Why has there ever a good film of the ‘4 fantastic’?

This article was originally published in English

In this era of sleepy fever by superheroesIt is difficult to imagine an era in which a gang of justicean insignificant with cosmic powers felt fresh, exciting and novel. Let’s go back to 1961, a time of space races and youth earthquakes. Values ​​and perspectives changed at a dizzying pacedriven by the growing civil agitation, the counterculture and an increasingly turbulent atmosphere that oscillated fervently between uncertainty and idealism.

Meanwhile, a small angular comics company called Marvel Comics struggled to reach the end of the month. Its competitor, DC Comics, had recently launched a popular series called ‘League of Justice of America’in which an organization of the most powerful superheroes in the world fought together against crime. Screenwriter Stan Lee and cartoonist Jack Kirby took note and set out to create Marvel’s first family: ‘The Fantastic Four’.

A “advance” of what was to come

The first issue of ‘The fantastic four‘from 1961, it is the first real entry of what we know as Marvel Universe “, explains to ‘Euronews Culture’ Alex Grand, author of ‘Understanding Superhero Comic Books’. Wife Susan Storm, his brother Johnny Storm and his pilot friend Ben Grimm. After throwing themselves into space, they are trapped by a cosmic storm which makes your ferry crash against the earth and confers superimers. Reed’s body can be folded and stretch as if it were rubber, Johnny explodes in flames, Susan becomes invisible and Ben becomes a rocky monster.

Unlike most superheroes, The ‘fantastic four never hid their identitybut they adopted a celebrity status under the names of Mister Fantastic, the invisible woman, the human torch and the thing. Their family ties also meant that they argued and related as authentic people, each with their own vulnerabilities and strengths (Something especially weird for the female characters of the time, which were normally typified as damsels in trouble). All this contributed to the genre a new sense of realism and closeness.

“The uncertainty of the team, especially the thing, It reflected anxiety and the uncertainty of the sixties. That caused a sensation among readers who felt the same, “explains Grand.”This comic stood out on its own Among the simplest monster comics of Marvel and the approach of the 40s and 50s of DC on the perfect and unrelating superhero behavior of the ‘Justice League “. The success of’ Fantastic Four ‘raided the way for Spiderman, Thor, Hulk, Iron Man and many more. “

The franchise marked the dawn of a vision that would make Marvel the most popular comic company in the world, where spectacular people and the worlds they lived were equal to ours, only improved with possibilities. As Lee once said: “Marvel has always been and will always be a reflection of the world that is right on the other side of our window.”

A series of fantastic failures

The Marvel Cinematographic Universe (MCU, for its acronym in English), which has become a giant of the pop culture box office, began with one of its less popular comic characters: Iron Man (although the reality is that it began with the incredible Hulk starring by Edward Norton). However, There has never been a successful film version of ‘The Fantastic Four’.

Most forget the first attempt, especially because it never officially premiered. Produced in the early 90s by the legend of series B cinema Roger CormanIt was a movie made with ashes to preserve license rights. He has won a certain cult status since the launch in 2015 of the documentary ‘Doomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four ‘.

20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) took the helm in 2005, launching ‘four fantastic’, a commercial but highly criticized success, starring Chris Evans, Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffud and Michael Chiklis. He was followed by a sequel equally in 2007, ‘The Fantastic 4 and Silver Surfer’, whose warm answer caused the plans to be filed for a third installment.

The last nail in the coffin seemed to be the restart of Josh Tank in 2015, with ‘Fant4stic’. Production shocks plagued And an convoluted plot lacking any real fun or purpose, was almost universally hated, leaving the inactive franchise for almost a decade. But could things change now that Marvel Have you recovered the reins?

Last week the first trailer of ‘The Fantastic Four was presented: first steps’, which will be released in July 2025 and stars Pedro PascalVanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn y Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The most promising is your decision to retreat to the 60swith a scenery of the space era and a feeling of retro situation comedy that reminds ‘the supersonic’.

Grand believes that this time setting is essential to connect to the current public, With what made the fantastic 4 so loved at first: “The magic of the FF (Fantastic Four) has always been based on a science fiction family of the sixties, which sails through the uncertainty of the universe that surrounds them . I think the previous versions tried to be striking And avant-garde, like the X-Men, and lost the north of what makes the comic pleasant. When setting the film in the early sixties, the originality of Jack Kirby y Stan Lee that caused the comic to succeed. “

Online fans have shared similar feelings that cinematographic adaptations are too concerned about special effects instead of the dynamics of relationships, while others have pointed out that the tone is never entirely correct, even more difficult in a time of adaptations of superheroes Autoserias a sardónicaments self -consciousness. “The first two films tried to make the FF too cool, and ‘Fant4STIC’ tried to make them too serious,” writes a Reddit user. “The key to the ‘fantastic four is to accept that they are silly auction and follow the roll.”

Another common critic is the Failure of the previous films When it comes to accurately representing two of Marvel’s most complex and terrifying villains: Dr. Doom and Galactus, turning the first into a mutant and the second in a quite ridiculous smoke cloud in ‘The Fantastic 4 Surfer ‘.

“They completely lost the brand and appearance (of galactus) and did not give the character any presence on the screensince it disappeared spontaneously at the end of the film as soon as it appeared, “says Grand, pointing out that the new film intends to rectify this taking the character back to his original appearance of the comics.

“(Doctor Doom y Galactus) Both bring the threat of a real change of status quo. Galactus can consume our planet. Doom can end all of us. Both (have) identifiable impulses that force us both to love them and to fear them. They are not necessarily evil, but rather hungry. Something that the previous screen iterations failed to capture in writing. “

Dr. Death, paper now plays Robert Downey Jr. In the next two films of ‘The Avengers’, it will not appear in ‘The fantastic four: first steps’at least for now.

In short, it will not be much necessary for ‘The fantastic four: first steps’ Be considered the best adaptation to date, but to really capture the magic of the original comic and overcome a mediocre response, the key seems to be between simplifying the show and enhancing the cheesy but adventurous spirit of your heart. After all, they were never the superhuman skills those that attracted the public to ‘the fantastic four’, but its comforting realism and their eagerness to explore the universe, which spoke of a world that suddenly envisioned beyond the limits of the possible.

And Marvel said: “That there are the ‘fantastic four’.” And there were ‘the fantastic four, “Lee wrote in the introductions of each comic. “And Marvel saw ‘the fantastic four’. And it was good.” Hopefully the cinephiles will soon agree.