Fantastic Four: 5 Major Differences Between The Original Script And Finished Film

3. It Makes Sense For Reed To Take Ben Into The Other Dimension

In Fantastic Four, Ben and Reed share some sort of undefined childhood bond, which later leads to them traveling into another dimension together. From there they get their powers, and the relationship starts to collapse. Very important stuff that needs to be established precisely - but the movie doesn't. How Reed and Ben come to meet is obvious (as kids Ben helped him design a teleportation prototype) but the reason for their continued friendship is unclear. In Slater's script it's a simple, but effective fix. Ben protects Reed from bullies. So there's your foundation. In the movie a teenage Reed (a government employee) takes Ben (a civilian) with him through inter-dimensional travel. Why? Because he gets drunk. You literally can't get anymore hackneyed or contrived. But in Slater's script, because Ben is established as Reed's guardian, it makes at least emotional sense for him to accompany the scientist on such a potentially hazardous expedition. It's still a little loose, but even then, the selfishness of Reed's actions can later be justified as the basis of Ben's anger. Even if you still don't buy it, what's on the page is preferable to the lazy explanations bandied around in the film.