Fantastic Four (2015) - Review

"Say that again?" .... "Fantastic!"

Oh God, why? Why? WHYYYYYY??????????

The Plot

After nearly perfecting a teleportation device that he and his friend, Ben Grimm (Jaime Bell) have been working on as a child, Reed Richards (Miles Teller) is recruited by Dr. Storm (Reg E. Cathey) to join Baxter, a facility for the gifted to build a better future. To aide Reed on his quest to be the first to crack inter dimensional travel, Dr. Storm brings in his children, Sue (Kate Mara) and Johnny (Michael B. Jordan), along with a former gifted student, Victor (Toby Kebbell), to complete the machine. But once completed, their facility's advisor and government liaison, Dr. Allen (Tim Blake Nelson), decides to send a team of selected astronauts to be the first to use their invention. Not wanting to be sidelined for their success, Reed, Johnny, Ben, Victor and Sue highjack the first mission and successfully travel to a place they dub Planet Zero. But what they discover there, will not only change their lives, but their physical bodies as well.

Review

Let me just go right off the bat and say this... I love Chronicle. Love it. It is one of the best found footage movies I've ever seen. And I was highly impressed that director Josh Trank broke the record of being the youngest director to generate a blockbuster film at the age of 27. The last person who held that record? Steven Spielberg for directing JAWS at the age of 28. But JAWS was Spielberg's third film, whereas Chronicle was Trank's first film. Which makes it even more impressive. Though a lot of credit definitely should go to screenwriter Max Landis for crafting Trank's vision into realistic dialogue between young boys, it is still Trank's original vision. Which is why I was so heavily interested in his take on the Fantastic Four. From his interesting casting choices, to the fact that he was basing it heavily on Ultimate Fantastic Four, even all the way down to him stating it was going to be more like David Cronenberg's body horror films. I was hooked, and defended this movie against anyone who would say that it is nothing like the comic books.... then I saw it.

I wouldn't go down and say this is the worst movie I've ever seen. That title for me belongs to Transformers: Age of Extinction. But the feeling I had while walking out of this film was more than just disappointment. It was pity. I felt sorry for everyone who is involved with this movie. I felt sorry for the cast, I felt sorry for the studio and I even felt sorry for the director. It was like watching a car crash happen in slow motion with people you like in the vehicle managing to survive to live another day. That's how it felt, and I could probably use the car crash metaphor with how this movie goes.

Think of it as a road trip. At the beginning of the journey, you're all getting ready and feeling excited. That's what it was like at at the beginning of the movie involving the child versions of Reed Richards and Ben Grimm. It was filled with hope and optimism about how youth can accomplish great things if their minds are in the right place. Or in the case of the cliche parents, the wrong place. But cliche parents aside, it was a nice intro to a friendship. A friendship that should've carried over to when Teller and Bell took over as the present day incarnations of the characters. And while it does for a while at the beginning, it abruptly disappears later. More on that in a bit. But again, with the beginning of the road trip, that's when you're meeting up with all your friends who are coming along for the ride. That's where Mara, Jordan and Kebbell come into play as Sue, Johnny and Victor. It is cool seeing all of these young geniuses work together in order to accomplish creating something that could possibly change the world. But once the drive begins and the car pops a tire with a nail, that's when things start to go downhill.

The first act of the movie is brilliant, but the second half of the movie is when it becomes really clear that whoever was driving the car at the beginning is no longer in full control. Once the main four gain their powers, it is clear that there was suppose to be an entire body horror sequence that should've lasted the entire second act. But unfortunately, choppy editing makes it clear that whatever the second act was suppose to be has been trimmed down for the sake of getting faster to the superhero action. Which happens after abruptly time skipping midway through the movie to one year. That one year time skip completely destroys any sense of team building amongst the characters, which has been the central thrust of their comic stories. In here there is no sense of relationships being solidified by any of the team members. They are first horrified by what happens to them, one of them escapes government captivity, then skip one year later to see everyone seems to efficiently know how to use their powers now and suddenly are friends with everyone again. It is so jarring and not executed well that it is obvious several scenes are missing. And if you've seen the trailers, then you'll know most of the scenes in the trailer are missing from the movie.

But while the second act feels like there are scenes that could've been extended or added to make it flow better, the third act completely derails any hope you will have of things getting better. The best way to put it? Remember my road trip metaphor and how I left off with the tires blowing out? Well what if someone on the road tries to help you by trying to drive your car to the nearest town at full speed? With the tires still busted. And not even bothering to use the spare tire you have in the trunk. Because you are only a few miles away to your destination. And against all your gut instincts that tell you this is a bad idea, you still allow it to happen. That's what happened to the third act of this movie, and that's where the car crash happens. 

Kebbell's Victor, who was barely developed at the beginning of the movie, yet there are clear hints as to who he is as well as his philosophy, is rescued after being left on Planet Zero for a year. And what happens when he comes back? He is now Doom and blah blah blah blah blah, wants to destroy the world all of a sudden. We don't get any incite as to why he suddenly believes he wants to do this. And also it was painfully obvious that everything involving Doom before and after the hallway Akira sequence was re-shot entirely. Because I have a strong feeling that his was not how Josh Trank wanted the movie to end. It is clear that his vision for this was definitely more like a Cronenberg face-off ala The Fly or Scanners, but that doesn't happen. It just turns into a cliche superhero battle that lacks any punch, despite having a lot of punches, and strange cheesy interactions between all the "heroes" who suddenly know how to work together. It's just so... so.... You know. A car crash. That thankfully everyone lived, but still have to be hospitalized in order to recover.

Final Thoughts

I want to say this is the worst superhero movie ever made, but the first act genuinely made me believe that I was watching something different than the standard superhero mold. It made me feel like I was watching a science fiction movie that abruptly shifts into a horror film then abruptly crashes and burns into a superhero film. I know there have been reports about Trank being unruly on set, but I can tell what kind of movie he wanted to make. He wanted to make a sci-fi horror movie that just happened to have superheroes in it. And unfortunately for him, the studio wanted a standard superhero movie. These two ways of thinking clash so severely that the end result is a muddled mess that starts off with so much promise, especially from the cast and crew, that then dive bombs into oblivion, especially when the cast appear to stop caring about what movie they're in by the end. I wish I could've seen the sci-fi horror epic I know this movie was suppose to be, but I guess we never will. And that's sad.

SCORE: 4/10 - 1 for Potential 2 for the Cast 3 for the Tone and 4 for a Pity Point

Snowpiercer - Analysis and Review

Find it and Watch it. Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes...

It is unfortunate that this film had to premier the same day that Transformers: Age of Extinction because it is obvious which one will make a lot more money. It is also unfortunate that this movie is only showing in 10 cities all over America instead of the wide release it is getting overseas because of what the Weinstein Company did. So even if people wanted to see it, they couldn't. The catch for a wide American release is if the film does extraordinarily well at the box-office with the 10 cities that it is being shown at. This movie was just set up for failure in America from the start. And that is really sad.

The Plot

After an attempt to stop global warming goes horribly wrong, the world gets sent into a new Ice Age. The surviving humans only chance of survival is the Wilford Train that was designed to circle the globe in one year. A train with an eternal engine and the capabilities of surviving the most harshest environments. The survivors are divided into classes. The Rich occupy the front of the train, and the Poor occupy the tail. In a desperate move to seize control of lives they have forgotten from being on board the train for 17 years, Curtis (Chris Evans) rallies the passengers of the tail in a revolt to take over the front of the train! Their mission will take them through a long path of violence and discovery as the ones left standing will soon learn why The Powerful chose to keep The Poor alive. And in the end... what does it mean to ensure World Order.

Analysis

The Best Science Fiction Movies are the ones that ask the hard questions or put a mirror on society. This is an example of one of those films. Unfortunately it is not a film that will succeed in America. I remember watching a trailer reaction video of people who immediately declare it a Hunger Games rip off but on a train. Which fascinated them but they just keep seeing an R-Rated Hunger Games on a train instead of a different dystopian Sci-Fi movie. And because of the trailers being very vague around the premise of the movie other than there is a clear separation between the rich and the poor, the average American Movie Going Audience will just groan at the thought of Hunger Games on a train. When it is clearly not.

The problem is dystopian futures are everywhere these days. Whether it be in The Hunger Games or in X-Men: Days of Future Past or in TV Shows like The Walking Dead, the genre for post-apocalyptic future is everywhere. While The Hunger Games offered a new take on for an audience not familiar with other types of post-apocalyptic futures, any other new take would just be looked at as a Hunger Games rip off. I'm sorry, but it is true. Even if people want to call Snowpiercer a new look and a much better high quality science fiction examination of the post-apocalypitc future, it will always be viewed by an American audience as R-Rated Hunger Games on a Train. 

Most viewers don't even ask: why are they on a train? Why is it snowing outside? Instead what I see from youtube comments or trailer reaction videos from people who don't know anything just think: Oh so they stick some poor people  and some rich people on a train then kill each other and whoever is left standing wins. In other words Hunger Games on a Train. They don't ask, why is the whole world on a train. They don't even think its the whole world, just a few people and maybe the rest of the world is watching. They don't even ask why is it snowing outside? No one even seems to question that part. So in the end, while it is not good to have youtube comments or commentators to be the basis for the representation of the general movie going public the sad truth sometimes is that it is.

I'm aware that both The Hunger Games and Snowpiercer have the class war similarities and the same reasons as to why class war is integral to maintaing a balance in society. But The Hunger Games takes three books/four movies to get that point across. Snowpiercer gets it done in one movie. 

Review

Director Bong Joon-Ho is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. He is probably best known in the states for creating The Host (2006) the Korean monster film that was a universally praised by critics all over the world as the best monster movie and political thriller made in years. The Host was definitely Korea's biggest worldwide big budget blockbuster and his take on Snowpiercer will be his second foray into the big budget arena. Though in comparison to American big budget movies (100-200 million) this one is only a medium budget movie in the states (60-70 million). But that is still a lot and he handles what he has with extreme care and precision.

He does what directors used to do a long time ago, and if some were to do this now they would automatically be ousted. He took inspiration from a graphic novel and turned it into a film. He didn't adapt the graphic novel to the screen, he took the idea and made the idea into a movie. That is something that would be looked down upon if an American director tried adapting a comic book these days. But because the comic was not too popular even in its native country of France, one can see how easy it would be to create a film off of a pre-existing text without getting any flack for inaccuracies. It was the smartest decision to make and one that won't restrain him from having to follow the story beat by beat. Because the ideas are what resonate with people, not the story in the graphic novel. Him and his American co-screenwriter, Kelly Masterson, handle it well.

But enough about the behind the scenes guys, lets talk about the people in front of the camera. Chris Evans, better known as Captain America, plays a reluctant hero named Curtis who does not want to be a leader and does not use grand speeches to sway his fellow passengers but rather actions of bravery that speak louder than an motivational speech. This is a distinction that makes him different from most character put in this situation. He is not a leader, yet people look to him as if he is just because he's taking the lead without have to lead anyone. This may sound like incompetence but it is the way friends would follow one of their friends. These people know each other and will follow each other till the end. That is shown by the loyal Edgar played by Jaime Bell, the desperate mother played by Octavia Spencer, the silent assassin played by Luke Pasqualino, and the man who inspired them all played by John Hurt. Their plight is driven mostly by the odd character of Mason played by Tilda Swinton who is the supreme example of someone who is passionate about their job but is not evil. The job just makes her look evil. Which is a common theme in this movie: the need for there to be a class struggle to maintain balance. Then of course caught in the middle of this power struggle is someone who once worked for the rich, played by Song Kang-ho, and his daughter played by Go Ah-sung (who played father and daughter in The Host) who were placed in prison for being drug addicts. They prove to be integral to the success of Curtis' revolution as well as shades of who the rich really are in this train.

There is a small appearance by Allison Pill who plays a pregnant teacher with an extraordinarily high positive attitude while wielding an uzi. But then there is a small role played by a well known actor that really brings all the pieces together. And when assembled it shows that in order for there to be order, there has to be temporary chaos to remind people of the horrors of chaos. Without a moment of chaos, order means nothing. It is the same as saying that without the existence of the poor, then there would be no distinction of who is rich or any need to want to do better. The film delves into what these concepts mean and funnels it into a film that literally has the whole world on a train. And on that train that circles the globe, the world is still the same.

Final Thoughts

I'm not going to discuss how I saw this movie. But I'll say that the reason why I had to see this movie through illegal means is because there was no theater anywhere near me that was showing it. And even though there is one in the next city away from me, I'm not willing to drive to a city that is only showing it for limited time in one theater. This contributes to the problem of film piracy and unless the wide release happens then result to any means necessary to see it. It is a great film and I would've gladly contributed my money to it. I will even buy it once it hits the home markets. But for now, if you're lucky enough to have it playing in a theater near you, go see it. For those of us who don't, I should say wait, but knowing the drama behind showing this movie in America: Waiting is no longer an option.

SCORE: 9.5/10 - One of the best Sci-Fi films this year that will never be seen.