Cast: D
Plot: B
Special Effects/Stunts: B
Similarity to Comic: C
Director: Josh Trank
Comic Company: Marvel
Stars: Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller
Rating: PG-13
See the IMDB page
See the Rotten Tomatoes page
Another day another reboot. I, along with everyone else, really had high hopes for this movie. But the problem with reboots is that they are either instant hits or they tank completely, this film went the way of the ladder.
The Good: Even though this movie was not particularly good, there were several ways in which it improved upon its predecessors. The special effects were better than the first two films. Notice how I didn't call them "good" I called them "better". They were no 'Amazing Spider-Man 2' effects, but they got the job done. The relationships between the main characters seemed to be more developed than in the first two films, because in this movie they actually took the time to develop them, so that was an improvement.
The real show stealer though was Dr. Doom. Not necessarily the actor that played Victor VonDoom, but the character himself. The scene after they bring him back to this dimension where he just walks around the facility and blows up peoples heads is one of the most prolific and understated scenes of the modern super hero movie era. If they did nothing else right in this movie, at least they finally did Dr. Doom the way he was meant to be.
The Bad: Hands down the worst part about this film was the cast. Every single one of them except Kate Mara. They were far too young, even for an origin story movie, and last time I checked America didn't hire teenagers to do groundbreaking science projects for them. The kid who played the Thing had zero personality and hardly any relevance in the plotline. Kate Mara was the only one who really played the part of her character well, and she was also probably the only age appropriate one too.
I did not like how little bits of the plot were changed for no real reason. Like instead of the accident that gave them their powers happening in space they made it happen in another dimension. Was space not exciting enough for the modern person anymore? And I'm supposed to believe that Mr. Fantastic is just going to abandon his friends after their accident and not show back up for half the movie? That's not his M.O.
The Interesting: The human torch is black now? And he's not blood related to the invisible woman anymore? I'm not against changing the races of characters to fit societal changes, but the human torch seems like a strange choice to change and especially for a reboot that's a last ditch effort for this franchise to catch up to it's other Marvel cousins on screen.
How did the Invisible Woman even get her powers in this movie? She never went to the other dimension. She just sat there while everyone else went and then her computer blew up and then she gets powers? Other dimensional superpower giving forces can travel through this dimensions telephone and power lines? That's a stretch even for superhero movies.
Conclusion: Was this movie entertaining? Yes. Was this movie a good story? Yes. Was this movie true to the comics and done as well as other modern superhero movies? Absolutely not.