Just Films & That is a podcast that celebrates underrated and underseen films. In this episode, we discuss Fantastic Four from 2005. We thought that maybe it was a bit underrated given the terrible scores it received from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but on closer inspection, there is quite a lot wrong with this film. You can listen to all episodes of Just Films and That wherever you get your podcasts.
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00:00 The cloud has fundamentally altered our DNA.
00:03 That's gross.
00:08 So, Fantastic Four from 2005, and if you haven't seen this, this is an adaptation of the Marvel comic of the same name.
00:14 And it's got Ewan Griffith in it, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis and a very young Chris Evans.
00:19 And they basically play astronauts who go up to space and get superpowers because they get caught in a sort of cosmic storm, I think it is in the film.
00:28 So, Alice, you picked this one, so tell us a little bit about why you picked it. Is it underrated? Is it underseen? Why did you pick this one?
00:35 So I picked this one because I was aware that it didn't have the best reputation ever.
00:40 But when I watched it as a kid, I just remembered it being a lot of fun and really enjoying it.
00:45 So I thought maybe it was a little bit underrated.
00:47 So at the time of recording, it gets a 5.7 on IMDb.
00:52 And then over on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience give it a 45% and then the critics give it a 28%, which was the main reason that I picked it because I thought, oh, that might be a little bit harsh.
01:02 Now, it wasn't as good as I was hoping, and I certainly found a lot more wrong with it than I thought I was going to.
01:08 But there is a lot to like in there.
01:11 The main thing that I do like about this is the aesthetic and just a lot of the way that it looks.
01:15 So a lot of the sci-fi and space elements that you've got in there look really impressive.
01:19 When you think that this was out in 2005, I actually think a lot of the CGI was really good and quite advanced for the time and still looks OK now.
01:27 I think the thing looks incredible.
01:29 And they've done themselves such a favor by using actual costume and makeup to bring that character to life instead of trying to use CGI.
01:37 And a huge shout out to Michael Chiklis for sitting in that makeup chair for all those hours to get those bits of rock put on him.
01:44 I think that was just really, really impressive.
01:46 Oh, yeah, man. A few days in space. It'll be great.
01:50 I have quite a lot of affection for this film. I think it's pretty well cast.
01:54 I think they all work well together. I think they get sort of Sue and Johnny Storm's relationship as brother and sister quite well and things like that.
02:02 I think it's a pretty well-paced, light, hard blockbuster. It's not heavy. It's got a fairly decent storyline.
02:08 Yeah, I think there's lots to like in there, but it's not perfect.
02:14 So the main issues for me in this film are to do with some of the character development and some of the relationship development between the characters.
02:21 So a lot of moments were happening that felt like the film wanted you to feel these big emotional feelings towards these characters and towards their relationships.
02:29 But the film didn't spend a great deal of time exploring those and going into depth with those.
02:34 So it all just kind of felt a bit hollow.
02:36 With what we've said in mind, then, so it averages out at 43 percent, then. So is that underrated, would you say?
02:44 I think ultimately I went into this expecting to like it a lot more than I did, and I'd hoped that it would be a bit better than it was.
02:52 But that 28 percent from the critics, I do think is a bit harsh. So I think in that regard, I would say that it's underrated.
02:59 I wouldn't even say it's 43 percent bad, but it's certainly not 28 percent bad from the critics. That's why I think that's harsh.