Episode #812: Fantastic Four (2015)
Added 2025-07-22 04:00:32 +0000 UTC“I’d have preferred they made no movie at all…” - Eric
On this week’s episode, the Summer Blockbuster Extravaganza has us chatting about the total misfire of a superhero reboot, Fantastic Four (2015)! Yikes, folks! Why are all members of the Fantastic Four under legal drinking age in this movie? Why did we need to see Reed and Ben as little kids at the beginning like it’s some bad studio comedy from the 1990s? Why did so many people think this gritty, harsh take on a traditionally goofy property was a smart move? Why are the Storms snooping around high school science fairs looking for children to snatch up? And couldn’t they have pumped just a little more money into this Doctor Doom costume? PLUS: Look out for the most dangerous member of the Marvel Universe — The Pebble!
Fantastic Four (2015) stars Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell, Tim Blake Nelson, Dan Castellaneta, Chet Hanks, Tim Heidecker, and the late, great Reg E. Cathey as Dr. Franklin Storm; directed by Josh Trank.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: While he’s not in this FF film, we do mention Julian McMahon’s performance as Dr. Doom in the Tim Story Fantastic Four films from 2005 and 2007. We recorded this about a month before Julian passed, so that’s why it’s not referenced here. McMahon was a great actor who, as we say in this episode, understood the assignment when playing Dr. Doom in those aughts films. Rest easy, Julian, a talented and very nice guy from all reports. — Andrew]
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Original cover art by Felipe Sobreiro.
Comments
Saw the scene, you don't see rdj just the back of doom head, could be anyone in the suit.
Kureigu
2025-08-12 04:59:19 +0000 UTCThe only time I saw this movie was in jail. I spent a night in the drunk tank and they had a TV on FX and this was playing. Do not recommend either this film, or going to jail. They both really suck.
Frank Grimes
2025-07-26 17:20:27 +0000 UTCJust make Ben an engineer.
Zack Hansen
2025-07-24 18:21:05 +0000 UTCSo you’re saying you want a director with a sincere love for Americana, proficiency in body horror, and the ability to tell a tale of young romance? Ladies and gentlemen I give you David Lynch’s Fantastic Four.
John Carpenter's Patreon Commentator
2025-07-24 14:05:56 +0000 UTCRIPD Julian McMahon, the best Dr Doom (so far).
Craig
2025-07-24 03:03:49 +0000 UTCYo! for short
Craig
2025-07-24 03:02:17 +0000 UTCWhen the boys were going through a little bit of Kate Mara's filmography I was thinking in Mark Wahlberg voice "Hello, bro! SHOOTER!"
Steven Avalos
2025-07-23 20:26:11 +0000 UTCWhy did i read that in Alex Jones voice..
Hard To Gwil
2025-07-23 17:36:57 +0000 UTCSummer Catch er in The Rye?
Hard To Gwil
2025-07-23 17:35:53 +0000 UTCMemory serves, didn't Perlmutter try a similar stunt with X-Men around the time he was trying to make Inhumans be a thing?
Todd B
2025-07-23 10:07:41 +0000 UTCWell, I myself am a Cuber and as such I say PURPLE or GTFO!!!
RonnieSoak
2025-07-23 07:46:12 +0000 UTCMe with professional wrestling
Rose Esposito
2025-07-23 03:37:15 +0000 UTCFun fact: The Trank Cut had the gang traveling backing into Planet Zero in their own Fantasticar which was a junky all black convertible.
CharlesGrodin'sToupee
2025-07-23 02:55:40 +0000 UTC“Catch Her With a Rye” this winter on Hallmark
BigGayJack
2025-07-23 02:35:46 +0000 UTCI saw this in theaters…. All I got to say lol
Arthur martinez
2025-07-23 01:14:11 +0000 UTCThe director's public meltdown over this movie cost him the boba fett movie. Which led to it getting cancelled, so this movie is to blame for us getting the book of buddy friend instead.
Mark D Myers
2025-07-23 00:08:49 +0000 UTCRegarding First Steps and Doctor Doom: According to Wikipedia RDJ makes an uncredited cameo in a post-credit scene. I guess now we are feeding insider-tips to journalists (yes, I checked the citation), when asked about it deny it to build anticipation for a possible teaser for a movie we already know is coming to get people to go out and watch this movie, because there might be a teaser happening? I guess they really want Doomsday to be a thing, huh? Also, just read that Tim Heidecker's character in comic-lore is the ancestor and namesake of the former (now aborted) big baddie Kang the Conqueror. Did I get that right?
RonnieSoak
2025-07-23 00:05:03 +0000 UTCEverything I know about superheroes I learned from WHM
Hard To Gwil
2025-07-22 23:35:12 +0000 UTCIt's OK to like a mov-- (DUCKS!)
Brandon
2025-07-22 21:39:40 +0000 UTCIt's possible to do four color pulp comic adventure with generational trauma and body horror, The Venture Bros are right there! This movie was not up to threading that needle, alas.
Winson Paine
2025-07-22 20:49:47 +0000 UTCAndrew has a point. They should have released a Switch in the Nintendo gray.
Ray
2025-07-22 20:04:23 +0000 UTCGenuinely would up my patreon pledge if a new tier was developed where the gang just looks at the title of a real book and together they try to piece together a nonsense plot based on the title alone.
Busiris
2025-07-22 19:48:16 +0000 UTCA welcome return of the Lonnie Anderson impression.
Matthew Lloyd
2025-07-22 18:13:57 +0000 UTCI assume bc he had to take a bunch of substances to get beefy for Top Gun, allegedly.
Lar
2025-07-22 18:12:27 +0000 UTCWell someday we’ll get actual good body horror with a superhero bend, since Fant4stic, multiverse of madness, and Brightburn failed us.
Lar
2025-07-22 18:11:24 +0000 UTCFant4stic four borrows very heavily from the Ultimate Fantastic four and they're all mostly teens (maybe late teens).
Matthew Lloyd
2025-07-22 17:36:25 +0000 UTCIoan Ioan Gruffudd is pronounced "Yo-an Griff-ith" - speaking as a fellow Welshman.
Matthew Lloyd
2025-07-22 17:34:18 +0000 UTCThis certainly was a Trank film. Tranked me right the fuck to sleep.
MarkNM
2025-07-22 17:33:19 +0000 UTCThis movie stinks, of course, but it's funny that Marvel's anti-publicity of the project extended to canceling the series a few months before the movie released, marking the first time in over 50 years that Marvel wasn't publishing at least one FF book.
Chris Dobson
2025-07-22 17:08:56 +0000 UTCThere may come a day when I no longer am amused by Steve's shit talking of Stan Lee.....but it is not this day!!! 😂🤣😂
Dennis Stack
2025-07-22 17:02:37 +0000 UTCThe Corman version also has a fake Mole Man! Glad PWH is finally going to be the first to actually be the Mole Man, not "the Jeweler."
Chris Dobson
2025-07-22 17:01:41 +0000 UTCNice to see him in the cinema at the cinema for a change
Tim O'
2025-07-22 15:43:57 +0000 UTCWasn't she white in the comics?
John Locke
2025-07-22 15:16:49 +0000 UTCThis is the first Fantastic Four movie that I didn't hate. Just watched it for the first time and it's not bad. But based on the other comments, I think I'm in the minority.
John Locke
2025-07-22 15:15:24 +0000 UTCHow did the actor playing Reed age 30 years between this film and The Offer miniseries?
John Locke
2025-07-22 15:13:48 +0000 UTCIs Night at the Museum the first Ben Stiller led movie on the pod?
Les Whinen
2025-07-22 14:28:04 +0000 UTCStill can't get over how many hoops they jumped to avoid a Black Sue Storm. Yes adoption is real family. That's not what they were trying for here.
Tala Hobballah
2025-07-22 14:20:43 +0000 UTCI have only seen parts of this movie. It's not good. I agree with the rage of Cabin on the lack of Doom in this movie. I also agree with Steve on the issue of making Doom just Evil Tony Stark. And now I'm thinking of THE Covenant episode where there is *Bad Guy Acting*. I didn't think bringing back RDJ was a good idea. End Game should have been the reboot with a big break to build up the next big story.
DMAC
2025-07-22 14:08:03 +0000 UTCEasily the worst one. People bring up the unreleased 1994 Corman version, but this is so much worse it's not even funny. At least THAT one has a SUPER fun Doom costume. I am also a letterboxd star tweaker. I'll go back and drop you a full star once I sober up!
Matt
2025-07-22 13:42:19 +0000 UTCI never saw this movie. You're telling me that their powers in this version come from their cells going ooky-spooky after they visit Lex Luthor's pocket dimension, and they never go to space or get blasted with the cosmic rays? They're all just varying degrees of Brundle-Fly?! What are we DOING?!
Tim O'
2025-07-22 13:41:18 +0000 UTCStarring Tim "scenes deleted" Heidecker
Barista Bran
2025-07-22 13:22:09 +0000 UTCThis movie relied super heavily on the origin and storyline from the ultimate comics version of F4. That is why so much is different and terrible.
Matthew Gerding
2025-07-22 06:30:25 +0000 UTCJuly has been a fucking great WHM month, personally. Solid picks guys 👍🏼
Dylan
2025-07-22 05:44:20 +0000 UTCSteve in all seriousness check out Portishead's album Third, it's really wild and miles away from "Glory Box"
Jack
2025-07-22 04:58:41 +0000 UTCI’m excited to finish the episode but I have to implore you, most 60’s X-men comics are absolute dogshit compared to 60’s Fantastic Four. X-men didn’t start getting good until the 70’s when they changed the team around.
BBB
2025-07-22 04:35:08 +0000 UTC"I gotta say, it's fantastic!"
CharlesGrodin'sToupee
2025-07-22 04:03:06 +0000 UTC
