>>213083505
>He just said F4 was a fine, effective movie.
That's a weird way to describe it. I imagine we'd rate it about the same numerical score but I would say the exact opposite. It's a beautiful but ineffective movie.
Individual scenes are really good. I really like the look of this movie with its 60s vibes, the cast is perfect, the dialogue is sharply written, and the first action sequence is really cool. All of this creates an excellent first act.
As the movie progresses though, it becomes clear that the movie doesn't have enough time to set up all the plot threads which makes them feel rushed and the payoff doesn't really land:
* The Silver Surfer and Johnny's little flirt is cute but very rushed. Neither gets enough development time to make this relationship work. IMO they probably should have just reduced this story-line to a reoccurring gag not a sincere character arc.
* There is a 10-minute segment in the middle of the 2nd act that is completely extraneous and I am 90% sure was only inserted to boost international ticket sales.
* There is also a moral quandary brought up in the 2nd act that's an interesting hypothetical but forces a resolution that's again rushed and also just bizarre. Like there's no way the entire world would bought that speech.
* The core of the movie is with Reed and Sue Richards. Particularly Sue is the primary actor in the movie's climax and it doesn't resonate as strongly as it should because all of the above stuff steals time that should have been spent setting up Sue's relationship with [plot device] and hinted more at her capabilities.
