My opinions on the characters and cast
I grew up with comic books, thanks to my older brothers, but the Four were never one of my favorite titles. I did read them for a couple years during one of the John Byrne eras, and his work instilled a deep respect for the characters despite my ambivalence towards the book in general.
So I’m not quite sure what to think about the in-production Fantastic Four movie. There have been some very good comic movies (Superman, Batman, Spiderman, X-Men) and some very not-so-good comic movies (Batman 3, Captain America, The Hulk, Punisher). When I think about a FF movie, I don’t so much care about whether the story is true to the book as I do whether the characters are representative of the ones I remember.
So how do I see the current cast filling these character roles? Let’s take a look.
Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic
Reed Richards as the solid foundation of the group. His intellect and humanity formed the basic traits necessary in my mind for the perfect man of science. Reed’s leadership formed a beacon through dark times despite the challenges, adversaries, and internal conflicts that the group faced.
While Reed may be a compassionate man, his compassion was often impersonal in nature. He held a great love for mankind and the world in general, but could at times be cold to the people close to him.
I think Horatio Hornblower is a perfect pick for this role, assuming we are going for a young cast (which seems to be the case). Ioan is an actor that can display impressive leadership gravitas while maintaining his compassion. Ioan has shown me that he can hold onto his humanity while also thinking of the greater good and his duty. Good choice here.
Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm/The Thing
Ben is the arch-typical brute with a heart. The big teddy bear with a world of compassion and a strong arm to protect the ones he loves. Ben always reminded me of one of my older brothers, who put on a face of dour intimidation to the world, but was always caring and protective of me.
I have not seen much of Chiklis’s work. I have seen some of the Shield, in which he certainly shows the tough-guy exterior of Grimm. Of course, with his Shield character there isn’t so much of the soft-chewy interior. However, he does show this side in Soldier, even though his role in that movie was minor. I think he will do a fine Ben Grimm.
Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
Whenever I think of Johnny Storm I think of one of my childhood friends who was much too impulsive for his own good. I recall many times I had to pull this friends arse out of the fire, and reading the FF book I would see Johnny get into similar problems, though on a much grander scale. Johnny is the wild one. He is the man without fear and without consequential awareness. Johnny is the adolescent within a man, and a man with enormous personal power.
Chris Evans impressed me in Not Another Teen Movie. I know, I know. How can I be impressed with anything associated with that movie? Well, I actually enjoyed it quite a lot, and I enjoyed Chris’s performance. But I’m not sure that he is the right choice for Johnny Storm. I do not see in Chris the boyish charm that defines Johnny so well. I am hoping he will prove me wrong, though.
Jessica Alba as Susan Storm/The Invisible Girl
Susan was, when I was reading the books, often left as a footnote. She was something of the glue that held the team together, often serving as peacemaker to the rather strong and inflamitory personalities of the rest of the group. Later she started to express her personalilty in a more forceful manner, and she turned into quite a strong character at that point. But always, she was the mother to the entire group.
Of all the cast members my greatest concern is with Jessica. I am not a fan of her work, though I do enjoy watching her. She’s easy on the eyes but I don’t know if she can bring the strength and compassion that Susan will need to both stay true to the book character and to hold her own in the movie.
Hair Color
I’m not a stickler for consistency of physical characteristics between books and movies. I thought Michael Clarke Duncan was THE choice for The Kingpin in Daredevil. So I am hoping that the director of FF does not try to make Chris and Jessica blondes. I would hate to see a redux of Freddie Prinze Jr.’s hair from Scooby Doo.