'Fantastic' Reversal

Alright, fine. I admit it: The Fantastic Four has a possibility of opening reasonably well this weekend. Avi Arad and company have apparently succeeded, at least somewhat, in mollifying the intensely negative coverage the film has received on the internet, as well as the initially laughable trailers, simply by marketing the living shit out of this film.

But I still think it’s going to disappoint those hoping for a Thing style super smash. Despite having founded the Marvel comics empire, The Four have never been a truly top shelf title, always devoting more time to nerdy science fiction arcs and soap opera like family drama to appease the comic fan core who wanted muscular men and women in tights and little else. While the movie will surely tone down the sci-fi and play up the Jessica-Alba-is-hot, it’s also a sure to be cheesy summer throwaway – at best. Even if it does reasonably well opening weekend, it’s going to crash and burn in the long run. As Daredevil proved, the Marvel logo in front of the first reel is anything but a guarantee of success.

In other Marvel film news, CHUD’s got interesting names attached to two Marvel projects. Rumors are that Bruce Willis will star as superspy Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., and that David O. Russel, director of I Heart Huckabees and Three Kings, is going to take on The Silver Surfer. While I’m only vaguely familiar with those characters, I think they’re both bold choices. Willis’ squinty-eyed cigar chomping antics sound just about right for the gruff, aging action hero Fury, and Russel’s existential dramedy just might work with the Silver Surfer’s pangs of conscience over being dubbed a God who fell to Earth.