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    The Fantastic Four

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

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    Whenever anyone talks about a superhero movie in a negative way, they always compare it to the 1994 Roger Corman produced “Fantastic Four”. I’m here to change that because I actually think that as far as low budget (1 million) movies that were made for legal reasons and were never actually intended to be released to the public (I obtained my copy in a trade at a comic book convention), it’s pretty good. At the very least you have to give it credit for its enthusiasm and for capturing the spirit of the comics it’s based on. Reed Richards (Alex Hyde-White) and his friends Ben Grimm (Michael Bailey Smith), Sue Storm (Rebecca Staab) and Johnny Storm (Jay Underwood) are travelling in an experimental spacecraft to study a comet when an accident exposes them to cosmic rays. Crash-landing on Earth, they discover that they are now given special powers. When they encounter an old colleague of Reed’s who now calls himself Dr. Doom (Joseph Culp) and discover his evil plans, they are the only ones that can stop him.

    There are two key things to remember with this film. The first is that it’s low budget. Yes this movie was made in 1994, but it looks more like something that was made in the 80’s, with some decent, but not great special effects and an overall production that once again looks professional but isn’t very slick. The film looks like a TV pilot, but I think that’s pretty forgivable when you consider that the film has never been officially released. Despite this, you don’t get the feeling that people were phoning it in where this movie was made. Nobody involved in the production knew that would be the case and I think you can see the joy of filmmaking present. Everyone is being professional here and you can sense the excitement everyone had at the idea of finally seeing a live-action version of the characters being brought to life. The film does not look nearly as good as it could have with a big budget, that’s for sure. Whenever you see Johnny in his full Human Torch look, he doesn’t look great. Similarly, the big action-y climax looks a little ridiculous and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense… but it would have if it were drawn on a comic book panel. That’s what works for me. This film is bright, it’s nutty, it’s innocent and cheerful.

    Considering everything, there are quite a few things that are well done here. Ben Grimm’s look when he turns into the monstrous “Thing” is pretty impressive for instance. With the way the mouth is articulated and how expressive he is I’d put it on the same level as the costumes you saw in the first live-action “Ninja Turtles” movie. Dr. Doom also looks pretty good (his cape is a bit shiny for me, but it’s not like some cheap Halloween costume anyone could find) and the invisibility effects for Sue are well done. I also enjoy that there’s a lot going on in the plot. On top of having the origin of the Fantastic Four and Dr. Doom, we have the introduction of a second villain, a character named The Jeweler (Ian Trigger) who I suspect would have eventually become The Mole man if a sequel was ever produced and they also bring in the Thing’s love interest, Alicia Masters (Kat Green) in an effective manner. The plot moves quickly, a bit too quickly when it comes to the love plots, but to me, that’s the way these comic book origins were when they were first published. You had all of the individual characters set up, their powers, the villain they were destined to defeat and the basic sense of who they all were… in a single issue. No promises of a second part or anything, like that. It was a self-contained deal. You get that feeling here, down to the fact that they give a very comic book-y explanation for why everyone gets the powers that they do.

    Yes this 1994 production of “Fantastic Four” devolves into unintentional comedy at times and it’s a bit campy, but it’s not a bad movie. You’d rather watch this over “Ghost Rider” or “Man-Thing” any day of the week and those were both released with pride by Marvel. I actually think it’s a crying shame that more people haven’t seen this because I think for fans that grew up with the characters and particularly children, they’d really enjoy it. I’m a big fan of the comics and this film holds a special place in my heart so I beg the higher-ups out there: please give this an official release. Even if it’s as a bonus feature on another movie I think you’re underestimating how good it is. Even better, let’s finally get this one on the big screen! (On DVD, August 22, 2015)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  27.8.2015 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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