Fantastic Four

[Dacey]

The Fantastic Four cast hasn't been able to see their own movie yet...AND they're expecting the film to get bad reviews...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/3 ... a-few-days

[EricJ]

...After it comes out, of course, since Fox reportedly isn't screening it for critics. 'Nuff said.

[Dacey]

The review embargo ends Wednesday. So it will be screened, but reviews will come online at the last minute before release.

[Randall]

Portents of doom abound, but I can't shake the feeling that I'll really like the film.

[Dacey]

Portents of doom abound,

I see what you did there.

[Ben]

While it's their own "fault" for getting into the licensing mess, I still think it's a shame the wider press can't differentiate between a Marvel movie...and a Marvel movie. The story here clearly sets up Marvel as being the ones to blame when this turns out to be bad, even though they're nothing (okay, very little) to do with it.

That promotion for this from the cast and director has been practically zero on this in the past month or so says that Fox doesn't have much hope for it, though kudos to the cast for at least attempting to add some hope into the mix, even if that is more to do with them really wanting to get a sequel gig rather than believing that their film is any good.

Of course we may all yet be surprised, but their arguments about critics and RT ratings are a little too enthusiastic and show a lack of self-awareness when these kinds of movies have been getting good notices and lots of attention paid to their RT scores.

We may be surprised, but I'm not holding out much hope. In the time since the first couple of trailers had me a bit intrigued, this has plopped down to being a catch-it-later flick for me...

[Randall]

Portents of doom abound,

I see what you did there.

No pun intended, though I did see that too.

[Ben]

Y'know, that was going to be the subtitle for the soon not happening second film, Fantastic 4: Portents Of Doom...

[EricJ]

While it's their own "fault" for getting into the licensing mess, I still think it's a shame the wider press can't differentiate between a Marvel movie...and a Marvel movie. The story here clearly sets up Marvel as being the ones to blame when this turns out to be bad, even though they're nothing (okay, very little) to do with it.

Not so much for the fans who do follow production news, as it'll set Sony up as good guys for giving in and letting Marvel work with their next stubborn Spiderman movie, and make Fox the one to blame for going down with their stubbornness ship to the last man--
Here finally endeth the lesson why other studios should stop fighting Marvel on their own product, at least until the next (last?) FoX-Men movie comes out.

My only worry is the knee-jerk fans who don't follow production, who, just like in '02-'05, don't know that there are different studios, good and bad, making superhero films--"Why don't they just kill off this stupid trend already?"--and that just like ten years ago....it'll be another crappy misbegotten Fantastic Four movie and a few cheap obscure-character other-studio solos (Gambit, Deadpool) that bring everything crashing down.

[LotsoA113]

To be fair, the review embargo ends on Wednesday night, which is only 12 hours later than the review embargo for Jurassic World, which ended up getting solid reviews.

I do love the cast and director of this film, so I'm holding out hope, even if that comment about summer blockbusters not ever getting good reviews is worrisome.

[Dacey]

There was obvious studio confidence behind Jurassic World, though. They knew they had a good film.

With Fantastic Four, they've cancelled the 3D conversion, ("Because Josh Trank decided it!", they claim, but that is clearly a lie), they haven't even screened the film to their own cast, and they're just saying the same talking points over and over and over ("We're going for a serious approach this time. We're going for something different even though we are literally doing a beat-for-beat take on the first FF movie.") Add to that all the negativity surrounding Trank, and I think it's safe to say that FF/X-Men crossover that Bryan Singer wants us to get all "excited" about will never happen.

Having said all of that, yeah, I'm still going to see it.

[LotsoA113]

Oh, and one other thing; of course the cast hasn't seen the movie yet, the film doesn't have its premiere until Tuesday. Sometimes cast members see the movie earlier than that, but typically the premiere is when most audiences see the motion picture.

[Dacey]

Except that said cast has said that they won't be seeing the movie until Friday with a "real audience."

[Ben]

Except that, during the production of a movie, there are plenty of times to see it, especially during post-production, and often for the main talent. Then there are test screenings and "cast and crew" showings, often long before a premiere, with even press screenings usually taking place before a premiere.

It's very, very strange that no-one seems to have seen this yet. I remember seeing a number of big title films a good couple of weeks before their press or premiere engagements, and I was only very loosely involved!

[gaastra]

Reviews are in after fox hide the film and they are all bad! Fox blew it!

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/ ... /?a=123618