Watching Michael B. Jordan Is The Best Part Of "Fantastic 4"
DETROIT (WWJ) - The best part about Fantastic 4 is Michael B. Jordan. Really. Who wouldn't, after all, want to watch the handsome actor in action for over an hour and a half? The rest of the movie is pretty ho-hum, at least up until the final climactic scene.
In this latest retelling of Marvel's original and longest-running superhero team, Jordan stars as Johnny Storm, also known as the Human Torch. He stars alongside Miles Teller (perhaps best known for his role in "Whiplash) as Reed Richards, Kate Mara as Sue Storm, Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm, and Toby Kebbell as Victor von Doom.
All brilliant students, the four join forces to work at the Baxter Institute, a school and think tank in New York City, on a device that can transport objects from one location to another. When the four guys hop on board and transport themselves to another world, three return to earth with extraordinary powers in the midst of an explosion which also transforms Sue.
Marvel fans already know that Johnny Storm can light himself on fire, Reed can stretch his body into extraordinary shapes, Sue can make herself invisible and create powerful force fields, and Ben turns into a nearly seven-foot-tall rock creature, also known as The Thing. How exciting can that be? Very! Unfortunately, it takes quite awhile for this movie to get there, which is far too long because the film is almost over.
"Fantastic 4" is directed by 31-year-old Los Angeles filmmaker, Josh Trank, who created a name for himself with his 85-second "Star Wars"-themed short "Stabbing at Leia's," which became an Internet sensation. Executives at Twentieth Century Fox took notice and hired him to make his debut feature film, "Chronicle," which was a huge hit at the box office, and also featured Michael B. Jordan in a starring role. Shortly thereafter, Trank was selected to co-write and direct "Fantastic 4."
Hats off to Trank for rising up the ranks so quickly, but he may have taken on a bit too much responsibility too soon. But with this experience under his belt, it'll be interesting to see what he comes up with next.
See you at the movies!
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