There are things you do hate, Lord. Perfume-smellin’ things, lacy things, things with curly hair.
Critics have repeatedly asked, “Why bother making an actual Fantastic Four movie, when The Incredibles captured everything great about the Marvel comic book and more?” I would argue that even before The Incredibles, Tobey Maguire’s narration in Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm offered a perfect, loving tribute to Stan Lee’s dysfunctional family, as Reed Richards and clan were aptly compared to a faultering family in 1970s Connecticut. The strange links between Marvel Comics and The Ice Storm have become complicated in the years since The Ice Storm’s release, due to both Maguire having become Spider-Man and Lee having directed Hulk. I’m not sure what it means, if anything at all.
Personally, I liked Fantastic Four a lot more than I expected to. It may be that as the summer wears on and expectations are repeatedly dashed, you start settling by July. Then again, maybe not. The look and the tone of this movie are light, which isn’t a bad thing, because it’s consistently light and seems to accomplish exactly what the filmmakers were going for (meaningless, fun entertainment). If the casting is any indication, this movie is not meant to compete with other Marvel franchises, such as Spider-Man or the intelligent to a fault Hulk, and in a way, it doesn’t need to. After the bloated promises and dashed realizations of Revenge of the Sith and Batman Begins, it’s nice to see a movie aim low, but hit its target dead on.
by Jason Woloski | Source: FOX 35MM Print
15 Jul 2005 1:45 AM | Submit Comment