Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four, Part 2: The Review

After decades of waiting and a chance posting on Facebook, this madman finally got to see one of the most elusive comic book motion picture holy grails- Roger Corman’s The Fantastic Four.

Yesterday, I explored the myth and history of the making of the film. Today, I share with you my review. While it’s clearly no Avengers Endgame, this low-budget take on the First Family of the Marvel Universe is surprisingly not bad!

The Fantastic Four (1994)
Starring: Alex Hyde-White, Jay Underwood, Rebecca Staub, Joseph Culp
Directed by Oley Sassone
Distributed by New Horizons Films
Run Time: 94 minutes

When Roger Corman was approached by German producer Bernd Eichinger to create a full-length live-action movie of the Fantastic Four, the legendary filmmaker was only given a budget of $1 million dollars. That meant Corman would be faced with cutting a number of corners in order to get that project done. It wasn’t something that Roger Corman was unfamiliar with. Corman is known to be the McGuvyer of filmmaking. But with such a small budget, that meant not having any established stars in the cast.

Faced with casting a quartet of relative unknowns, only Jay Underwood playing Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, had any real meaty acting credits prior. Underwood had  starred in a trio ABC/Disney TV movies based on the Not Quite Human young adult series by Seth McEvoy. A cameo by George Gaines (Punky Brewster, The Police Academy films) as Reed and Ben’s physics teachers is perhaps this film’s only real household name. 

The premise for the Fantastic Four film is pretty close to accurate for the comics created by Lee and Jack Kirby. Radiation during a botched space flight imbues 4 astronauts with special powers. After crash-landing, the quartet run afoul of the evil Doctor Doom who seeks to siphon the team’s powers to make himself the most powerful man in all the world!

Doctor Doom is played with maniacal aplomb by Joseph Culp (Mad Men.) His acting is perfectly over-the-top for a comic book villain. And his costume is 5000 times better than any of the modern Fantastic Four movie versions of the character. It’s just a shame that you can barely understand anything Doom is saying as the mask he wears really muffles the actor’s  voice. 

There’s another villain in this movie called the Jeweller. This subterranean leader of a band of homeless misfits is obviously based on the Fantastic Four issue #1 villain, Mole Man. But why this guy isn’t called by that name here is a mystery. Maybe the producers didn’t have the rights? 

The Jeweller is the comic relief of the movie. It’s his actions that cause the malfunction of Reed’s spaceship. But his goofiness just can’t hold a candle to the outlandishness of Doctor Doom!

The special effects are a mixed bag. The stretching scenes of Mister Fantastic are anything but. What do you expect for a million bucks? For most of the movie, only Johnny’s hand catches flame. But in the climactic battle with Doctor Doom’s cronies, Storm finally goes full flame-on. Though it’s clearly CGI done with 1990s era computers, it’s actually not bad animation for the time period. 

The make-up and suit made up for Ben Grimm’s transformation into The Thing was kinda hookey. You can tell it’s a foam rubber suit. But it actually looks tons way better than Michael Chiklis’ version of Ole Blue-eyed Benjamin!

Costuming for the movie was far more superior than some modern day superhero epics. Like I said, Doctor Doom’s armor and costume were the best I’ve ever witnessed in a motion picture. The FF’s uniforms are pretty comic book accurate. And when it comes to form fitting on Sue Storm actress Rebecca Staub- va-va-va-voom! 

There have been 4 live-action films starring the Fantastic Four. Roger Corman’s take on the team was by far, the best one! The 2005 origin story was good but it lacked heart. The Silver Surfer sequel was completely unfaithful to the source material with having Galactus be a huge cloud of destructive space gas. And 2015’s FF… That’s 2 hours of my life I want back.

At just over 90 minutes, this forgotten Marvel movie was a good distraction. I didn’t think once about the COVID-19 pandemic while watching it. That right there says a lot. This wasn’t the best movie. But it wasn’t Thor: The Dark World either. 

Roger Corman’s Fantastic Four was hampered by a tiny budget. In today’s dollars, that only comes to about $1.75 million. With such a small allotment, Corman’s team did some big stuff. Imagine how much better the CGI and make-up could’ve been with an extra million bucks or two. The Jeweller’s minions might actually have looked like Moloids. Doc Doom’s army might have actually been Doombots and not pasty white guys in green hoods!

Yes- you will get some unintended laughs if you ever get the chance to watch this film. But I don’t think you’ll be very disappointed either. For what Roger Corman pulled off with the number of barriers in his way, he made a B-movie classic out of one of our all-time favorite bands of superheroes! I don’t know if Stan Lee was proud of this movie. But as a life-long fan of the FF, I sure was!

Excelsior, Mr. Corman! Excelsior in deed!

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com. 

2016: A Family Comic Friday Year in Review

2016:  It was a real bummer. But there were a few bright spots. Today I will be looking back at the best Family Comic Friday finds of the past year. Also, I will be sharing my pick for the best comic book related family friendly TV show, cartoon and movie of the year.
  
   First Up: Comics-

The King of Kazoo-   The story by cartoonist Norm Feuti was funny, smart, and original. It combines a medieval fantasy motif with modern day creations like cars and mechanical men. Plus, there's the Frog People of the Swamp, an evil Alchemist, and lots of zany slapstick antics... The excitement never ends!
    I also didn't want this book to end. I wanted there to be a sequel and above all else, I want to see the King of Kazoo as either an animated feature OR a TV show. Just please don't make it CGI! That would ruin the whimsical effects that come alive with Norm Feuti's cartoons. 
     A fun read that kids and kids at heart will love. One of the best new books I have read in 2016!
  
    Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Benny and Penny in How To Say Goodbye-     Dealing with the subject of death is hard, especially for children. I remember as a youngster of 3 or 4 when Mr. Hooper died on Sesame Street. My parents both took the day off from work and we watched it at my grandparents house in order to properly address the subject.
    It was a big deal and it was handled in such a way, that it's considered like the bench-mark of how to teach pre-school aged children about the death of a loved one. I would have to say that How to Say Goodbye does a very good job capturing that effort of the Children's Television Workshop.
    The Benny and Penny books are rated at a level 2, meaning that it's written at a first or second grade reading level. However, one thing missing from this Toon Books publication is the study guide for adults to help young readers process what they just read. If any book was going to need that, it would be this one. 
    The art was timeless and adorable. The characters very memorable and I really think that not just this book but the entire series of (at time of this review) 5 other books would make a great addition to any youngsters library.

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Grumpy Cat & Pokey- Sometimes when you read a book based on a licensed product, the material gets stale. There's no originality. The jokes are older than moldy gym socks and you just can't wait for the book to end. Not so here, as every misadventure was fresh and enjoyable. I even laughed out loud on several occasions! 

      The artwork will appeal to all-ages. But there are some big words and a couple of the jokes might seem a little harsh. Plus the cartoon violence rivals Tom & Jerry or the road Runner. But readers aged 7 and up will really love this series. 
      A must for any fan of Grumpy Cat and by the end of this issue, you'll be a fan of Pokey's too!
 (Note: I read the 2016 Free Comic Book Day Edition, but there are other books from previous series and years available.) 
   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Spookhouse-  A horror comic aimed at kids who love a good scare with a humorous twist. In the vein of the Goosebumps series from the 90s (recently turned into a major motion picture flop), this comic book has some real scares. Created by Eric Powell (The Goon), Spookhouse is set up like an old school horror comic from the 50s with a host, a plethora of short stories and some frightfully fun treats in between.  

 Spookhouse wasn’t gory. The language was tame. And I even laughed a couple of times. But some artwork might be a bit too scary for kids under the age of 9. It reminds me of a series of horror anthologies that I'd check out from my elementary school library called Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark where the frights were fun but some images from the book still haunt my nightmares. Also, parents should be advised that while the book is tame, the advertisement in the back of Spookhouse for other works by Powell are not for kids!

  Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up- My personal favorite of the year. So much that I can't wait to find issues in the bargain bin. It's the only book that I buy off the shelf at my favorite used bookstore and LCS, Books Do Furnish A Room. I just hope with DC rebooting the look of the Scoobies that they don't cancel this fantastic series. (Since I love this title, it's days are probably numbered.)

   

 That being said, SDTU is the perfect combination of classic Hanna-Barbera, retro DC Universe and modern pop culture references. I loved when Fred told Flash that he deserves his own TV show! Both fun and funny, (though some of the puns are groaners) this is a great all ages read and at $2.99, friendly on the wallet.

   If you child loves mysteries, superheroes, and cartoons, you need to make this bimonthly NOW MONTHLY book a regular part of their downtime reading!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

TV Show: This one was really hard to narrow down. But I think with how this series best stayed true to it's roots but also has been breaking new ground with ever changing timelines, massive live action crossovers, and a moral compass that always points north even when a bad decision has to be made, my pick for the best live action comic related show of 2016 is The CW's The Flash.

Cartoon: Another tough choice. However, I went with what cartoon has stayed the most true to A) original source material and B) the movie in which the 'toon is based. Though director James Gunn says that it's not related to the movie, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is my pick for best comic related cartoon.

3 reasons A) Rocket Raccoon B) great supporting guests like Ego the Living Planet, J'Son, and even Thor and C) the awesome 70s/80s soundtrack spread throughout the series.

Movie: I'm going off the rails on this one. I choose a movie that while has been in comic book form for years, the franchise originally didn't start out as a comic.
Star Trek Beyond was a return to the classic feel of the 50 year old series that spawned a universe and a legion of fans. With relatively few swears, no nudity, and fairly tame violence, I choose the latest entry into the Star Trek Franchise.
The movie was fun, action packed, and there was lots and lots of heart and humor.
Yes- the movie was rated PG-13 but I think that's mostly because the main villains are a little scary. But I think children 10 and up can enjoy this film without have to be a Trekkie first.

So, there you have it. Those are my picks for the year that was 2016.
Everyone is hopeful that 2017 will be a lot better. But I think I showed that there were a few bright spots that family's could enjoy when they needed to get away from the hustle, bustle, and politics that dominated the past year.

Happy New Year and may the best days be ahead of all of you!!!

Sampling Mr. Sketch...

Picture colored with Mr. Sketch Markers.

"This post was sponsored by Mr. Sketch® as part of a sampling activation for Crowdtap. I received complimentary products to facilitate my review."

  My family tried the Mr. Sketch Markers. While we loved the bright colors, we weren't 100% happy with the scents. The Fruit Punch and Watermelon ones were spot on. But the Cinnamon one- we couldn't  even smell it! And with blueberry- it smells great- but I've never smelt any blueberries that smelled like that marker!

  While we liked these markers they are just too thick for finesse work! These are great for younger artists but it is very hard to stay in the lines.