‘FOUR’ GET ABOUT IT!
HEY’RE nicknamed “the First Family of Marvel” — yet when it comes to superhero movies, the Fantastic Four are pulling up the rear.
Going back decades, most every adaptation of the brand that Hollywood has attempted — be it for TVor movies — has fizzled, and we now live in an insane, mixed-up world in which a guy who rides ants is more popular than Mr. Fantastic and company.
Yet another stab hits theaters Friday with “Fantastic Four,” a reboot of the previous intended film franchise (starring Chris Evans and Jessica Alba), which flamed out eight years ago. The new production was reportedly troubled, and fan interest appears lukewarm. In another ominous sign, the movie is being screened for press just 24 hours before it opens. Howcan this be? “Fantastic Four” No. 1, released in 1961, launched modern-day Marvel Comics and remains one of the most influential titles ever published. Co- creators Jack Kirby and Stan Lee gave readers a contemporary, intelligent spin on superheroes. They’re a group of scientists and adventurers transformed by cosmic rays after a trip into space. Here were relatable characters with problems who acted like real people — not supermen.
The DNA for the superhero-movie explosion we all now enjoy (and sometimes tolerate) can be traced to those early “Fantastic Four” issues.
“The Fantastic Four should be an Avengers-level franchise,” says James Viscardi, a former Marvel employee and now executive editor of comicbook.com. “There’s a ton that can be played with.”
Many have tried. There have been cartoons going back to the 1960s and a 1994 Roger Corman-produced movie was rushed into production three days before the rights expired. It was never released, and rumor has it Marvel Studio head Avi Arad later ordered every copy destroyed.
The 2005 version of “Fantastic Four” earned a respectable $154 million, and its 2007 sequel “Rise of the Silver Surfer” pulled in $131 million, but neither wasw well received by criticsc or fanboys.
Hollywood just can’t nail the Four for some reason. Prior to 2005, executives batted around lots of ideas for a movie, including sitcom-like treatments and one that envisioned the Fantastic Four starring in a reality show.
So what’s missing from the previous movies?
“As with any mythic story, it’s always about the people,” says screenwriter Philip Morton, who worked on a draft of “Fantastic Four” in the 1990s. “You can give someone a thousand powers, but it’s about what their hopes are, how do they hurt, what are their regrets?”
The Four’s unique interpersonal dynamic has also been absent.
“In the Jessica Alba movies, they were supposed to be a family, but it didn’t feel right,” Viscardi says. “It felt like a schlocky movie. They didn’t gel together like you’d expect a family to.”
The element of big ideas and cutting-edge science, prevalent in the comics, has also been lacking onscreen.
“There are aspects of ‘Interstellaar’ that I thought would be perfect for a Fantastic Four movie,” Viscardi says.
Having four main characters may also be a problem.
“It’s a little overwhelming when you have [just] one superhero,” says Morton, who produced the forthcoming “The Unwilling.”
“When you have four in one movie [it’s even more overwhelming]. The only model is ‘The Avengers,’ but those characters [each] had their own movies first.”
Challenges aside, it’s time someone made this team fantastic again.
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