Random thoughts, observations, and opinions of a software engineer in corporate America.
My opinions on the characters and cast
Published on July 26, 2004 By CS Guy In Entertainment
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.

Comments
on Jul 26, 2004
Batman 4 was so much worse then Batman 3 - I liked Batman Forever Val Kilmer gave Batman his mystery - it was very dark. Batman & Robin was just a joke

Did you know that every single Batman - including the new one Christian Bale has worked with Nicole Kidman.

Michael Keaton = My Life
George Clooney = The Peacemaker
Christian Bale = Portrait of a Lady

and interestingly enough Val Kilmer was in Tog Gun with Nicoles Ex husband and George Clooneys former co-star on ER
AND Christian Bale was in Captain Corelli's Mandolin with Tom Cruises other Ex - Penelope Cruz AND he was also in Midsummer nights dream with Michelle Pffeifer who was Catwoman

Sorry Thomas - I just found that interesting.

As for the fantastic four - I've never read them (did they make a cartoon because I didn't see that either) But I agree I don't think Jessica Alba could pull off a strong mother of the group type character. Have you seen Never been Kissed - she wore a blonde wig as ... disco barbie
on Jul 26, 2004
I look forward to seeing this movie. I never read a lot of FF, either, but I'm all for good comic book movies. Marvel has generally had luck lately with its movies.

I'm not really very familiar with any of the actors involved, which is probably a good thing. Big names are not required to draw people into comic movies. The movies really sell themselves and have a large built in audience already.

I'm not really a stickler on the appearance of most characters. I would have to say, though, that there are some exceptions. In the case of FF, I don't really mind the hair color issue. But, for example, I don't care how good an actor Nick Cage is, he is just not Superman. I was largely apathetic to Michael Clarke Duncan as the Kingpin. He did a good job, I just never felt strongly about the character in the movie. On the other hand, I was a big fan of Bullseye. Colin Farril looked nothing like the character (Bullseye's look changed recently and don't remember if it was before, after, or concurrent to the movie, but his traditional look was nothging like the movie) but I thought he made the movie.

To me, what's more important than the looks will be how true to the core comic character is the movie character. That is where Spider-man succeeds and the later Batman movies suck. That, and of course, a decent story (another example of how the Batman franchise sucks).
on Jul 26, 2004
On the other hand, I was a big fan of Bullseye. Colin Farril looked nothing like the character (Bullseye's look changed recently and don't remember if it was before, after, or concurrent to the movie, but his traditional look was nothging like the movie) but I thought he made the movie.

I thought Colin was very good as Bullseye. It's just a shame he had to paly opposite a hack like Affleck. I seem to recall that being the first part in a major movie where Colin got to use his real voice.

I don't care how good an actor Nick Cage is, he is just not Superman.

Agreed.

Of course, no casting for a superhero can compare to Patrick Warburton as the Tick.
on Jul 26, 2004
Of course, no casting for a superhero can compare to Patrick Warburton as the Tick


He was perfect for the role. That show died a very premature death.