The 2015 take on the Fantastic Four was largely panned by critics and fans alike, holding a 9% on Rotten Tomatoes. Very few walked out of the theatre with an enjoyable experience, and in an era with the MCU full tilt, it's inexcusable to mess up a superhero film as badly as Josh Trank did with this movie.
It failed in several ways, chiefly in understanding the characters he was trying to adapt. While it's rightfully remembered for its many failures in comparison to the comics and even the 2005 movie, it took some interesting risks. There were ideas in the film that would have fixed the problems in the older movies. They just weren't always executed well.
10 Fixed: The Thing Looked Far Better Than In The Other Movies
One of the worst aspects of the other Fantastic Four movies was the way The Thing looked. Michael Chiklis did an admirable job with the character, but his costume design didn't age well. It didn't even look particularly good back then either.
The more practical costume made him look like he was made of styrofoam rather than rock. Jamie Bell's version was helped by CGI, making him look like he was actually formed out of rocks. While Chiklis looked more comic accurate, Bell's was far more eye-pleasing.
9 Ruined: Dr. Doom's Appearance Was Awful
For as interesting as The Thing looked, Dr. Doom was the exact opposite. Rather than coming anywhere close to the classic look that the Julian McMahon movies did, they went in a different direction, and it was an awful decision.
There's no excuse for him looking like he had plastic melted onto his face. It was a massive swing and miss on a character that's as much a part of the Fantastic Four lore as the actual first family is.
8 Fixed: The Body Horror Feel To The Character's Powers Was A Fresh Take
The attempt to make the Fantastic Four's abilities feel more science fiction-based rather than classic superhero powers was an interesting decision, particularly the body horror aspect. It's one of the main ideas that Josh Trank had that could have worked well had it been executed a bit better.
All of the abilities play into body horror well, and it was interesting that they needed suits to control their powers. Sadly, it's too inconsistently presented in the movie.
7 Ruined: How Blatant The Reshoots Were
As Henry Cavill's mustache showed, companies need to do a far better job covering up when a reshoot takes place. In the case of Fantastic Four, they didn't even bother to try. It was like they didn't even care anymore and only wanted to get the movie out as quickly as they possibly could.
All they did was throw an awful blond wig onto Kate Mara and act like no one was going to notice that it wasn't even the same coloring as her original hair. It's the epitome of lazy studio interference.
6 Fixed: Franklin Storm Felt Like An Integral Part Of The Movie
One of the few bright spots in the movie was Franklin Storm, the father of Johnny and Sue. He brings a level of heart to the movie that wasn't there with anyone else. At times, it felt like he was the only one that wanted to be in the film at all, and with reports of how Josh Trank acted, that might not be far from the truth.
It's still a credit to Reg E. Cathey for providing a father figure to most of the characters in the movie and managed to make his death scene feel emotional.
5 Ruined: Doom Comes Off As A Whiney Baby Rather Than A Supremely Confident Villain
Julian McMahon's performance wasn't the greatest interpretation of Doom, but at least he captured parts of the character. He nailed the smug and egotistical nature quite well. The biggest downside with him is he didn't wear his iconic outfit often enough. What Trank gave to viewers in the 2015 film was nothing resembling the character.
The motives were weak at best, and he had hardly any characterization at all. He came off as whiney before the time skip, and after it, all he had going for him was anger. The character made Joss Whedon's Steppenwolf seem deep.
4 Fixed: It's Less Cheesy & Campy Than The 2005 Movie
The 2005 and 2007 films were enjoyable for a pre-MCU film. They don't hold up the best today because of how cheesy and campy they are. While the MCU utilizes a lot of humor, most films still have a strong story to go along with it.
The Fantastic Four movies, on the other hand, are campy throughout, from The Thing's costume to the forced physical humor. 2015 rightly did away with that and tried to be a more serious movie that is better suited for today's audience.
3 Ruined: There Is No Sense Of Togetherness In The Movie
One thing all of the Fantastic Four movies struggle to understand is what makes the team so great. It isn't the pseudoscience or even Dr. Doom as a villain. It's family, as Dominic Toretto would say from the Fast & Furious franchise.
They are known as the first family for a reason, and it's a big part of their comic book stories. The 2015 movie didn't touch on that at all. The character didn't feel like part of a team, much less a family unit.
2 Ruined: Hardly Any Of Their Powers Are Used
For a movie with fantastic in the name, there's a complete lack of fantastical elements in it. A superhero movie is never going to work if said heroes never use their powers until the end.
It's a failure to understand what a superhero is meant to be about. The climactic fight scene felt rushed, barely showing off what any of them could do, including Doom.
1 Ruined: The Origin With Planet Zero Was A Complete Miss & So Was How The Team Came Together
The origin story in the movie is awful and takes way too long to get going. Having them get their powers from some mysterious planet felt cheap, nothing more than an excuse to get them together as a team, and that's the biggest issue with the film.
None of these characters felt connected in any way. They are all thrown together to finish a quantum gate for no real reason beyond that they need to. At least in the older films, the characters had a past with each other.