage, promo art, stills etc. I personally have been holding out hopes since the beginning, being a fan of director Josh Trank‘s since seeing his directorial debut in “Chronicle.” He seems to have a pretty good handle on the sci-fi genre, so I’ve personally been pretty amped to finally get a taste of what to expect.
Well, my friends, last week, the official first trailer dropped…quite unexpectedly. Recent rumors had said that the trailer would be attached to reels of “Kingsman,” which was released February 6th. But just days before that film was released, “Fantastic” fans got a major surprise! The first teaser trailer did exactly what I think needed to be done given the lackluster promotional efforts surrounding the film. It teases to the max and leaves you wanting more!
A dark, ominous voiceover spouts off about how human beings have a natural inclination to want to learn and find out more about our world, and that these responsibilities and discoveries rest on the shoulders of younger, up and coming generations. All of this plays under B-roll of our cast being introduced in the form of Reed Richards (Teller), Sue Storm (Kate Mara), The Thing (Jamie Bell) and Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan). The film looks beautifully shot and they really went for a dark vibe here, which was to be expected, given that they were aiming for a drastically different movie than the original Jessica Alba-driven disasters.
As we see several shots of the team suiting up into astronaut-like gear, they enter pods that apparently transport them to another dimension, which is where they eventually obtain their powers. Not much is gained from this trailer story-wise but we do get some solid “teaser” shots of the team in their official superhero get-ups. The final shot lands on the Four lined up and staring up at what appears to be a portal that has opened up between our world and this mysterious dimension.
I want more!!! Although I think there’s a chance that this film could suffer from a bad script, I have faith in Josh Trank’s vision and fans need to embrace the fact that this is not going to be the typical “Fantastic Four” they are used to seeing. I was also thoroughly impressed with the cast, even in the very small snippets we saw of each of them. Teller especially, as I wasn’t convinced he had much of an acting range, but he apparently pulls off a pretty good nerd! I am seriously diggin’ the darkness that Fox is bringing to Marvel’s “first family.” We all know how dark the X-Men movies have gotten over the years, so let’s not pretend we don’t secretly love where this is going.
Have I rambled enough?
Catch the “Fant4stic” in all their glory this August!
