I Take My Marvel Comic Universe Seriously: Let’s Hear It for ‘Ant Man’ … ‘Fantastic Four’ Not So Much

MOVIES-It's clear that there are greater things in the Universe than made-for-the-big-screen versions of a classic comic strip, but in the Marvel Universe there really are no greater issues than character development, plot and relevance of either the strip or movie to the era in which it's made. 

First, let me make something clear--while I doubt I'm the only one who takes his comic strips/movies seriously (because they were so inspiring to me during my youth), and while I doubt I'm the only one who fervently believes that the "Ant-Man" movie was under-rated and under-promoted while the "Fantastic Four" movie was dreadfully and criminally mismanaged, the actors are all great...and arguably deserve much better. 

"Ant-Man", if you've not already seen it, is a movie that ranks up with the first "Iron Man" as a story of personal redemption, societal and family challenges of our modern-day era, and character development that is welcome to both fanboys and those who couldn't care less about the Marvel Universe.  Add to that a host of actors--both main and supporting, both well-known and obscure, who make this funny and exciting plot very watchable. 

The reviews for "Ant-Man" are all, not surprisingly, favorable--here's one--as a very pleasant surprise, troubled not by its delightful writing or its talented actors (Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll and Evangeline Lilly, and a first-rate supporting cast that includes Michael Peña) but by a lousy promotion of this should-have-been-a-blockbuster-from-the-beginning movie.

If you see "Ant-Man", you will almost certainly enjoy it, and will probably recommend your friends watch it. 

"Ant-Man" had a 79% favorable rating from Rotten Tomatoes, with 91% of the audience liking it.

In contrast, "Fantastic Four" had an 8% favorable rating from Rotten Tomatoes, with 24% of audience liking it. 

Get the point?  With no insulting to the acting cast (who've had nothing but good reviews from past movies, and who--again--probably deserved better), the casting, the plot, and just the basic premise of the movie was obviously all wrong from the get-go.   

Shame on you, Josh Trank, for directing this slap in the face to those who adored the Fantastic Four (like I did, growing up), and to all who produced and edited this obvious, awful mistake. 

First, the casting and the advertising--it was clear from the posters that the casting was waaaaay off.

Anyone who knew that Johnny Storm (a.k.a. "The Human Torch", or "that flame-guy" for those of you new to the character) was Sue Storm's kid brother were surely as stunned as I was that otherwise-talented actor Michael B. Jordan was cast in that role.  Not that the Human Torch would be black, but that he and his sister Sue was as white as he was black (adoption played a role here). 

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OK, guys...we "get it".  You wanted an African-American main character...but did Trank and the producers/editors go to "Stupid School" to cast such a character this way?  How about having his sister Sue be black, too--wouldn't a powerful, beautiful, black actress be awesome?  How about not having the wild, impetuous individual of the four (Johnny Storm was always the bad boy of the four) be the black guy? 

Better yet, if you wanted a prominent black character then how about brilliant Reed Richards be played by an African-American actor?  Throw some grey hairs on Will Smith's temples, make him the smart guy Reed Richards, make him the natural-born leader, and the whole movie would zoome up a notch or ten.   

And it also would have made the right statement that black males are brilliant leaders, not just bad boys. Furthermore, a mixed-race marriage of a black man and a white woman (or vice versa) is hardly problematic in today's reality.  As it was, the entire race thing appears horrifically contrived.

And while we're on the subject of Reed Richards, the first thing any of familiar with that character ("Mr. Stretch" for those of you new to the powers of this foursome) probably thought was "who is the kid?"  Reed Richards was the undeniable father-figure of the Fantastic Four, and as much of a paternal leader as was Professor Charles Xavier of the X-Men.  Diminishing his age and stature was arguably more insulting than any other casting move. 

The dueling relationship between two older brilliant peers, and frenemies at that, worked well with the aforementioned Charles Xavier ("Professor X") and Magneto of the X-Men genre.  That should have been the same with both Reed Richards and Victor Von Doom (who in the comics ran his own small European country as a beloved and kind ruler)...but alas!  Trank and the producers of this movie went to "Stupid School" instead of "Movie School". 

And it gets worse:  the movie reviews are all justified and unanimous in their sour take on what should have been a great reboot movie.  If you want a spoilereview and save some time, money and heartache, here's one from The Atlantic. 

Where are the gamma rays?  Why isn't The Thing more like the tough-guy-with-a-sweet-heart, bitter about his new body but beloved by a beautiful blind woman?  Why aren't the main characters more emotionally mature? Why the tired old "evil military out to exploit everyone" when this could have been a leap to "the galaxy and the universe is accessible to humanity" that was the hallmark of so many Fantastic Four plots? 

In short, please do see "Ant-Man" but avoid the "Fantastic Four".  Most of us will certainly look forward to the upcoming sequel to the former movie...but will bitterly have to await yet another reboot to the latter.

 

(Ken Alpern is a Westside Village Zone Director and Board member of the Mar Vista Community Council (MVCC), previously co-chaired its Planning and Outreach Committees, and currently is Co-Chair of its MVCC Transportation/Infrastructure Committee. He is co-chair of the CD11Transportation Advisory Committee and chairs the nonprofit Transit Coalition, and can be reached at  [email protected]   He also does regular commentary on the Mark Isler Radio Show on AM 870, and co-chairs the grassroots Friends of the Green Line at www.fogl.us. The views expressed in this article are solely those of Mr. Alpern.