There’s something beautiful about watching failure. This attempt at a Fantastic Four reboot was a disaster from start of production to the time it reached theaters and the final film is a constant reminder of this fact. But with all of that being said, “Fantastic Four” is a film that’s well worth your time even if it’s only real appeal is seeing $122 million burning on screen in front of you.
Marvel’s First Family has had a poor history in the film realm. From the rarely seen 1994 Fantastic Four film produced by Roger Corman, to the poorly reviewed, but somehow made enough money to justify a sequel 2005 film, to now.
The 2015 “Fantastic Four” is… not fantastic. In fact, the movie is so bad that it’s difficult to write about. The plot is nonexistent; aside from the titular four getting their powers, nothing happens. Plot threads are introduced and never referenced again. All in all, the film is a total disaster from beginning to end.
The only reasons this film is of note are the stories detailing why the film was a disaster. There are dozens of rumors on the internet casting both Fox, the producing studio, and Josh Trank, the director of the film, as the culprits of this cinematic crime.
The claims are various and largely unsubstantiated, but what is painfully evident after watching the film is that “Fantastic Four” was heavily reshot and edited into a film that didn’t mesh with Josh Trank’s original ideas.
It’s difficult to cast blame without the entire story, which is sure to be revealed at some point given the film industry’s allergy to secrets, but Trank’s premise for the film was an interesting and new take on The Fantastic Four’s powers. Which was having four “teenagers” body’s change in ways that are painful and scary.
Except, these changes are waking up with your body engulfed in flames for reasons you don’t understand and having every inch of your body, inside and out, taken over until you aren’t recognizable. The finished film only references this idea in a few scenes but doesn’t resolve them.
The newest addition to The Fantastic Attempts is impossible to recommend with any sincerity. It’s too boring to be so bad it’s good; it’s the exact opposite. The movie is so bad you wonder why paid actors would willingly speak these clichéd terrible lines.
Morbid curiosity is the only real reason to watch. This film has become synonymous with studio interference, infamy strong enough to make “Fantastic Four” one of the most notable films of the year.
