10 Worst Directing Decisions In Comic Book Movies

2. Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer - Galactus Is A Cloud

If most of the films populating this list seem like easy targets, that's probably because they are, but some films are just unfortunate enough to have quite a lot going for them only to have that goodwill ruined by a terrible decision thrown in that turns the whole movie into a mockery. Now, nobody's claiming that either of the Fantastic Four movies are works of art or even particularly good films, but Rise of the Silver Surfer definitely edges its predecessor out for a number of reasons. Chief among them being the cool-as-hell Surfer himself and a genuinely world-threatening plot that amps the peril way up from last time. Alas, even those elements couldn't save the film from remaining as utterly predictable as Fantastic Four or from having the least climactic climax in blockbuster history. That's thanks to the decision to turn Galactus - one of the most iconic and recognisable villains in comic history - into a vague cloud-shaped object that isn't so much fought off as puffed away. (See also: Green Lantern.) With a villain as patently without personality and intangible as RotSS', it was small wonder that audiences left cinemas feeling disappointed and like they'd been cheated in some way. Hopefully Josh Trank's upcoming reboot of the franchise will remedy this problem by actually having a supervillain with a face and/or body for the characters to face off against.
Contributor

Film history obsessive, New Hollywood fetishist and comics evangelist.