Hate to say I told you so but...

[CaptainSkeptic]

The reviews are in...and things don't look so fantastic. I was visiting Rotten Tomatoes because it is a good place to find the collective reviews on released films and get a general sense of how good or bad a film is by comparison of said reviews.

Now, as many know, I was predicting this film would be this year's "Catwoman" while some people(*cough*ToM*cough*) thought that, not only would the movie be "fun", but that the trailers themselves were works of art, indicating a far superior experience would be had at FF than Batman Bagins.

And I am going to just go ahead and say it...

I told you so!


What is funny about the reviews I am reading is this: You can always expect a few dissenting reviews, even for a terrible movie(Catwoman had a similar number of positive reviews as FF did IIRC) but I am reading the positive reviews and seeing comments like "Hey, I expected it to be even WORSE!" or "It is mindless camp!".

If THAT is what passes for praise for this movie then do not expect a sequel! Word of mouth is already doing a number on the FF movie. I have a number of friends who never pay attention to film critics but they have changed their minds all the same about going to see FF, the memory of Catwoman and Punisher and Hulk being still somewhat fresh in their minds(burn me once, shame on me. Burn me twice and shame on YOU!).

Meanwhile Batman Begins, of which the worst thing being said by more than one reviewer is that Katie Holmes' character was somewhat weak and unecessary(not surprising), already has a sequel in the works.

Too early to say whether FF will totally bomb at the B.O.(after word of mouth does it's number on it) but C2F movies so critically lambasted do not often see sequels made and if they do, they do not see half the budget the original was made for. That means that even IF there is a FF2, it will probably be lacking the one thing that allowed for roughly 50% of the positive comments that FF recieved...special effects.



"The really good superhero movies, like Superman, SpiderMan 2 and Batman Begins, leave Fantastic Four so far behind that the movie should almost be ashamed to show itself in the same theaters."
-- Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES


Now Ebert has certainly been wrong more than a few times but not when he is so thoroughly ripping a movie which so many other critics are also thoroughly ripping and disgusted by.


I would not have started a whole thread to rub this in but ToM spent a huge amount of effort chastising us all for thinking Batman Begins would be a good film and not assenting to the idea that FF would be the best thing since sliced bread.


ANother thing: When are comic-book fans in geenral going to learn? We see the same damned, terrible C2F trotted out every year, with thet same cliche dialogue, over-emphasis on special effects, terrible casting adn acting and every time C2F fans go "I think this will be different! I am going to be there on opening day!" adn every single damned time it is just as us "naysayers" predict.

When I saw that horrible line for Johnny Storm with the nurse("Oh! Your hot! "Well thank you, so are you.") I thought to myself "That cannot possibly be in teh movie. SUrely this is a sick joke and they are trying to make some commentary on the state of dialogue in C2F movies!?

Now, I was an advocate for Chikless as The Thing since the Shield Premiered but how in the HELL do you manage to screw up teh delivery of "It's Clobberin' Time!" so badly?!?


Oh well :P

[DarrenJSeeley]

Punisher wasn't that bad.

I loved the Hulk.
Yes, I'm the only one who did, that's beside the point...

I've warmed up to DD (and I'm not a fan of TDC) because I read that gofiness as coming from a character's exagerrated POV, at least until the end.

And FF?

Well, the sequel will be better. I also think someone should cave in, and let the Silver Surfer and Galactus be party to FF#2 or FF#3, regardless if Tim Story is at the helm or not.

I had only three minor problems with FF and three major problems.
Minor: Bathroom humor, an annoying song and sex jokes.
Major: lack of clarity, plot and character; Doctor Doom specifically and Jessica Alba.

[Essex]

You're not the only one who loved the Hulk. I thought it was great and REALLY unfairly judged.

You are, however, the only one I've ever seen who liked the theatrical Daredevil more than the director's cut. As a sidenote, I think that cut of DD is one of Marvel's best movies, certainly ranking above Spider-Man 1 (but well below SM2 and X2).

[DS]

I, too, loved the Hulk movie (up until that lame "Absorbing Man thou art my abusive father" plotline)! :D

I suspect that there are MANY people out there who feel the same way, but just don't say it, for whatever reason. It's one of the few films that got the character from the comics RIGHT. No one who sees that desert sequence vs. the U.S. Army can deny that THAT'S the Hulk we've been reading for over 40 years!

And I've GOT to eBay my Daredevil theatrical DVD and get that "Director's Cut" version to replace it!

[easy D]

Well, Hulk was allright. Too bad the whole movie wasn't like the scenes in the desert.

And, well, I liked both versions of Daredevil. When I checked out the DC, I couldn't stand to let it go. And my place is filled with DD stuff. Got the poster, soundtrack, Marvel Legends action figure, and that little statue they were giving away when you preordered the DVD over at FYE, and two versions of the DVD. (Hope there is a sequel!)

Now to Fantastic 4. Yeah, the script was without a doubt the biggest problem. The plot was almost nonexistant and Doom was off the mark. Hopefully if there is a sequel, they would fix that, but overall, I think the film has some potential. Like I said in my review, it reminded me of some of the decent films Michael Bay has done.

[Bigkid]

I enjoyed Hulk as well, I thought it was terrific.

Now, about the FF............

Haven't seen it as yet!! Can you all believe that?? Good reason for that, though, actually..........I've been working! I work through the weekend, so I didn't get the chance to see it as yet. I'm going to be taking nephews and nieces along with me to see it on Wed.

And since I probably won't be able to get to a computer by Monday of NEXT week, then I imagine you all will just have to wait for my words until then!

Till then.............Please...........SHARE.......... more of your comments on the film (just don't give anything away, PLEASE!) :lol:

[The Xenos]

Meh. I liked Hulk too. I didn't like the changes and the stupid ending.. kinda. It was sure was cool looking as much as it didn't make much sense or fit Hulk or the rest of the film. Plus I had mixed feelings about Bruce working in bio tech instead of a bomb as a bio major myself. I did like the more psychological and dramatic tone as much of a mistake that was for putting off too much of the audience. Hopefully next one they can fix that. Hulk SMASH!

With FF.. nope don't like any of the changes. Had they kept Doom anywhere near the origiinal character, I definatley would ahve gone to see it no matter the other flaws. Hopefully next one they fan fix that.

-Xenos

[Bigkid]

As of this writing, STILL haven't seen it! However, in a few hours I shall. So maybe it would just be a good idea to STOP posting here UNTIL I do, huh??

Well, here's crossing my fingers and toes, and hoping that I like it!

Later all!

[CaptainSkeptic]

Well, I don't want to turn this into a "Why there have only been 5 acceptable C2Fs so far and here's why most of them sucked, starting with Hulk..." thread. SO I will just say that Hulk was one of the worst in a long line of bad C2Fs for me. I love some of Ang Lee's stuff(Ice Storm and The Wedding banquet) but in my mind he is just not in his element doing superheroes or martial arts movies.

I cannot even wrap my head around the idea of a Dardevil(theatrical version) that is missing a half hour of plot/transition/character developement being considered better than the version (TDC)which only differs by including said plot/story elements!?

And the less said about Whatshisname's(the director writer...Hensleigh? I don't remember) & Thomas Jane's "Punisher: Assignment Miami Beach", the better. WHen directors and casting directors are considering actors for the C2F role of The Punisher, they should be forced to stare at Miike Zeck's drawings from the Punisher hayday adn memorise this:

The Punisher is a barrel-chested mean motherf*cker with a neck like a pitbull, and sweats bullets!! He is not a scrawny cover-boy ripped out of Teen Beat magazine!
Also, Punsiher was born in NY(in terms of his orgin story, not actual birthplace necessarily), just as Superman was born on Krypton. You don't change Puni's city to Miami any more than you change Supe's home planet to "Mars".


And I will say it again, if the best praise a C2F can recieve is that "Maybe a sequel can somehow fix all the terrible stuff in the first movie!" that is damningly faint praise indeed!! That goes for FF, DD, Punisher, Hulk, Crow(which somehow managed to have even WORSE sequels!), adn the rest.