Cognition Dissemination: The Fantastic Retro-Futuristic Four?
Marvel Studios officially announced The Fantastic Four several years ago during their San Diego Comic-Con panel in 2019, in the heralded time known as the pre-pandemic era. But they’ve only recently started detailing it, after several delays thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and other extremely Marvel Studios issues. The early details are encouraging, though there’s never a guarantee that these projects will turn out… fantastic. No, I couldn’t resist.
Chief among those details is the cast reveal. Pedro Pascal will play Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby will play Susan Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn will play Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will play Ben Grimm/The Thing. (Moss-Bachrach is notably getting his second shot at a Marvel role following David “Micro” Lieberman in The Punisher series.) Julia Garner will play the female Shalla-Bal variation of the Silver Surfer, which is drawing a predictable reaction from some communities. Expect nothing less from Woke Disney™.
The directors and actors, and Marvel Studios’ track record, suggest that it will be better than the fun-though-unremarkable 20th Century Fox-produced Fantastic Four movies from the 2000s and especially the putrid 2015 reboot. In addition to the actors, the attractive aspect of The Fantastic Four is the potential time period. The promotional posters released thus far, the latter just this week, have suggested that this movie could not only have a 1960s vibe, the era in which the Fantastic Four debuted in comic book form, but could actually take place in the 1960s.
It would be a unique direction to take the Fantastic Four in, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe by extension, even though this would hardly be the first Marvel movie to take place in the past. The retro-futuristic look is reflected through the poster style with the artwork and white border, the outfits that look more out of date (in a good way) than even those from the 2000s movies thanks to the turtlenecks (especially the one Reed is wearing) and white gloves and boots, and the design style on H.E.R.B.I.E.
But there’s a chance that they’re only doing this for the aesthetic, as an homage to the 1960s. That would be disappointing, considering Marvel movies could use more uniqueness for a larger variety of hits. The movie will likely still be a hit if it occurs in present day, thanks to the legacy of the Fantastic Four name and Marvel’s current reputation still being good enough.
Marvel Studios and their lineup of superhero movies are hardly “over” per se, but it’s tough to deny that they’ve seen a bit of trouble. The underperformance of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania and dismal failure of The Marvels in terms of their critical and commercial receptions were enough to show that the studio’s films are no longer surefire bets. Their sole hit from last year, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, was directed by a guy who left Marvel behind to co-helm the DC Universe. Again, it’s not over, but the questions remain regarding whether they can pull themselves out of this rut over the next year or so.
Deadpool 3 is unlikely to save them thanks to how, let’s say, offbeat it will be compared to the usual Marvel Studios works coming before and after. But there’s a chance that it could do so well that it spurs further changes. My faith in Captain America: Brave New World is a bit shaken, only partially due to the extensive reshoots. Anthony Mackie, who’s playing Sam Wilson as Captain America, openly criticizing the decision to exclude Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) from the cast so far in advance of the movie’s arrival in theaters is another factor. All three characters and their actors played off each other well in The Falcon and the Winter Solider, and it’s a shame we won’t get more of that. The best chance to “save” Marvel in the future lies in The Fantastic Four, though it’s hardly the only one.
The Fantastic Four is one of two properties that could save Marvel from oblivion among the mass audience, alongside the X-Men — both of which were ironically received back from the 20th Century Fox acquisition from Disney. The Fantastic Four’s quality certainly won’t be tied to the period in which the film occurs, but it would nonetheless help it stand out. Marvel might need to get more unpredictable to lure the most cynical audiences back (outside anyone mad about a female Silver Surfer, which no one needs), and this could help.
It will take some time before the time period will be determined. Marvel is a leaky faucet, so I wouldn’t be surprised if images of the sets were distributed on social media networks and to tabloid sites after it starts filming in August this year, barring no further delays. There’s easy potential for this to be the best Fantastic Four title yet, and I hope it lives up to that.
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Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
