9 Reasons Fantastic Four Is A Fantastic Fail

5. Terrible Characterization

Fantastic Fail
20th Century Fox

Why does Reed Richards want to build the teleporter? Does he want to be famous? Does he want to make the world a better place? What is Doom so angry about? Is it that Reed discovered something he couldn't or does he hate that Dr. Storm is working with the government? What's the story behind the massive chip on Johnny's shoulder? Why do Sue and Ben have no personality?

These are the questions we're left asking ourselves thanks to the incredibly poor script. Character elements are introduced and then promptly dropped. Or contradicted. There's this whole set-up about Reed wanting to be famous, but then he denies it and says that he just wants to make a difference. Then later he decides to travel across after Doom tells him about Neil Armstrong not being the guy who designed the Apollo shuttle. 

It's not like the Fantastic Four are incredibly difficult characters to understand. Reed Richards is a brilliant man who loves his work so much that he sometimes fails to see anything outside it. Johnny is a cocky, young hothead who enjoys fast cars and faster women. Ben is a born scrapper with a heart of gold. And Sue is the center of them all, keeping everything running smoothly. 

These aren't hard concepts to grasp, and yet Fox failed in the worst way possible. It's like the screenwriters had never even read an FF comic.

Contributor
Contributor

Percival Constantine is the author of several novels and short stories, including the Vanguard superhero series, and regularly writes and comments on movies, comics, and other pop culture. More information can be found at his website, PercivalConstantine.com