I like to separate myself from all the behind the scenes drama on these big studio flicks (Especially after Ant-Man surprised the hell out of all of us) and just focus on the positives, always hoping a movie will be a success. This is where the negativity surrounding this film confuses me; with a cast and crew this impressive, how could you have anything bad to say before seeing the finished product? Fox has been learning from their mistakes and have been doing anything they can to rebuild their brand. The X-Men films are flourishing so it was time to try and revitalize the Fantastic franchise,m which they completely butchered the first time around. Well it's time for you all to get the bad taste of those earlier films out of your mouth and finally start getting excited for this weeks release.
To help build some excitement as well as expand your movie knowledge, I have compiled a list of films either starring or made by the people involved with this film to further introduce you to who they are. Fox brought together one of the most talented groups of young actors and film makers around to hopefully rebirth their tainted brand. Below I have singled out seven different movies, most released just in the past few years, that will introduce you to the talent behind this new film. Not only that, but they are great films in general and more than worth your time if you haven't seen any of them. Here is your chance to get to know the cast & crew before the release of Fantastic 4 this weekend.
1. Chronicle - Directed by Josh Trank
Here is a film that caught audiences completely of guard back in 2012, having been released in January of that year it was a movie most assumed would be forgettable. It turned out to be the exact opposite and has become a film that is highly praised in the movie world. The film was a clever take on the "found-footage" approach to making films and a totally original superhero origins story. With a genius script from Max Landis, first time director Josh Trank turned this film into one of the most unique action films of the last five years. It is the reason Trank got the Fantastic 4 job and ever since eyes have been on him to breathe new life into the franchise.
The film also introduced the world to Dane DeHaan and Michael B. Jordan, who have both found incredible success in the past few years. The movie shows a ton of impressive talent behind the camera for Trank, even in the "found-footage" realm he was able to use incredible cinematography, and wonderful action and special effects. It was a movie, that on the surface, should have been a failure but instead was a huge success all due to good film making.
2 & 3. Whiplash/The Spectacular Now - Miles Teller
I'm sure many of you are now familiar with the name Miles Teller after last years Academy Awards. His most recent film Whiplash was all the buzz of awards season last year, and for good reason. Even though Teller was alongside the untouchable performance of J.K. Simmons in that film he never struggled to make his presence known and show his true acting chops. Playing the aspiring young drummer he shows amazing range as an actor and that he can hold his own against the best.
I'm sure plenty of you have seen Whiplash since it's release, so I really wanted to focus on another film here that many of you probably haven't seen. It's really the first time Teller showed the world what he can do in a lead role and it is the movie that made me instantly fall in love with him as an actor. That film is The Spectacular Now, the story of a hard partying high school senior whose entire "life style" is changed after meeting the perfect girl. He stars alongside Shailene Woodly and the two have incredible chemistry. She is the "nice girl" that Teller's character would typically never go for but in this case falls hard in love with. They start by just hanging out as friends, since Teller is still pining for his old girlfriend (played by the wonderful Brie Larson), but before long an unbreakable bond is formed between the two and their lives are thrown upside down.
The film doesn't play like your typical high school "boy meets girl" scenario, yeah the two unexpectedly fall in love but it's their journey to their moment and what happens after that makes this movie so wonderful and unique. The film holds an enormous amount of emotional weight that will have you jumping between feeling happy, sad, excited, or angry and it all hinges on Miles Teller's performance. He nails it in every way in this movie and he shows us that he can do just about anything you could want him to do. From seeing this film I was beyond excited when I first heard he was cast as the new Reed Richards, he is a highly versatile and talented actor and I have total faith he will nail the part.
4. Fruitvale Station - Michael B. Jordan
When the casting news broke on Fantastic 4 there was one name in particular that both impressed and turned heads all at the same time. The young actor was cast as the iconic Johnny Flame, the sister of Sue Storm and right away the internet had plenty to say and yet no of it matters in any way. Michael B. Jordan is one of the most talented young actors in the business right now and if you put him in your picture you are instantly put on the right path to making a good film. If you want proof of this just go and watch him in Fruitvale Station, the true story of the final hours in the life of Oscar Grant III before he was unlawfully shot and killed by San Francisco police on New Years Eve of 2008.
I won't lie, this isn't an easy movie to watch. It deals with a lot of heavy subject matter and the fact that it is a true story makes it heart breaking from the start. It is his performance though that lifts this up to more than just a dramatization of actual events. He becomes Oscar Grant and breathes a last bit of life into the dearly departed. Jordan's acting humanizes the man that so many media outlets and ignorant people tried to make into a villain. This film shows us how he was a human being, like the rest of us and he just made a few bad mistakes like we all do and he had his life taken for it. None of this would be possible without Michael B. Jordan and his role in this film will live on as one of the most important of our time. I am serious when I say that everyone needs to see this movie, it is too important not to.
*Sidenote, Michael B. Jordan is also in Josh Tranks Chronicle and puts in another A-list performance in that one as well.*
5. Shooter - Kate Mara
Kate Mara has been blowing up as of recently, after appearing in both the first season of American Horror Story and the first two seasons of House of Cards she has created a nice little back log of work. It has been paying off too, seeing as she will also be starring in the Ridley Scott space epic The Martian later this year as well. This weekend though, we get to see her embody the iconic role of Sue Storm and I couldn't be more excited. The first time I remember seeing Mara on screen in any form was in 2007's Shooter, a fun little conspiracy movie starring Mark Whalberg as the man framed for killing the president. She doesn't play a huge role in the movie but her part is quite important nonetheless. Her role of the widowed wife of a soldier adds the only real emotional gravitas this movie has to offer. She ends up fixing the wounds on Walhberg's character and makes the only true human connection with him in the whole film. I have a good feeling you are going to be seeing a lot more of young ms. Mara in the coming years.
6. Snowpiercer - Jamie Bell
The casting that may have gotten me the most excited with this film is Jamie Bell as Ben Grimm AKA The Thing. This kid can freaking act and I have been waiting for him to get some bigger roles. I thought he was fantastic back in 2005's King Kong and he does a phenomenal job on AMC's series Turn, but it was his role in a little sci-fi movie last year that opened me up to just how talented this guy is. Jamie Bell plays the role of Edgar in Snowpiercer, the post-apocalyptic story about a world plunged into another ice age and the only human survivors are now aboard a giant life sustaining train that makes a yearly travel around the world, never stopping. Bell plays the foul mouthed "second in command" to Chris Evans character in the back of the train and the two are just so damn fun to watch together. He is the foul mouthed, obnoxious counter part to Chris Evans heroic stature and his presence adds so much charm and levity to the film. This was one of my favorite movies of last year and if you haven't seen it yet you need to go and do so immediately.
7. RocknRolla - Toby Kebbell
Last, but definitely not least I wanted to focus on the actor they brought in to play Victor Von Doom AKA Dr. Doom. Toby KebbellI feel is a phenomenal choice to play the iconic villain as he can be completely menacing. You may recognize him from smaller roles in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes or Prince of Persia but the part that i feel defines him most is his small role in the 2008 film RocknRolla. The film itself is a highly underrated Guy Ritchie flick and Kebbell's performance as the whacked out Johnny Quid is an anchor of the film, even if he is just in a handful of scenes. His character is underground music superstar who has quite an affection for hard drugs, especially heroin and when he steals a priceless painting from his estranged father things get messy. He is hardly the main focus of the film but his character and his role set the basis for the rest of the movie to flow and without his eccentric performance this isn't nearly as much fun.
So there you have it, seven great films to get you up to speed with all of the cast & crew of the new Fantastic 4 movie this weekend. How do you guys feel? are you excited for this movie? do you think it will be a bust? I for one am definitely excited for this weekend, with a group this talented behind it I have total faith. As always, thank you for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!
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