Trailer Trash Talk: ‘Fantastic Four’
“Trailer Trash Talk’’ returns this week with a look at Fantastic Four, the latest from Marvel.
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From: Gottlieb, Jeremy
To: Wilder, Charlotte
Subject: Trailer Trash Talk, Fantastic Four Edition
Oh look, it’s another Fantastic Four movie. Did you know they already made two Fantastic Four movies almost 10 years ago? It’s OK if you don’t know that, because I definitely forgot. I guess that goes to show how important/successful/good they were.
IMDB tells me that Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, The Commish and some dude who’s name I can’t pronounce were in the first two, so right off the top, we’re in better shape, casting-wise. Evans is the man (forget Captain America —have you seen Snowpiercer? If not, please do so) but the rest of that group doesn’t hold a candle to new one’s top three.
There’s Miles Teller, currently in every third movie to come out, but the fact that one of those films is Whiplash, which was mind-bogglingly amazing, wipes away the stink of stuff like That Awkward Moment. Kate Mara’s career is smoking hot after she got thrown in front of a train on House of Cards. And the other Michael Jordan—Michael B. Jordan—was in Fruitvale Station, which gives him a free pass to be awesome in anything for at least the next five years (even if he was also in That Awkward Moment with Teller).
So boom, awesome cast. We’ll see if that’s enough to overcome the obvious Christopher Nolan blueprint of taking comic books and making them as dark, serious and full of gravitas as something starring Daniel Day Lewis. That was a bad move for Nolan-produced Man of Steel, which was awful.
We’ll see whether Marvel lets this go in that direction as opposed to some of their other top shelf properties like The Avengers and Iron Man. Those flicks were able to tackle heavy material while still maintaining a deft ability to toss the occasional wink at us, the paying customers. It’s tough to tell whether that’s going to be the case with this Fantastic Four just from this teaser.
From: Wilder, Charlotte
To: Gottlieb, Jeremy
Subject: Re: Trailer Trash Talk, Fantastic Four Edition
When it comes to the cast, I partly agree with you. I love when comic book films feature actors you wouldn’t expect to see in them. When Scarlet Johansson was cast in Iron Man and The Avengers I was skeptical, but she rocked it, which pushed her to super-stardom. Watching an actor get superhero-ed takes audiences some getting used to, but once they do, that actor has officially made it in Hollywood.
I think it’s very cool that they cast Kate Mara in this for those reasons—it feels like we’re watching her become a bona fide movie star. But there’s something about both Mara sisters that drives me crazy. Yes, Rooney gave an incredible performance in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Kate killed it in House of Cards, but they always feel a little stiff no matter how good they are. Maybe it’s their diction? Their ability to give really haunting blank stares?
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I disagree with you, though, in terms of the original cast. I think Evans and Alba both brought more star power to the film than these actors do. That said, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. The fact that the actors in this remake are all on the rise, rather than on the fall, as I think Alba was, will give more life to the movie. If the film is like its trailer, it’s going to be packed with energy. It’s going to vibrate with energy. And with mystery.
And by mystery, what I really mean is: I have no idea what’s going on. It looks exciting and dangerous, but I couldn’t tell you a single thing about the plot from this teaser other than that guys who look like storm troopers are going to come out of the ground at some point.
That said, I’d definitely go see it. Largely because, as you mentioned, Nolan has elevated the superhero movie. I wouldn’t have watched this 10 years ago, but I enjoyed the Batman franchise so much, I’ve been willing to give other superhero movies a chance. Which means that yes, I went to see The Avengers and Thor in theaters (Chris Hemsworth, if you’re out there, send me an email or something) and loved them.
While Nolan encouraged the serious comic book trend, sometimes to a fault, I think he’s influenced the genre in a positive way: Movies that used to rely solely on action scenes and CGI now dig deeper when it comes to plot and character, too.
From: Gottlieb, Jeremy
To: Wilder, Charlotte
Subject: Re: Trailer Trash Talk, Fantastic Four Edition
Is that always a good thing though? It was so awkward and clumsy in Man of Steel when Diane Lane and Kevin Costner were being these interesting, layered, textured characters, but those performances were washed away by the same shot of Superman flying into Zod—and the two of them hitting the ground and ripping through miles and miles of road—over and over.
That’s why The Avengers is so good – because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Just seriously enough. The world can be coming to an end but the Hulk can still repeatedly slam Loki to the ground like he’s a stuffed animal and play it for laughs.
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Not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with the Chris Nolan way of doing things. He made himself and the next 10 generations of his family a very comfortable life by mastering the tone you see in all three of his Batman movies.
The thing is, not everyone is Chris Nolan. Which is why you need a director as smart as Joss Whedon (The Avengers) or Jon Favreau (the first two Iron Mans) or even Ang Lee (the first, most inscrutable Hulk movie) to find that middle ground, where you’re watching and enjoying and having fun at a comic book movie without bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders.
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We certainly don’t want the embarrassment of the Joel Schumacher Batmans (the last one—the George Clooney one, where Arnold Schwarzenneger humiliates himself—is one of the worst movies ever made). We don’t need to take the comic book aspect that literally. Just give us a happy medium between that and The Dark Knight, do it with some coherence and some skill, and we’re on the right track.
It’s impossible to tell if that’s going to be the tone of this Fantastic Four. I’m right there with you. I don’t know what the hell is going on, either. Except that one moment Michael Jordan is working on his car and some dude is playing baseball and the next thing you know, they’re all wearing space suits and crawling through a bunch of dark, smoky twisted metal.
Aside from that quick second when some guy catches fire (assuming that means he’s playing the Human Torch but hey, I could be wrong) you don’t ever see anyone doing anything particularly superhero-y. So for now I’m lost, but intriguingly so.
From: Wilder, Charlotte
To: Gottlieb, Jeremy
Subject: Re: Trailer Trash Talk, Fantastic Four Edition
That’s the best, when The Hulk smashes Loki into the ground. Thank you for reminding me. Quality cinema, right there.
I see what you’re saying about Nolan spawning a generation of comic book movies that take themselves too seriously. I think that’s the danger of any piece of art or entertainment, though, isn’t it? When you lose the ability to look inward—to examine what it is about the thing itself that’s funny, or incongruous, or absurd—you lose nuance. Any movie involving a main character who wears a cape that can’t throw the occasional wink and nod, as you say, is bound to run into problems.
While Nolan’s films were definitely dark and layered, there are moments where he lets some light in. Even something as simple as that scene in The Dark Knight when Bruce Wayne burns Harvey Dent by obnoxiously letting him know he owns the restaurant they’re in. There’s humor.
It’ll be interesting to see if Fantastic Four can poke fun at itself or incorporate some funny moments while still keeping that Nolan-esque vibe the trailer gives off. I didn’t notice anything super superhero-y about it either, but if I were a betting woman, I’d put money on the fact that it’s in there. What I won’t put money on is that the movie won’t suck. That’s still a very real possibility, as the trailer doesn’t divulge enough to convince me otherwise. But I will pay money to go see and find out.
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