Things In Fantastic Four That Make No Sense

Marvel's "First Family" has had a rocky road to the big screen. Although the characters of Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm have delighted Marvel comic book fans for generations, the "Fantastic Four" has never received the cinematic adaptation that they deserve. Unfortunately, these great characters have never been properly utilized. The "Fantastic Four" comics show what it's like to balance superhero responsibilities with familial duties.

Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing were brought to life in 1994's "The Fantastic Four," a low-budget film that never received a theatrical release. It wasn't until 2005 that they made it to the big screen when Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, and Michael Chiklis were cast in Tim Story's "Fantastic Four." While the cast has strong chemistry, the film did not strike the right tone. 2007's "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" at least gave them a chance to face off against the enigmatic Silver Surfer (Doug Jones).

The series was next rebooted in 2015 with John Trank's disastrous "Fant4stic," which stars Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell. When the rights reverted to Marvel Studios thanks to the purchase of 20th Century Fox by Disney, a new reboot set in the MCU became inevitable.

Hopefully, this new version will succeed after all of the previous failures. These "Fantastic Four" movie moments make no sense.

Among the few things that 2005's "Fantastic Four" should be praised for is the casting of Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm. Although the film does its characters a disservice, Ben is the heart of the movie. He struggles to adjust to his new rocky body and finds that he is not accepted back into society like his friends. Ben comes into conflict with Johnny Storm, who uses his powers to gain the attention of the media. It's a cold reminder of the life that Ben will never have.

Although the film tries to treat Ben with respect, one of the more emotional scenes in the movie is nearly ruined by a ridiculous conceit. After the astronauts return to Earth, Ben is forced to reveal himself to his fiancee, Debbie McIlvane (Laurie Holden). She cannot bear to see his new body and cancels their engagement. This should be a heartbreaking moment, but it takes place in the middle of New York City late at night. Somehow, Ben can walk around in public with only a trench coat and hat to disguise himself. Even during the evening, wouldn't he have attracted suspicion?

Thankfully, Ben ultimately finds love when he meets Alicia Masters (Kerry Washington). Alicia accepts him for who he is, and Ben begins to take pride in his new identity. He learns to love himself.

2007's "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" is a significant improvement from its predecessor. While the first film spent was laborious in detailing the characters' origin story, the sequel gets straight into the action. Since the characters now have confidence in their abilities, they aren't afraid to show off their powers in public. Unfortunately, this attracts a lot of unwanted attention from the media. Reed and Sue's marriage ceremony is dubbed the "wedding of the century."

However, the couple's first attempt at courtship goes awry when the Silver Surfer shows up. Reed commands Johnny to chase after the enigmatic alien so they can find out where he came from and what his intentions are. After chasing the Surfer throughout the city, Johnny pursues his new rival into the atmosphere. The Surfer grabs him by the neck and tosses him back to the surface. Johnny somehow manages to survive falling to earth and landing in a desert in the Middle East.

The films established that Johnny can survive critical damage after he lights up in flame. However, there's a point where he really should have shown some signs of sustaining injuries. He's nearly choked to death and is only barely able to reignite his powers before he lands in the desert, where he's discovered by travelers. Yes, Johnny's abilities make him powerful, but do they grant him immortality, too?

Reed Richards is torn between his superhero duties and personal responsibilities in "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer." Although he begins to study how the Surfer's cosmic energy has affected global weather patterns, Reed decides to set aside his analysis until after his wedding to Sue. This incites the anger of General Hager (Andre Braugher), a U.S. military official who hopes that Reed can help him study the anomalies. Even though he's upset with Reed, Hager's next alliance makes absolutely no sense.

Doom records the video of his encounter with the Surfer and brings it to the U.S. military. He allies with Hager, who believes that Reed and Doom can work together to track down the Surfer's location. Hager somehow forgets that Doom has just attacked New York City and caused significant damage. Doom should have been sent to prison as soon as he reentered the United States. On top of that, Doom has just shown a video in which he's trying to ally with the Surfer. Shouldn't Hager realize that the only thing that Doom desires is the board's powers?

Although Reed tells Hager that they cannot trust Doom, Hager retorts "The only person I regret trusting is you." Even though characters in comic book movies make illogical decisions, there's no reason for Hager to be this petty.

Marvel fans were likely disappointed with the depiction of Galactus in "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer." Galactus has one of the coolest origin stories in the Marvel Universe. In some iterations, Galactus was once a mortal man named Galan, who gained his powers during a deep space voyage. Later versions developed a rich backstory in which Galactus has been alive since before the existence of the universe. Either way, Galactus is one of the most dangerous enemies that the Fantastic Four ever faces.

Unfortunately, "The Rise of the Silver Surfer" turns Galactus into a giant space cloud that consumes entire planets. The cosmic elements of both films aren't well-developed, but the depiction of Galactus is particularly disappointing. The only thing that the viewer learns about the character is the information that the Silver Surfer shares. After being rescued by Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben, the Surfer decides to rebel against his former master. After he retrieves his board, the Surfer flies towards Galactus and prevents him from destroying Earth.

Galactus can be seen just outside the planet's atmosphere. However, when the Surfer creates a gigantic explosion that obliterates his oppressor, this seemingly does not affect Earth whatsoever. If the force of the Surfer's board is enough to cause strange weather patterns, then how does a cosmic explosion leave no damage?

A strong family dynamic is the most important thing that any "Fantastic Four" movie needs. While the first "Fantastic Four" film and "Rise of the Silver Surfer" have their faults, they at least do a good job at showing how Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben care about each other. Initially, it seems like "Fant4stic" will do this, too. It is established that Reed and Ben have been friends since they were children and have been experimenting with a prototype teleportation device. They are recruited by Professor Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey), director of the Baxter Foundation, to begin a quantum research project. Reed instantly falls in love with Storm's daughter, Sue. He tries to bond with her and her brother, Johnny as they begin their research.

The four characters form a tight friendship as they investigate Planet Zero. After their mission goes awry, Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben are imprisoned in a government facility so that the military can study their powers. They are each horrified by their new abilities. Even though he is desperate to cure his friends, Reed breaks out of the facility and abandons them.

Theoretically, Reed is looking for a cure for the powers that they've all been "cursed" with, but he doesn't try to communicate with his friends. He goes off to Central America to conduct research before Ben is dispatched to retrieve him.