Sep 06 2009
Reviving the Fantastic Four
In case you don’t know, a Fantastic Four reboot is on it’s way to theaters. I had really hoped that Marvel would get a chance to take the franchise, and it would have made alot more sense. It would have justified the reboot in the first place, and would give the studio a chance to use the characters in other Marvel movies. Namely, Dr. Doom. Sure the guy is a Fantastic Four villain, but he’s taken on the entire superhero community on more than one occassion. He’s often seen as Marvel’s biggest villain, and in games like Marvel Ultimate Alliance serves as the final boss. Maybe if we’re lucky, Disney will pull some strings and get the franchise back.
So what does the franchise need? The first thing is a solid direction. I know the term “dark” is thrown around alot, and almost every movie tries to describe themselves as such. Most people think of this as imitating the Dark Knight, but that’s not what the word is trying to convey. When people say “dark”, they usually mean mature or less campy. Some movies are naturally suited to being mature, like Batman, while others like Spiderman need a light hearted charm. The movies that move away from the little kid stuff are usually better quality, and dominate the box office. While the Fantastic Four are an upbeat group, I want them to explore the science-y parts of the team. The Fantastic Four arn’t just a bunch of heroes. They are explorers who journey into the unknown, and there should be a sense of wonder and awe with this concept. Make it feel real and competely unbelievable at the same time. When the Silver Surfer came to Earth in the second movie, I don’t think they captured how bizzare and mysterious this should be. Humans with abilities is one thing, but a shining silver extraterrestrial? I want a movie to capture the excitement and terror of an event like that. And at the heart of all this craziness is a family. Tim Story’s movies tried to examine the Fantastic Four as a family, but did a bad job. Simple as that.
It’s also worth noting how the team got their powers. Telling a full blown origin story wouldn’t make sense. We already saw that, and they shouldn’t bother wasting too much time introducing the characters. They should essentially do the same thing as the Incredible Hulk. They retell parts of the introduction, just so the viewer understands how the team came to be, but not much else. I think this is also a good way to introduce Dr. Doom. Never show him before he put on his mask, and use quick flashbacks or to tell us a bit about him. And don’t do any of this metal skin garbage. It’s interesting, and would make for a great character, but it’s not Doom. Doom is proud and regal, and nothing says “I deserve to rule humanity” like a full suit of armor and stylish green cowl. Give Doom back his magic powers, and generally make him as terrifying as possible.
And who should be the villain? It’s kind of hard to imagine Dr. Doom not being in the movie, and that’s not a problem. Still, let’s try and use another villain in the first movie. One that opens up possibility for crazy science inter-dimensional chaos. We’ve seen Galactus, but there are plenty of other parts of the galaxy to check out. Annihilus is pretty cool, and we could see the team try to stop a massive invasion of his before it starts. They try and take the cosmic control rod, and even have to venture into the Negative Zone to save humanity. Now wouldn’t you want to see something like that? Seriously, Marvel should just hire me as a producer so I can start making this stuff happen. The Kree and Skrulls could provide some great characters, and I’m dying to see Ronan the Accuser in a movie. The problem is that alot of these characters would be great in the Avengers movies, and I don’t want Fox using them up.
If this sounds fun, then check back in tomorrow when I talk about casting ideas. Me and my friend have been brainstorming about who should join the crew, and I think some of them will rock your world.
