The embattled "Fantastic Four" opens today, and the vultures are already circling to pick apart the bones of the movie’s battered corpse which has received nothing but savage reviews (here’s our take). The film has been dogged by rumors that the studio wasn’t pleased with the low-key, character-driven approach Josh Trank had taken with the superheroes, and that reshoots done late last year were a way of trying to add some blockbuster pizazz. Watching the movie, which runs a slim 100 minutes, it does feel like there’s a clash of visions and that there could be another half hour somewhere that was left on the cutting room floor.
Tweeted last night and quickly deleted, Josh Trank wrote that he had a "fantastic version" of the movie at one point, that "you’ll probably never see it." Moreover, he claims it would’ve received "great reviews." For a director who has kept a low profile during the press run for the movie, mostly conducting joint interviews with producer Simon Kinberg where they’re insisted the working relationship was great, this is certainly the most pronounced statement he has made in his own defense.
Meanwhile, "Chronicle" screenwriter Max Landis hit Twitter last night and in a series of tweets, reflected on Trank’s breakout movie, saying he was a "fluke" insofar of the mostly hands-off approach of the studio. Landis also said that the "intense oversight" that likely greeted Trank on "Fantastic Four" is par for the course, and perhaps an atmosphere the filmmaker should’ve been aware of.
Landis has said he’ll be deleting his tweets, so they’re below, but you’ll have to read them from the bottom up. And be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section.
Josh Trank’s deleted tweet regarding #FantasticFour pic.twitter.com/3UCTBz1t8z
— Digital Spy Film (@digitalspyfilm) August 7, 2015
I loved "Chronicle" and so wanted "Fantastic Four" to succeed. I have too agree with Max Landis, there was intense oversight and Josh Trank wasn\’t prepared for that kind of work environment. Let the rights revert back to Marvel and see what they can do. After all, "Ant-Man" was a box office success, right?
The reviews have suggested the first half of the film is actually pretty solid. It\’s only when the film becomes a superhero movie that it falters (horribly)
Respectful and insightful. Two words I would never think to use while describing a Max Landis tweet-series. Props – bummed you deleted them.
So… \’flash in the pan\’ is coming to mind when reading those tweets by Landis. It\’s nice of him to disguise what he really wants to say though, just in case either himself or Trank stumble head first into something successful ever again.
And it Sucked!!! I wanted this movie to be good so badly, but I was thoroughly disappointed. You can tell the studio made the movie to maintain the rights. In the world of comic book movies, this movie is no better than the previous Fantastic Four movies. Two thumbs down!! So disappointed!!
Doubtful. All the reviews seem to agree that the character development was weak and there was far too much exposition. Having even more exposition in a 100 minute film probably wouldn\’t have helped things. Also, if the studio had let him keep that Doom is a hacker garbage, that wouldn\’t have helped either. When a movie is only made because a studio sees a calendar deadline coming up where they will lose the movie rights unless they make the movie, and so they have no vision for that movie and just hire someone to go out and make a movie, it\’s probably going to suck.
And it Sucked!!! I wanted this movie to be good so badly, but I was thoroughly disappointed. You can tell the studio made the movie to maintain the rights. In the world of comic book movies, this movie is no better than the previous Fantastic Four movies. Two thumbs down!! So disappointed!!