JOHNNY STORM, I AM SO HOT FOR YOU RIGHT NOW!
The first rule of summer blockbusters should be to entertain, surely, and the Fantastic 4 sequel does just that. I went into it looking for entertainment and I was hopeful of getting it, because that's what the first film had delivered, and the people involved had only decided to go and add the coolness of the silver surfer to the mix. And it worked for me - critics who go for the roller coaster ride metaphor won't be too far off the mark. Though it is a ride to which you can take your kidlets.
That's not to say it's a great film, but it's a nifty blockbuster, I giggled throughout, and 'with' not 'at' both film and characters, so that's good. Granted, it isn't perfect - even if they were trying to emphasise the global scale of the threat, half the time they went from one country to the next was nonsensical. And there's Jessica Alba's Sue Storm. Actually, there's a problem with Sue Storm that would still stand even if they'd cast her better. Those were the two big issues.
But there was also Chris Evans's Johnny Storm, and he turns me into 100% fangirl with the quipping and the cheek and way he enjoys his powers (he flies and turns on fire!) and a soupcon of angst about his single state. And I thought it improved in most departments on the first. Granted, the Mr Fantastic FX are still a little ropey, but they emphasised their cartoonishness a little, which helped, and Ioan Gruffudd was completely comfortable and sold me on the adorkable Reed. I would not have shed a tear if they had dunked the big nerd vs. quarterback speech, but the boy's doing well. And Julian McMahon's Doom was camp enough to face up to Adam West.
I enjoyed the Four's dynamic (slashers will have a moment or two for every m/m relationship), but while I loved Reed playing Daddy, I did have issues with Sue playing Mommy 24/7, because we seem to have forgotten she's a scientist in her own right. (Possibly wise, given that Alba goes down in the Hall of Infamy as Hollywood Scientists). Apart from the use of her powers, her identity seems to be mother, figurative and preseumptive, and nothing but. Oh, except object of desire for Reed, who loves her because she's the hottest girl on earth (and...? Nothing. At least, the Siver Surfer seems to respond to her kindness.) She's obsessed with her stupid OTT wedding (JUST ELOPE!) and raising a family, and for all the invisible woman not girl talk, the assumption is that only Reed's job matters and she will...walk around the house, being lied to about what's going on for her own good, because it's still the sixties? Urgh.
It doesn't help that Alba is blatantly in her early twenties, still. Actually, I thought her acting improved here too, but she shouldn't have been cast in the first place. Another reason for this is that she and Evans still don't look like siblings. There was mention of their father, but my mynon explanation is that they had different mothers, because they really don't look like they could be related, and I wouldn't want anyone else to play Johnny.
But I will stop getting aggravated, because the film's wisecracking kept me very happy, the film didn't take itself too seriously, and I was genuinely engaged - it helped that the Silver Surfer effects and depiction was so cool. The board was genuinely fantastic! And I found myself really caring about what happened in the big action scenes (which Spider-Man 3 failed at) because they kept hurting Johnny! Noes! Genuinely a family film, genuinely entertaining: and the set up for a sequel makes me happy and excited. I unironically hope they do well so that there can be a Fantastic 4: 4 (whales optional).
Finally: full shipping disclosure. A fic I read once has won me over to shipping Reed Richards with Fred Burkle, which only adds to the anti-Sueness. And although I thought Johnny's relationship with the soldier lady was okay, it wasn't as affecting as his relationship with the rest of the family, and I am willing to entertain cross-over pairing suggestions. (Or is there a canonical love interest they could bring in? Chilkis and Washington did solid jobs as their respective characters, btw.) All I have at the moment is Jubilee as a cross over.
This was what I thought of the first Fantastic Four movie.
Did anyone catch Jekyll? Was it good? Despite Stephen Moffat's involvement, I wanted to go out to the cinema and watch it. Maybe they'll repeat it on BBC3 at some point.
That's not to say it's a great film, but it's a nifty blockbuster, I giggled throughout, and 'with' not 'at' both film and characters, so that's good. Granted, it isn't perfect - even if they were trying to emphasise the global scale of the threat, half the time they went from one country to the next was nonsensical. And there's Jessica Alba's Sue Storm. Actually, there's a problem with Sue Storm that would still stand even if they'd cast her better. Those were the two big issues.
But there was also Chris Evans's Johnny Storm, and he turns me into 100% fangirl with the quipping and the cheek and way he enjoys his powers (he flies and turns on fire!) and a soupcon of angst about his single state. And I thought it improved in most departments on the first. Granted, the Mr Fantastic FX are still a little ropey, but they emphasised their cartoonishness a little, which helped, and Ioan Gruffudd was completely comfortable and sold me on the adorkable Reed. I would not have shed a tear if they had dunked the big nerd vs. quarterback speech, but the boy's doing well. And Julian McMahon's Doom was camp enough to face up to Adam West.
I enjoyed the Four's dynamic (slashers will have a moment or two for every m/m relationship), but while I loved Reed playing Daddy, I did have issues with Sue playing Mommy 24/7, because we seem to have forgotten she's a scientist in her own right. (Possibly wise, given that Alba goes down in the Hall of Infamy as Hollywood Scientists). Apart from the use of her powers, her identity seems to be mother, figurative and preseumptive, and nothing but. Oh, except object of desire for Reed, who loves her because she's the hottest girl on earth (and...? Nothing. At least, the Siver Surfer seems to respond to her kindness.) She's obsessed with her stupid OTT wedding (JUST ELOPE!) and raising a family, and for all the invisible woman not girl talk, the assumption is that only Reed's job matters and she will...walk around the house, being lied to about what's going on for her own good, because it's still the sixties? Urgh.
It doesn't help that Alba is blatantly in her early twenties, still. Actually, I thought her acting improved here too, but she shouldn't have been cast in the first place. Another reason for this is that she and Evans still don't look like siblings. There was mention of their father, but my mynon explanation is that they had different mothers, because they really don't look like they could be related, and I wouldn't want anyone else to play Johnny.
But I will stop getting aggravated, because the film's wisecracking kept me very happy, the film didn't take itself too seriously, and I was genuinely engaged - it helped that the Silver Surfer effects and depiction was so cool. The board was genuinely fantastic! And I found myself really caring about what happened in the big action scenes (which Spider-Man 3 failed at) because they kept hurting Johnny! Noes! Genuinely a family film, genuinely entertaining: and the set up for a sequel makes me happy and excited. I unironically hope they do well so that there can be a Fantastic 4: 4 (whales optional).
Finally: full shipping disclosure. A fic I read once has won me over to shipping Reed Richards with Fred Burkle, which only adds to the anti-Sueness. And although I thought Johnny's relationship with the soldier lady was okay, it wasn't as affecting as his relationship with the rest of the family, and I am willing to entertain cross-over pairing suggestions. (Or is there a canonical love interest they could bring in? Chilkis and Washington did solid jobs as their respective characters, btw.) All I have at the moment is Jubilee as a cross over.
This was what I thought of the first Fantastic Four movie.
Did anyone catch Jekyll? Was it good? Despite Stephen Moffat's involvement, I wanted to go out to the cinema and watch it. Maybe they'll repeat it on BBC3 at some point.