Michael B. Jordan’s recent interview with Entertainment Weekly has once again (you should excuse the expression) reignited angry discussion about the new Fantastic Four movie, and specifically his character, The Human Torch. The movie’s director, Josh Trank, has even taken aim at old-school FF creator John Byrne for his remarks on the matter, and the generally-negative remarks about the movie seem to be polarizing even more. Those who hate it, now seem to hate it more, while the films defenders are likewise digging in their heels, which leads to today’s cosmically-irradiated query…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) is more certain that ever that I want to see this movie be a success, if only to spite those who are declaring it already DOA, asking: Does the controversy and/or slap-fighting make you more interested or less interested in seeing the upcoming Fantastic Four film?
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I’m at the point where I just want this movie to go away.
Neither. I wasn’t all that interested in the movie to begin with, and the controversy and complaints haven’t made me want to see it any more, but it also hasn’t made me want to see it any less.
That being said, I neither have a problem with the actor playing Human Torch nor do I have an issue with the fact Johnny and Sue aren’t blood relatives. Those aren’t in any way why I have no interest in the movie. I’m just burnt out on FF from the last movies, and I’m focusing on the growing MCU for Marvel movies. If FF had been part of the MCU, then I may have been more interested.
Not really either. What I DO feel though is that if actors and director need to defend their choices and/or direction of the film all the time, something has gone wrong from the start.
But…
Is the something wrong with the creators or with the audience?
I want to see it be a success because of how much Marvel gnashes their teeth at not possessing the rights to some of their most famous properties. On the issue of the “race factor” I just wish they’d gone all the way and made Sue black as well. I mean, at this point, why not?
It makes me want to see it so much more. I want the people who are hating it completely be forced to see it become huge at the box office, and that applies to people who hate it because of the race change and those who hate it because they don’t like the three minutes of footage they’ve seen.
It’s a superhero movie. I was always going to see it. I’m.. curious as to what it’s about, and I find I enjoy a movie best if I go in with no preconceptions at all(unless it’s a sequel, of course).
That being said, I also really, really liked Green Lantern, so maybe I just like liking things.
Michael B. Jordan alone had me interested in the first place and his response to the controversy makes me drawn to the film more. The idea of FF as family and the idea to show family in a broad way reflective of today’s culture as opposed to what was socially acceptable in the 1960s also explains the choices made quite well I think (though I never thought an explanation was necessary in the first place).
The family aspect is the part that bugs me the most about complaints. I have plenty of family who aren’t relatives, and plenty of relatives who aren’t family. So I’m glad I’m not alone in thinking this particular change from the comics isn’t really a bad thing.