'Fantastic Four': 5 Surprises and Stand-Out Moments From the New Trailer
The Fantastic Four are returning to theaters, and this time, they’re not messing around. The trailer for the new Fantastic Four reboot, directed by Chronicle helmer Josh Trank, premiered online yesterday, and based on this latest glimpse, it’s clear the new film departs dramatically — and we do mean that literally — from the goofy 2005 blockbuster starring Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, and future Captain America Chris Evans.
Like the X-Men, the Fantastic Four are Marvel Comics characters licensed by 20th Century Fox, so this film isn’t tethered to the larger Marvel movie universe helmed by Disney. As a result, the Fantastic Four trailer doesn’t quite match up with the bright, witty tone of Disney/Marvel superhero movies like the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron, nor does it seem as dark as Warner Bros./DC superhero movies like next year’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Here are five more observations, theories, and hidden details we divined from the new Fantastic Four trailer.
1. This new superhero squad is on fire.
Until now, Fox has been coy about showing off their new heroes. Fortunately, this trailer offers a lengthy look at the key players and their newfound powers. We see science prodigies Reed Richards (Miles Teller) and Sue Storm (Kate Mara) becoming the stretchable Mr. Fantastic and the force-field-wielding Invisible Woman, respectively. Rounding out the team are Reed’s childhood protector Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell), who becomes The Thing, and Sue’s rebellious brother Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan), aka The Human Torch. As for the gentleman asking about his children, he isn’t speaking figuratively: That’s Sue and Johnny’s father, Dr. Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey).
2. Meet your Doom!
Nefarious Marvel villain Doctor Doom has been reinvented for the new film as Victor Domashev, a computer programmer who starts out as an ally of the Fantastic Four. Played by Toby Kebbell (last seen as the traitorous bonobo Koba in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), the character looks like part of the gang at the start of the trailer, getting goofy with Johnny Storm and suiting up in futuristic space gear. Then he reappears in that unmistakable metal mask and cloak, and all bets are off.
3. We’re in the Ultimate universe now.
In the original comics (and the 2005 film), the Fantastic Four received their powers through an encounter with cosmic space rays. In the Ultimate Fantastic Four comic, they acquire their abilities when an experiment in alternate-dimension teleportation goes terribly wrong. Trank has said that he was inspired by the Ultimate series, and judging from trailer, he’s borrowing heavily from that version of the origin story.
4. Sue Storm has an invisible touch, and she’s grabbing hold of Reed’s heart.
Sure, Sue seems a little resentful of new upstart Reed joining her research team. But those banter-y moments between them foreshadow one of the great superhero love stories: In Marvel Comics lore, Sue and Reed get married and have two extremely gifted children.
5. There’s nothing funny about a stretchy scientist and his friend made of rocks.
Perhaps to distinguish itself from the campy 2005 Fantastic Four movie, this new film is playing it very straight. No way this one will contain a scene of the Invisible Woman accidentally stripping at a crime scene! And while that’s a relief, we worry that this super-serious Fantastic Four may be taking things a little too far in the opposite direction. If the success of The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy has taught us anything, it’s that superheroes should have a sense of humor, even when the fate of the universe is at stake. Especially then.