Fantastic Four (2005)

Next to the massive popular The Avengers, The Fantastic Four has the most potential as a Marvel film adaptation. You have an interesting duo as lead characters that can bring so much depth in different ways. They are superheroes that don't hide their identify and live as normal beings. Let's not also forgot the Roger Corman produced a very low budget Fantastic Four film that never got a released in 1994. When first mainstream Fantastic Four was released in 2005 from director Tim Story, we were long overdue for it and when there were two excellent Spider-Man films from Sami Raimi before that, Fantastic Four was suppose to be really something. Well it works perfectly as a popcorn film but you really want something better as a superhero film when you consider that it is the Fantastic Four and the source material it comes from.

After an attack with radiation on a space mission, four astronauts and Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahorn) all get some type of superhero powers. The four astronauts who later together create a team later called Fantastic Four. The team who's villain later is Victor Von Doom himself and who wants revenge.  

Due to the plot, this is a film that has places a high value on casting as the team of characters that has to work together through most scenes. The very attractive Jessica Alba plays invisible woman Sue Storm; an actress who's acting has never been that sharp and this is really some questionable casting. Chris Evans plays Johnny Storm/Human Torch; a character who can create fire which kind of brings you back to the Stephen King adaption Firestarter and character that is so hard to like due to his hotshot attitude. Villain Victor Von Doom is only in character in the last act and actor Julian McMahorn makes the character very cheesy and not at all menacing. Besides the fact that he looks very cheap, the only superhero you can fully like is The Thing/Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) who you feel a lot of sympathy for due to having issues with his appearance and it is tough to watch his divorce with his wife Debbie (Lauire Holden). The divorce part of the plot could have been covered much more and it really is a question mark as to why it only had two scenes to it.

We can also say this film falls due to a bad script. The plot has no ideas in the middle and for people wanting action, well don't expect a lot of that. Even when you get action, it's lot of running around without any type direction, especially a particular bridge scene. The writing by Mark Frost and Michael France is either a lot of garbled talk that does makes for a confusing first act or that it is writing with a lot one-liners that takes a direction like it was made to be comedy. The special effects are rushed and are so very far off from what we see in superhero films of today. The Fantastic Four has some ideas no doubt but in the end it is a mess that get lost with many flaws.

The Fantastic Four is a very hard film to sit through. This movie is very different from the superhero films of today which makes it both odd and refreshing. A below average and very goofy affair.

2/5

Oz the Great and Powerful

 

The Wizard of Oz is a film that has had some adaptions throughout the years. There were animated versions, a rock musical, a 1985 unofficial sequel that has a cult feel now and the Muppets even were in one version in 2005. Oz the Great and Powerful is one of the more interesting adaptations. It is one that I will definitely remember both on it's own and also for what it offers the Wizard of Oz movies.

Oz the Great and Powerful is directed by Sami Raimi and is based off the book from L. Frank Baum. It is a prequel to the original 1939 version and features the ruler of Oz, Oscar Diggs nicknamed Oz, played by James Franco. It tells of how Oz became the wizard of a strange land and how he eventually defeated the evil witches who threatened the people of this land.

If you didn't like this film that is fine, but I really don't see how you can not like the opening scenes. They are shot in black and white only using the middle of the screen showing Oscar Diggs' life as a carnival magician. This opening develops Franco's seedy-like character very well. We also see the great Zach Braff who is back in Hollywood after being away for some time and plays Diggs' unappreciated assistant. This is a perfect way to start the movie before we get to the land of Oz.

Substituting for the Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow from the 1939 version, are a China (doll) Girl (Joey King) and Finley a flying monkey also played by Zach Braff. China Girl is fragile but also sweet and sassy but still with the characteristics of a young girl. Finley has an older adult-feel who is likable, kind and funny. Both characters really help James Franco carry this film and make it work.

My main concern going into this film was how they were going to make the land of Oz and how would it compare to the original. Well it is beautiful and has a lot of charm with vivid colors and style which includes flowers and exotic creatures. The special effects make everything in Oz look very realistic and like a real world.

I think the witch in the original Wizard of Oz really stood out. The witches in Oz the Great and Powerful are a bit uneven and lacking at times. That said, the witches here are much more developed here than in the original and part of that is done through costume, makeup, set-up and special effects. Both Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz both bring a gritty edge to these characters which I liked.

Another big question I had going into this movie is the James Franco "Oz" character who carries the film. The movie starts and ends with him. Franco has an edge to him and delivers a quite versatile  performance. He's a fraud and a con man, also goofy, has kind of a love interest in good witch Glenda but also shows a paternal side with the China Girl. He also has a comedic side that appeals to all including children. Even though a little dry at times, Michelle Williams who plays Glenda brings chemistry to a nice love story between her and Oz that is a little unexpected.

Once Act 3 begins, the movie starts to drag a little but the ending is creative and stylish like the rest of the film. Oz is essentially an underdog story with the peaceful people of Oz defeating the wicked witches with the wizard's help.

Oz the Great and Powerful has kind of a slow pace to it with a lot of dialogue but there are also some scary parts and enough that it may not be appropriate for some very young children. It does have a campy style that is faithful to the original but also leaves it's own mark. I liked Sam Raimi before this film and I like him even more now. I recommend Oz the Great and Powerful.

4/5

Evil Dead

Kind of like the movie The Exorcist, if you have never seen Evil Dead, you get hounded. It is a film known and loved by many people and put director Sami Raimi on the map. The movie also has an "out of control" manner to it which I find appealing. I love this movie.

The plot revolves around a college student going to a Tennessee cabinet and as time goes on, learns of the demons inside. A film that could be now part Blair Witch Project, a little of the later sequels of Phantasm and also many voodoo films but at the time it was made, it was not like that. It was a film that is very different for it's time.

Evil Dead brings everything to the table. There are characters with depth and juice and includes the lead Bruce Campbell who put out a great performance that received a lot of attention. There are also great possession scenes with an Exorcist feel to them. Also included are killers spawned from demons and trees and all working on the same level. The guts and gore are put in their proper place with just the right timing.

This film also has great cinematography which is something you wouldn't expect in a movie like this. It has different aspects to it and adds tension with close-ups which add creepiness and much of this is unexpected.

As a person that grew up where Sami Raimi grew up and about an hour away from the college that he left to make this film, this helped me connect to this film which caused me to like it even more, That said, it is a film most people would probably like no matter where you live. Evil Dead is a film that pushes all the right buttons, makes all the right moves and eventually unspools into one little tight package that we now call a classic.


4.5/5