100 Great Scenes In Not So Great Films - 29 - The Transformation Scene in the Fantastic Four Reboot
The case for the prosecution:
You'll note how I am particular in my description of which film I am complaining about. The first set of Fantastic Four films were average cake. You can't hate average cake, because it's cake, but that doesn't make it good. There were things I liked about them - Michael Chiklis's Ben Grimm*, Julian McMahon's Doom -, there were things that I didn't like, the emptiness of the denouements mostly, and things I will never understand, like how badly they wrote Johnny Storm. Seriously, I <3 me some Human Torch**, so you are doing something very wrong if I like Reed Richards more than him.
So I was looking forward to the reboots. There was room for them to be better. I knew nothing of Miles Teller, but Kate Mara is decent, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell are more than decent and one of these days Toby Kebell is going to be in something good, and worthy of his talents.***
The trailer looked excellent. I cackled with glee when I saw Doom. I was looking forward to seeing it.
It was terrible.
I mean, when Victor von Doom is the most sympathetic character, you are doing something very wrong.
Johnny Storm is reasonably solid, but they don't give Sue Storm or Ben Grimm anything to do. Reed Richards, played by a terribly mis-cast Miles Teller, meanwhile, is whiney, paranoid and goes "why does no-one recognise my genius?!" which is Doom's job.
That is how badly the characterisation is.
The writing of the plot and dialogue is somehow even worse than that.
Let me assure that this is a terribad film.
The scene itself:
Sorry about the terrible quality.
Why the scene is so good:
Can be best explained by a convo I had with L. L was watching the film when it came on UK TV.
Quoth L, "Also, this is much more intense than I was expecting cf Jonny's burning body."
Me: "The transformation scene is genius body horror."
L: "It's not what I was expecting of the genre...not in a good way."
Which is where we disagreed. He disliked the visceral body horror of the transformations - he is, in general, less fond of viscera than I am. I like the pseudo-realism, that the transformation is horrible. It is such a step away from the rest of the film which is tepid, reheated leftovers of every other superhero film - poorly reheated leftovers at that. It's something different, unique, interesting. It's the only time when the film uses its budget to full effect and does its own thing.
If the rest of the film had shown even half of the same invention, it would have been good.
*Ben Grimm is my favourite. I <3 him the best and Michael Chiklis is a fan too and you can tell.
**Johnny understands that I <3 Ben the most.
*** Seriously, I almost watched the Kebbell and Jack Houston Ben Hur because I love them both. The only reason I didn't was because it washed out of the cinemas before I had the chance.
You'll note how I am particular in my description of which film I am complaining about. The first set of Fantastic Four films were average cake. You can't hate average cake, because it's cake, but that doesn't make it good. There were things I liked about them - Michael Chiklis's Ben Grimm*, Julian McMahon's Doom -, there were things that I didn't like, the emptiness of the denouements mostly, and things I will never understand, like how badly they wrote Johnny Storm. Seriously, I <3 me some Human Torch**, so you are doing something very wrong if I like Reed Richards more than him.
So I was looking forward to the reboots. There was room for them to be better. I knew nothing of Miles Teller, but Kate Mara is decent, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell are more than decent and one of these days Toby Kebell is going to be in something good, and worthy of his talents.***
The trailer looked excellent. I cackled with glee when I saw Doom. I was looking forward to seeing it.
It was terrible.
I mean, when Victor von Doom is the most sympathetic character, you are doing something very wrong.
Johnny Storm is reasonably solid, but they don't give Sue Storm or Ben Grimm anything to do. Reed Richards, played by a terribly mis-cast Miles Teller, meanwhile, is whiney, paranoid and goes "why does no-one recognise my genius?!" which is Doom's job.
That is how badly the characterisation is.
The writing of the plot and dialogue is somehow even worse than that.
Let me assure that this is a terribad film.
The scene itself:
Click to viewSorry about the terrible quality.
Why the scene is so good:
Can be best explained by a convo I had with L. L was watching the film when it came on UK TV.
Quoth L, "Also, this is much more intense than I was expecting cf Jonny's burning body."
Me: "The transformation scene is genius body horror."
L: "It's not what I was expecting of the genre...not in a good way."
Which is where we disagreed. He disliked the visceral body horror of the transformations - he is, in general, less fond of viscera than I am. I like the pseudo-realism, that the transformation is horrible. It is such a step away from the rest of the film which is tepid, reheated leftovers of every other superhero film - poorly reheated leftovers at that. It's something different, unique, interesting. It's the only time when the film uses its budget to full effect and does its own thing.
If the rest of the film had shown even half of the same invention, it would have been good.
*Ben Grimm is my favourite. I <3 him the best and Michael Chiklis is a fan too and you can tell.
**Johnny understands that I <3 Ben the most.
*** Seriously, I almost watched the Kebbell and Jack Houston Ben Hur because I love them both. The only reason I didn't was because it washed out of the cinemas before I had the chance.