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tawus · 5 months

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African/African-American/Black

Do The Right Thing (1989) On the hottest day of the year on a street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, everyone's hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.

Goodbye Solo (2008) This film is touching and humorous. It is the story of an unlikely friendship between a struggling but happy cab driver from Senegal, and a tormented southern man with secrets.

Lincoln (2012) As the Civil War continues to rage, President struggles with continued fighting on the battlefield during the civil war but he also fights with many inside his own cabinet with his decision to emancipate the slaves.

Malcom X (1992) Biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader, from his early life and career as a small-time gangster to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam.

Straight Outta Compton (2015) The group NWA emerges from the mean streets of Compton in Los Angeles, California, in the mid-1980s and revolutionizes Hip Hop culture with their music and tales about life in the hood.

The Color of Friendship (2000) Mahree Bok is a white South African teenager and a product of the Apartheid system raised to view dark-skinned people as second-class citizens. Piper Dellums is the daughter of an African-American U.S. Congressman living in Washington D.C. When Mahree is chosen to spend her time as an exchange student at the Dellums's house, she is shocked on her arrival to discover that the Dellums are black, and the Dellums are just as surprised when they realize that Mahree is a white South African.

The Color Purple (1985) Based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Color Purple is a richly-textured, powerful film set in America's rural south. It is a brilliant drama about a black woman's struggles to take control of her life in a small Southern town in the early 20th century.

The Help (2011) This academy award winning movie takes place during the civil rights movements of the 1960’s, when an aspiring writer decides to write a book about the African-American maids' point of view on the white families they work for and the hardships they experience on a daily basis.

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Cambodian/Chinese/Vietnamese

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994) A senior chef lives with his three grown daughters; the middle one finds her future plans affected by unexpected events and the life changes of the other household members.

Holly (2006) In Cambodia, Holly, a 12-year-old Vietnamese girl, encounters Patrick, an American stolen artifacts dealer. The story follows their strong connection and her unrelenting efforts to escape her fate.

Last Train Home (2009) A couple embarks on a journey home for Chinese new year along with 130 million other migrant workers, to reunite with their children and struggle for a future. Their unseen story plays out as China soars towards being a world superpower.

Lost in Paradise (2011) Khoi, naive twenty-year-old travels to Ho Chi Minh City from the countryside to begin a new life. It's his first time in the big city and he's looking for a place to live.

Raise the Red Lantern (1991) A young woman becomes the fourth wife of a wealthy lord and must learn to live with the strict rules and tensions within the household.

Sentenced Home (2007) This documentary follows three Cambodian-American men, brought to the U.S. as children by their refugee families. They were raised in the grim public housing of Seattle, among gangs and other realities of that life. Bad choices as teens altered their lives forever, when immigration laws after 9/11 provided no second changes for such children. Though they were raised in the U.S., speak to one another in English, even think in English, each is sentenced to return to Cambodia - separated from family here, possibly forever.

The Joy Luck Club (1993) The story of four Chinese women who immigrated to the U.S. and their first-generation daughters. When one of the women dies, her daughter plays Mahjong with the older women and begins to really learn what her mother endured in China and of her sisters who were left behind. Daughter from Danang (2002) Separated at the end of the Vietnam war, an "Americanized" woman and her Vietnamese mother are reunited after 22 years.

The Last Emperor (1987) The story of the final Emperor of China.

The Quiet American (2002) An older British reporter vies with a young U.S. doctor for the affections of a beautiful Vietnamese woman.

The Vertical Ray of the Sun (2000) The plot centres around three sisters, two of whom are happily married (or so it appears).

Three Seasons (1999) An American in Ho Chi Minh City looks for a daughter he fathered during the war. He meets Woody, a child who's a street vendor, and when Woody's case of wares disappears, he thinks the soldier took it. Woody hunts for him.

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South Asian/Indian

Bhaji on the Beach (1998) Hashida, an 18-year old Asian woman, lives with her family in Birmingham. Her father wants her to become a doctor and next month her medical school is going to start. Secretly, she has a black boyfriend – which is an absolute faux pas in some Asian cultures – and has now discovered that she is pregnant. She joins a small South Asian women's group on a trip to Blackpool, a trip that holds life-changing experiences for all.

Bend It Like Beckham (2002) Teen-aged Londoner Jesminder Bhamra chases her dream of being a professional soccer player while dealing with the objections of her traditional Sikh family.

Gandhi (1982) A biography of Mohandas K. Gandhi, the lawyer who became the famed leader of the Indian revolts against the British rule through his philosophy of non-violent protest.

Slum Dog Millionaire (2008) A teen in Mumbai, India who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" When he is suspected of cheating, he is arrested. During his police interrogation, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers.

The Namesake (2006) A tale of a first-generation son of traditional, Indian immigrant parents. As he tries to make a place for himself, not always able to straddle two worlds gracefully, he is surprised by what he learns about his family and himself.

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Disease/Mental Illness/Disability

My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989) Christy Brown, born with cerebral palsy, learns to paint and write with his only controllable limb - his left foot.

The Theory of Everything (2014) A look at the relationship between the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife.

Ray (2004) The story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012) After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.

Still Alice (2014) A linguistics professor and her family find their bonds tested when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.

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LGBTQ+

A Single Man (2009) The story of an English professor, who one year after the sudden death of his boyfriend, is unable to cope with his typical days in 1960s Los Angeles. It is a powerful story of his grief and pain for the loss of someone he truly deeply loved.

Boys Don’t Cry(1999) This film is about the true life story of Brandon Teena, a young woman who is going through a sexual identity crisis. She cuts her hair and dresses like a man to see if she can pass as one. She lived life in a male identity until it was discovered he was born biologically female.

Brokeback Mountain (2005) This film tells the story of a forbidden and secretive relationship between two same-sex cowboys and their lives over the years.

Milk (2008) This film tells the story of American gay activist, Harvey Milk, and his struggles as he fights for gay rights and becomes California's first openly gay elected official.

Philadelphia (1993) In this movie, a lawyer, working for a conservative law firm, is diagnosed with AIDS. His employer fires him because of his condition. He tries to find someone to take his case but all refuse except one willing small time lawyer who advocates for a wrongful dismissal suit in spite of his own fears and homophobia.

The Danish Girl (2015) A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda's marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili's groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.

Transamerica (2005) A pre-operative male-to-female transgender takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she fathered a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.

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Hispanic/Latino(a)/Mexican

A Day Without a Mexican (2004) One-third of the population of California is Latinos, Hispanics, Mexicans. How would it change life for the state's other residents if this portion of the populous suddenly vanished? The film is a "mockumentary" designed to show the valuable contributions made every day by Latinos.

Babel (2006) Tragedy strikes a married couple on vacation in the Moroccan desert, touching off an interlocking story involving four different families.

El Norte (1983) The Guatemalan army discovers Mayan Indian peasants who have begun to organize, hoping to rise above their label of "brazos fuertes" or "strong arms" (manual laborers). The army massacres their families and destroys their village to give the new recruits no choice but to follow and obey. However, two teenage siblings survive and are determined to escape to the U.S. or El Norte. They make their way to L.A. - uneducated, illegal immigrants, alone.

Mi Familia (My Family) (1995) This epic film traces over three generations an immigrant family's trials, tribulations, tragedies, and triumphs. Jose and Maria, the first generation, come to Los Angeles, meet, marry, face deportation all in the 1930s. They establish their family in East L.A., and their children Chucho, Paco, Memo, Irene, Toni, and Jimmy deal with youth culture and the L.A. police in the 1950s. As the second generation become adults in the 1960s, the focus shifts to Jimmy, his marriage to Isabel (a Salvadorian refugee), their son, and Jimmy's journey to becoming a responsible parent.

Sin Nombre (2009) A Honduran young girl and a Mexican gangster are united in a journey across the American border.

Under the Same Moon (2007) Heartwarming story about a mother who leaves Mexico to make a home for herself and her son (Adrian Alonso). When the boy's grandmother dies, leaving him alone, he sets off on his own to find his mother.

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Immigrants/Undocumented

Crossing Arizona (2006) With Americans on all sides of the issue up in arms and Congress in a policy battle over how to move forward, Crossing Arizona tells the story of how we got to where we are today. Heightened security in California and Texas has pushed illegal border-crossers into the Arizona desert in unprecedented numbers (estimated 4,500 a day). Most are Mexican men in search of work, but increasingly the border-crossers are women and children wanting to join their husbands and fathers. This influx of migrants crossing through Arizona and the attendant rising death toll has elicited complicated feelings about human rights, culture, class, labor, and national security.

Dancer in the Dark (2000) An east European girl goes to America with her young son, expecting it to be like a Hollywood film.

In America (2002) A family of Irish immigrants adjusts to life on the mean streets of Hell's Kitchen while also grieving the death of a child.

The Terminal (2004) When an Eastern European immigrant comes to American to fulfill a promise to his father he finds himself stranded inside JFK airport, making it his temporary residence when he cannot enter the USA nor return home.

The Visitor (2007) A lonely economics professor in Connecticut life is changed forever - and for the better - when he finds a couple of illegals, who happen to be living in his New York apartment.

Green Card (1990) A French man wanting to stay in the US enters into a “short-term” marriage to an American woman so he can get his green card. Complications result when he gets caught lying.

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Indigenous

Avatar (2009) A paraplegic marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) A chronicle of how American Indians were displaced as the U.S. expanded west. Based on the book by Dee Brown.

Once Were Warriors (1994) A family descended from Maori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.

Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) In 1931 Australia, government policy includes taking half-caste children from their Aboriginal mothers and sending them a thousand miles away "to save them from themselves." Molly, Daisy, and Grace (two sisters and a cousin who are 14, 10, and 8) arrive at their “school” and promptly escape, under Molly's lead. For days they walk north, following a fence that keeps rabbits from settlements, eluding a native tracker and the regional constabulary. Their pursuers take orders from the government's "chief protector of Aborigines," A.O. Neville, blinded by Anglo-Christian certainty, evolutionary worldview and conventional wisdom.

Smoke Signals (1998) Young Indian man Thomas is a nerd in his reservation, wearing oversize glasses and telling everyone stories no-one wants to hear. His parents died in a fire in 1976, and Thomas was saved by Arnold. Arnold soon left his family (and his tough son Victor), and Victor hasn't seen his father for 10 years. When Victor hears Arnold has died, Thomas offers him funding for the trip to get Arnold's remains, but only if Thomas will also go with him. Thomas and Victor hit the road.

The Spirit of Crazy Horse (1990) One hundred years after the massacre at Wounded Knee, Milo Yellow Hair recounts the story of his people-from the lost battles for their land against the invading whites-to the bitter internal divisions and radicalization of the 1970's-to the present-day revival of Sioux cultural pride, which has become a unifying force as the Sioux try to define themselves and their future.

Whale Rider (2002) On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their History dates back a thousand years to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. Whangara chiefs have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand culture, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai must fight a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny.

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Middle Eastern

Baran (2001) In a building site in present-day Tehran, Lateef, a 17-year-old Turkish worker is irresistibly drawn to Rahmat, a young Afghan worker. The revelation of Rahmat's secret changes both their lives.

Incendies (2010) Twins journey to the Middle East to discover their family history, and fulfill their mother's last wishes.

Schindler's List (1993) In German-occupied Poland during World War II, Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazi Germans.

The Band’s Visit (2007) A band comprised of members of the Egyptian police force head to Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center, only to find themselves lost in the wrong town.

Turtles Can Fly (2004) Near the Iraqi-Turkish border on the eve of an American invasion, refugee children like 13-year-old Kak (Ebrahim), gauge and await their fate.

Wadjda (2012) An enterprising Saudi girl signs on for her school's Koran recitation competition as a way to raise the remaining funds she needs in order to buy the green bicycle that has captured her interest.

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Pacific Islander/Polynesian

Balangiga: The Howling Wilderness (2017) 1901, Balangiga. Eight-year-old Kulas flees town with his grandfather and their carabao to escape General Smith's Kill and Burn order. He finds a toddler amid a sea of corpses and together, the two boys struggle to survive the American occupation.

Moana (2016) In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the Demigod Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain's daughter's island, she answers the Ocean's call to seek out the Demigod to set things right.

Once Were Warriors (1994) A family descended from Maori warriors is bedeviled by a violent father and the societal problems of being treated as outcasts.

Princess Kaiulani (2009) The story of a Hawaiian princess' attempts to maintain the independence of the island against the threat of American colonization.

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Women

Āfsāīd = Offside (2006) Struggle of Women in a country that excludes them from entering the stadiums.

The Help (2011) This academy award winning movie takes place during the civil rights movements of the 1960’s when an aspiring writer decides to write a book about the African-American maids' point of view on the white families they work for and the hardships they experience on a daily basis.

Suffragette (2015) The foot soldiers of the early feminist movement, women who were forced underground to pursue a dangerous game of cat and mouse with an increasingly brutal State.

Water (2005) The film examines the plight of a group of widows forced into poverty at a temple in the holy city of Varanasi. It focuses on a relationship between one of the widows, who wants to escape the social restrictions imposed on widows, and a man who is from the highest caste and a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.

Ooh amazing, thank you for this! ❤️

I've watched Slumdog Millionaire, Brokeback Mountain, and Schindler's List. And read a Penguin Classics abridged version of Rabbit-Proof Fence as part of my English learning back in my teenage years. Some of the others I'm familiar with tho have yet to watch; and others are completely new to me

#movies #movie recs #films #film recs #mokona #ask tawus

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makipedia · 5 months

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reflections; maki x reader

:two men and a deal

:master list

note: filler chapter 🫡

(January, 2007)

A deal had been made. Two men were agreeing upon something; a universal event that never led to anything good.

His eyebrows had been furrowed every day since 2002, his lips were pursed into a constant frown. His sour expression was a default; no one had ever seen any other look grace his piercing eyes and hard lips. He looked like the very definition of a main character in every romance novel ever written; dark hair, dark eyes, dark attire. He looked like a Greek god statue, his skin looked smooth as if he was carved from marble. His attitude was nothing of the sort of his skin; he was quiet, though he was rough with his words whenever they were required. He sought to rebuild his clan—the Hatake clan—and restore it to its true glory. He planned to start doing so by having a son.

His plans were ruined on a fateful day in 2002. He was overjoyed to run into the room, his hand gripping the doorframe to turn in and spin himself in the cubicle. His wife laid there on the hospital bed with a tired look on her face, her skin glistening with sweat as it stuck her hair to her forehead. She was smiling down at the newborn in her arms. Strange; it wasn't as loud as he expected it to be. He'd walked over and looked down at the baby, expecting to find an heir to his role as Head of the Hatake clan, only to find a baby girl in her mother's arms.

“That stupid Gojo isn’t here…” an older man grumbled, frowning slightly.

Perhaps if the man had listened more carefully in Biology class then he would know to make his testosterone interact with his wife multiple times in the first 6 weeks of her pregnancy. Perhaps he would have a baby boy to teach how to fight and how to be a clan leader, a role model, like he was. He wouldn't be sitting here in a clan meeting with Naobito Zenin on this rainy day, with his arms crossed and his hands resting in the sleeves of his haori to keep them warm, where the sky and the sun had been covered and hidden by dark gray clouds filled with rain that would prey on the fields of Kyoto.

"And this...Hatake...you're sure they're competent in fulfilling a woman's duties? Cooking, cleaning, doing laundry?"

"I'm positive," the man— Isamu Hatake— dared to spare his daughter a side eye, looking down at the girl with a glare. He couldn't stand looking at the girl—he couldn't stand himself, knowing he'd been getting excited over a failure. He couldn't stand the girl. That girl had taken away his hopes of having an heir.

After his daughter was born, his wife nurtured the girl, took care of it, fed it, put it to sleep for as long as she could tolerate her husband's disapproval in her. While she was cradling and feeding and changing diapers, she was carrying the weight of Isamu's anger and frustration and disappointment over her shoulders until the weight was too much, and it broke through her bones and pierced her heart. She'd took her own life on a fateful day before Isamu could try for a boy—nobody would ever know why, but Isamu came to the conclusion that it was because of you.

He'd cursed you, swearing that you'd always and forever ruin everything you ever come in contact with. Everyone you'll ever meet will suffer from knowing you. Everything you'll ever touch will lose its value from the skin of your cursed fingertips. The air you breathe will be filled with a toxicity that will make your life miserable. The food you consume will fill your stomach with knots that will make you crouch and kneel to the pain. The water you drink will be poisoned with a hex that promises you of being unworthy of love from any person, or even a pet. Your very existence will taint the earth you walk on, and only will the planet be at peace when you draw your last breath, and that cursed heart of yours stops beating.

"Their culinary skills are exceptional. They are obedient, never one to talk back. They know the consequences if they ever do." Isamu narrowed his eyes at Naobito pointedly, as if he expected the old Head to already catch on. Naobito simply nodded and smirked, his beady eyes drifting towards you standing next to Isamu with your hands clasped in one another, your back straightened and your face neutral. No smile had ever graced your lips your entire life—five years of an indifferent expression.

"Very well. And you are aware that their cursed technique is in our hands, now?"

"Yes. Do what you please with it, Naobito. They're nothing but a mere servant and a weapon. Not worthy of any humanization."

"I see." Naobito looked back at Isamu. His nimble fingers twisted his stringy mustache, rubbing it between his index finger and his thumb. "I'll keep the brat. No word about their existence shall grace your ears from this day forward. Do we have a deal?"

Isamu glanced back at you one final time. Not even looking at your full profile, barely even looking at your side profile. You didn't deserve his full gaze. You took his wife away from him. You took his hope away from him. No woman would want him after already bearing a child. A child that will soon be erased from his memory.

He looked at your hair, how it barely went past your nape. Your eyes, empty and neutral. Your mouth, tightly sealed shut with your lips. He looked away in a hurry to ease his eyes on anything else but his cursed child, looking back at Naobito. His sixty year old hand sticking in front of Isamu.

Isamu slowly reached his own hand up, his heart pounding in his chest once his flesh met wrinkles and bones. He slightly grimaced as they shook hands, sealing the deal and finally getting the weight off his chest.

You stood there, silent. Your face was like a statue. Silent. You didn't move a muscle, not an eye blink, not a finger twitch.

Silent.

The two men stood up from their seats, still shaking hands. Isamu held awkward eye contact with Naobito, squinting his eyes to signal he was ready to stop. Their hands released each other, and their arms fell to their sides.

Isamu tilted his chin up, looking ahead as he turned to leave the room. As he stepped out, he felt free. He felt several pounds lighter, he felt younger. He felt better, knowing that retch— you— his servant, was out of his life.

You'd been given away to some man from the Zenin clan. Not even the Head wanted you, it seemed. Or maybe he already had enough servants given the population you saw on your way to the room—all the stares from the people you saw lingering in the hallways. Men and women alike. Different genders, different roles, all pairs of eyes staring at you with the same look on their faces: disgust. You were the only child of Isamu Hatake? The only man who made his bloodline known again in the Jujutsu world, had a daughter— you?

The man's name was Naoya, you learned when you were forced to find your way around the Zenin estate and to his room, which was leagues bigger than the one you were given back at the relatively small compound that was the start of the Hatake Dynasty. He had a smug look on his lips that never seemed to go away; you would think it was drawn on him, the way his lip were always turned up into that smile. It wasn't a pretty one, not to you at least. You thought he looked like a snake. His eyes were narrowed (though you think that's a natural state), like he was judging you and everyone else and wasn't even trying to hide it.

You served under Naoya for the rest of your time at the Zenin estate (which was just short of 9 years). You'd gotten used to all the glances of curiosity and disgust from the same pairs of eyes, the same questions running through people's brains and making a thought-train: was that really the only other Hatake descendant? They could hardly believe it; a direct connection to the clan, a hobbit working away under the thumb of the Zenin clan. Every day was hell on Earth. Pushes, shoves, insults and names thrown at you, as well as dishes and utensils and other items found in a household. Plates and bowls that you'd washed with your bare hands (they didn't bother giving you gloves—whatever wet food your fingers touched were probably getting under your nails) had been tossed and chucked at your head. Every toss was missed, either hitting a wall or crashing through a window. Forks and knives that you scrubbed and scraped on your fingers landed right in the wood of the wall next to your ear, sending a tremor of fear down your spine and planting your feet right where you stood. This was the life Isamu wanted you to live for tainting his own life with the embarrassment of only having a girl instead of a boy.

Even when things were thrown at you and insults were spat in your direction and disrespect was surrounding you, there was always a dim light at the end of the tunnel. That light, apparently, was the golden irises of another girl you'd seen walking around the halls of the estate. Her hair was an evergreen color, a color you thought wasn't natural but you live in an environment where nobody acts natural here, so you decided not to question it. Her bangs were evenly cut—stopping just above her eyebrows. You'd think she used a cutting board or something to cut them, they were so perfect. Another girl, who looked just like her and who you learned was the former's sister, her hair wasn't as neat, and her eyes were slightly darker. More amber than gold.

They were what one would call a 'safe haven': a place where you could escape all the hurt and pain that would be inflicted by the people who are lawfully expected to take care of you. Maki—the girl with the evenly cut bangs—was the one who taught you how to read and interact with people properly instead of just bowing and nodding your head at every word. She was your first friend. Despite only having really talked a grand total of less than half a day, she was the only person you could actually say you were close with. From skipping chores and sneaking around the Estate to getting in trouble with each other. That was the highlight of your time at the Estate.

A small voice touched your eardrums—it was light, almost like a chipmunk. You curiously turned your head and looked around. The bucket you were carrying—filled with water—sloshed around with the sway of your body. Turning to search for the source of the voice was an excuse to give your eyes a break from the unforgiving sun that was setting over the horizon and was shining right in your eyes.

Another voice came from the end of the hall in the direction you were facing. You blinked in curiosity and started walking towards the direction of the sound. You slowly made your way across the hall with the heavy bucket in your hands, heaving it with you until you stopped at the corner when you saw two girls about to turn as well.

All three of you widened your eyes and looked at each other like you all were crazy. You looked between the two girls silently, your grip tightening on the sides of the bucket.

"Big sister, is that...the girl everyone's talking about?"

Your eyes lowered at the girls question. You felt a heaviness in your chest that you couldn't quite explain; it felt as if your heart was lowering in your chest. The other girl, with even bangs and even ends, looked at you with those same lowered eyes and an uninterested gaze.

"What's your name?" She asked. Her voice wasn't as light as the other girl's voice—she didn't sound like a chipmunk or a mouse. She sounded like she was older than you—she probably was.

"Y/n." You answered stiffly, readjusting your grip on the bucket. The girl looked at your hands struggling to hold on to the pail and decided to take a hold of it for you, holding it by the bottom and lifting it up.

"I'm Maki. That's my little sister, Mai," she tilted her head to the girl hiding behind her. Maki. That name struck a cord on your head and made you squint your eyes, almost like you flinched. Maki stared at you bluntly as you gently rubbed your eyebrow, almost judging you.

"Where were you taking the bucket?"

"I was going to the kitchen to scrub the floor with it," you answered after letting your arm fall to your side.

"I can help you. Those people don't like it when you waste time."

"I know," you frowned as you turned your head back to where you were originally going, the sun shining in your eyes again. You squinted in turn, raising your hand to block the blinding light from your retinas.

“Then hurry up,” Maki said, disgruntled. She brushed past you and readjusted her grip on the bucket. You watched her waddle down the hallway and to the other end, leaving you and Mai alone at that corner. You decided to follow after Maki, since she decided to be nice enough and help out with your cleaning duties.

You and Mai walked down together to join Maki, standing next to each other in the doorway when you reached the kitchen. Luckily no morbidly obese member of the clan was in the room, or else all three of you would be getting yelled at. Maki sat the bucket down on the wooden floor and looked at you both standing there, and frowned.

“Well, come on. Can’t just stand there forever,” Maki walked over to a cabinet and opened it, grabbing a few sponges and handing one to you and Mai, keeping one for herself. The three of you scrubbed down the kitchen floor with the bucket water (and with some soap that you jumped up and reached onto the counter for); you found that you much preferred doing your chores alone than with others. Especially since there was no implication that you could have company. You worried that someone would walk in and find you working with the twins and immediately yell in all your ears about it.

You found other things as well. Primarily that Maki wasn’t a very nice person—you weren’t that warm and welcoming either—she was just in a good mood. You learned that from watching her quickly scrub down half the kitchen by herself while you and Mai were busy struggling with grease stains and what not. By the time she was done with half the kitchen floor, she turned to look at you and Mai with a frown and a soaked sponge in her hand. A blind man could tell she was already annoyed—as much as a 5 year old can be. She scolded the both of you for not going fast enough and holding all three of you back; you bit your tongue to keep from talking back and instead scrubbed harder, a trail of soap behind every scrub.

After many minutes of scrubbing and rubbing and wiping, the kitchen floor was shining. There was a clear reflection of the ceiling light hanging above it, which made you feel a little proud of yourself.

“Is that all you have to do?” Maki looked at you. You figured she probably knew that it wasn’t, but she had already helped you and done half the floor, so you nodded instead.

“Yeah. Thank you for your help, Maki.”

“Mhm,” she mumbled, her mouth staying shut as she looked at the floor again.

“Mai, come on,” Maki called, turning on her foot and walking towards the door. You whipped your head around and watched Maki and Mai about to leave.

“Can I ask you to help me again? When I see you again?” You ask, your light voice croaking with nervousness. Maki stops before she’s able to turn the corner, her eyes squinting from the sun shining in the corner of her eye.

“You can’t do it yourself?” Maki inquired, squinting her eyes. “Ok. See you around, then.”

“See you,” you muttered almost inaudibly, clearing your throat and watching as Maki turned the corner with her sister, leaving your eyesight.

After that day, your heart started beating a little differently all the way up until 2018.

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positivelybeastly · 9 months

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A Completely Unbiased and Totally Comprehensive Beast Reading List, Pt. 1

As a member of the first class of X-Men, the intelligently gifted Dr. Hank McCoy has been fighting for the peaceful coexistence between mutants and humans for most of his life, under the tutelage of Professor Xavier. Born with an enhanced physique, strength, and muscular structure, he has adopted the name Beast.

Well, hello there, friends! Welcome to a completely unbiased, totally comprehensive, not at all too long reading list that aims to show you the story of everyone's favourite Beast, from start to finish!

Origins

As one of the original X-Men, Beast features in almost every issue of the very first iteration of the team - but to put it bluntly, 60s X-Men sucks, and I want you to enjoy this character, so we're going to start with some aggressive curation.

X-Men Origins: Beast, by Mike Carey - a solo story that retells Hank's origins, including his pre-X-Men life, and an insight into his mindset, his relationship with humanity, and his first meeting with the X-Men. It also happens to have some rather lovely art, and a fantastic last page spread that expresses a lot of what makes Hank a brilliant character. X-Men: First Class, by Jeff Parker - a collection of mini-series that fill in the gaps between stories in the original run of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's X-Men, this run is extremely readable, and does a very good job of forming a cohesive characterisation of both Hank, the X-Men, and, particularly, Professor Xavier. You do not need to have any former knowledge of anything X-Men to read this run. Issues of Particular Note: (2006) #8; the meeting of Hank and Gorilla Man, who have a cute dynamic, and if you like Gorilla Man, you should read Agents of Atlas by Parker as well. (2007) #4; the foundation of Hank's friendship with Bobby Drake, aka Iceman. These two were thick as thieves all the way up until the late 00s. Giant-Sized Special; a collection of short fun little stories with varying art styles, featuring Hank on small solo adventures or in duos with the other X-Men. Finals #2; Hank deciding to leave the X-Men, and become his own man.

X-Men: Season One by Dennis Hopeless is a standalone graphic novel that aims to retell the early days of the X-Men from the perspective of Jean Grey, and features Hank fairly prominently. If you want to be more up to code on early X-Men history without dealing with issues of the 60s run, this would be a good place to do it.

And of course, Uncanny X-Men vol. 1. While I would not advise reading this run in its entirety, dipping your toe in to get some appreciation for what 60s comics were like and how far we've come isn't an awful idea. Issues of Particular Note: #7 Hank is momentarily abducted by a beatnik foot cult. No notes, this is just a funny situation that Hank ends up in. #8; one of the first instances of anti-mutant hysteria in an X-Men book, the first time Hank left the X-Men, and also the origin of his short career as a professional wrestler. #47; Hank and Bobby go on a double date with their girlfriends and get interrupted by superhero shenanigans.

Grey

With Hank having now left the X-Men, he has a rendezvous with destiny, and while this is going to be a very short period on our reading list, it's a very formative one for young Hank.

Amazing Adventures #11-17, by Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart, and Arnold Drake. Honestly, just read this entire run - you basically get a very well contained story that delves into Hank at a very young age, and while this may be a series from the 1970s, it's actually surprisingly modern in its approach to Hank as a character. It's also interesting to see the introduction of a more horror/wolfman aspect to Hank's character, which is largely due to the contemporary popularity of Werewolf-by-Night. It all caps off with issue #17, which collects a number of back-up stories that originally came from Uncanny X-Men, that tell Hank's origin in its uncondensed form. If you started with Carey's Origins book, these story beats will be very familiar, but it's interesting to see what parts were cut and which were preserved.

A companion story that goes back and revisits this very interesting period of Hank's life can be found in X-Men Unlimited vol. 2 #10, as one of the two stories contained there. Sliding somewhere in between issues of Amazing Adventures, it provides a modern emotional context for Hank's transformation, and I feel obliged to warn you that this is a very heavy story. If stories about depression, radiation sickness, or familial death are triggering for you, approach with caution.

Avengers

As you may have noticed, Hank has now changed from grey to his more familiar blue! This is due to printing limitations of the time, where attempts to render black or grey often ended up producing a shade that looked closer to blue. But enough of that malarkey, let's talk about everyone's favourite Bouncing Baby Blue Beast!

Avengers vol. 1, by . . . so many writers, but the most significant include Jim Shooter, Gerry Conway, Steve Englehart, David Michelinie, Bill Mantlo, etc. As the first X-Man to cross teams, Hank made history, and he quickly settled in nicely to the bitchy, high octane, absolutely bonkers world of 70s Marvel. Among other things, this is where he forms lifelong friendships with Carol Danvers, Steve Rogers, and, perhaps most importantly, Simon Williams. Honestly, this entire run has its ups and downs, but I'd recommend reading it from start to finish, just because it's fun, and Hank is so much fun in it. If you're more used to buzzkill Beast from the modern era, you'll be shocked at just how much of a kind-hearted goof he is here. Although, maybe skip the Korvac Saga. Issues of Particular Note: #137, which features Hank's initial tryout for the Avengers, with some story beats that will have particular resonance if you read Amazing Adventures or X-Men Unlimited, recommended above. #141, which sees the beginning of the origins of Patsy Walker, who you might know better as Hellcat, and who will become an important part of our story later. #148, which sees Hank embrace his disguise gimmick - while pretty much abandoned from this point on, it was arguably never going to get better than the trick he pulls here. Avengers Annual #6, which sees the origins of Hank and Simon's wonder-ful relationship. Whether you read them as friends or more, it really is a ton of fun to see just how quickly they glom onto each other as partners. #160 digs a little deeper into Hank's dynamic on the Avengers, and, if you aren't doing a full readthrough, this provides an interesting perspective on what Hank brings to the team, which is paid off in #163 and #164. Can you guess what it is? Yep . . . sex symbol. This is the origin of Hank McCoy, original mutant fuck machine, baybeeee. #171 sees Hank speaking Latin, being kind of a shit to Ms. Marvel, and being called a slut by Thor, which is kind of amazing, tbh. But Hank then proceeds to disappear for a bit, dodging the really rather awful Korvac Saga, so if you want to read more about our boy, you can jump right ahead to #178, where they make up for his brief absence by psychologically torturing him! Yeah! Love it! Next big issue of note is #188, where the Avengers get political, Hank gets to hold Ms. Marvel's laser gatling gun backpack, and press his nose against a plane window like a small child (it's better than I'm making it sound)! #194 has Hank at his best, to be quite honest, and is an all around nice little slice of life, quiet issue for the Avengers, for those of you who miss such things in comics. #206 features Hank speaking every language he knows for an entire issue, on . . . well, honestly, not even a dare, he just does it. #209, meanwhile is . . . heavy. Trigger warnings for the Shoah, the Holocaust, concentration camps, and a lot of dark subject matter, but it does showcase Hank at arguably his most heroic and his most tender. And then, finally, we reach the end of Hank's tenure with the Avengers, at #211, where . . . well, honestly? He leaves because his boyfriend is leaving. There's no other way to interpret it, that's just the text. He'll of course join the Avengers again, and is always active as a reservist, but for now, he's to move on to greener, more defensive pastures. In between these appearances, it's also worth checking out the absolutely iconic Dark Phoenix Saga. If you think you know this story from the adaptations in X-Men 3 or Dark Phoenix, trust me, you don't - this is the real story, as it should always have been. Hank only joins in on the story in the last third, but if you ever doubted his commitment to the X-Men, his friends, or the ideals of justice, look no further. And guess what, it's just a damned good story, starting at Uncanny X-Men #129 and going on to #138.

Hank also makes guest appearances in Uncanny X-Men #111 to #114, where he first properly meets the second generation of X-Men, though as you'll see, it's far from the most orderly or normal of introductions. For those of you who don't know about Chris Claremont and his predilections, you will learn - great writer, absolutely fundamental to the X-Men, but . . . hoo boy.

That's what I've got for you for the moment! I will be adding the next sections as separate posts, so that this doesn't get too long - feel free to check back here, or just keep your eyes peeled in the Hank McCoy tag, so that you don't miss the next section, as we move into the 80s proper! Also, I may be adding new issues here and there, as I remember things, so check back if you want to hear more about Beast's early years!

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#outofmuffins #hank mccoy #henry mccoy #reading list #marvel comics #x-men comics #I promised I would do it!

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hollywoodoutbreak · 7 months

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Starring as the title character in Argylle, Henry Cavill reunited with director Matthew Vaughn -- they'd previously worked together on the 2007 film Stardust. Since then, of course, Vaughn has gone on to hone his style on the three Kingsman films, along with X-Men: First Class, and Cavill said that Vaughn's stylistic fingerprints are all over Argylle.

Argylle is now playing in theaters.

#Argylle #Henry Cavill #Matthew Vaughn #Spy Adventure #Action Packed #Kingsman #X-Men First Class #Film Analysis #New Release #Movies #Movie News #Entertainment #Entertainment news #Celebrities #Celebrity #celebrity news #celebrity interviews

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s10127470 · 2 months

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Fant4stic: A Fantastic Failure (Part 1)

As I’m sure many of you are aware, this past Valentines Day, Marvel Studios released a poster promoting their upcoming Fantastic Four film, releasing about a year from now in July of 2025.

This has gotten people cautiously interested..... keyword: cautiously.

It's no surprise that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been on a major decline since Avengers: Endgame.

Largely due to ridiculous quantity of projects they've been pumping out a year.

Plus that fact that a lot of these projects quality-wise have been either mid or just straight up dog-shit.

This has led to the ongoing trend known as Marvel Fatigue.

Not helping any of this is some of the behind-the-scenes stuff that was revealed over the last few years.

From having their projects being helm by people who have little to no knowledge or care for the characters and the source material they're working it.

And we all know how well that turns out....

To more infamously, overworking and underpaying their VFX artists.

And given some of the shit they've had to animate, they NEED to start getting better pay....

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Yes.....what you just saw was a real scene from a Marvel movie.

And just to add salt to the wound, in addition to the declining interest, is that these recent Marvel films have not been performing well financially.

Hell, The Marvels (their latest film) ended up being a box office bomb, only grossing $206 million worldwide against production budget of $274.8 million. Not only that, but it now holds the record for being the lowest grossing film in the franchise's history.

So yeah.....

Although the casting is pretty decent, the inclusion of H.E.R.B.I.E. was quite the surprise, and the 60s aesthetic/vibes are pretty cool, people still have their reservations for this film given the MCU's track record lately.

However, one thing everyone does seem to agree on is that this film can't be any worse than their last cinematic outing.....

The Fantastic Four have had, funnily enough, have had four feature-length adaptations.

The very first film adaptation of Marvel's First Family was the legendary 1994 film from Roger Corman.

Although it was completed and ready to release, it famously never got released (which I'll touch a little more on later).

However, copies of the film have been circulating since May 31st, 1994.

Over a decade later, the Fantastic Four would get their technically second but first true feature-length film in the form of the 2005 film, directed by Tim Story, and released by 20th Century Fox on July 8th, 2005.

This film would also get a sequel just two years later with Rise of the Silver Surfer, directed again by Story and released by Fox on June 15th, 2007.

And finally, after almost a decade away from the big screen, the FF would return with their fourth and until the MCU film releases, latest film, the 2015 film, or more commonly known as Fant4stic, as that's how it was abbreviated...

A Fantastic Nightmare:

In August 2009, Fox would announce that they would be rebooting the Fantastic Four film franchise.

The reason why is because although Rise of the Silver Surfer did fairly well, grossing $301 million worldwide against a $120-130 million budget, the total gross was notably lesser than the first movie, which grossed $333.5 million worldwide.

And although there were plans for a third movie and a spin-off film focusing on The Silver Surfer, Fox feared those films could possibly be money sinks and opted to reboot the film franchise as a whole.

For the next three years, not a whole lot of progress was done with the planned reboot, apart from the hiring of producers and writers and the consideration of actors.

But the production of the film really started rolling in July 2012 when Fox hired Josh Trank, who was fresh off his directorial debut, Chronicle, to direct film.

And accompanying him was Jeremy Slater, who was hired to the screenwriter for the film, alongside X-Men: First Class writers Zack Stentz and Ashley Edward Miller.

And this where everything went to shit....

If any of you even know about Fant4stic, you'd probably know that it has one of the most turbulent production histories in the last decade of filmmaking.

Before we start actually looking into the production itself, first we need to look at the reason why it was even made in the first place.

And this point brings me back to the 1994 film.

Both that and this film were created for the exact same reason: copyright hoarding.

In 1983, the other producer of the 1994 film, Bernd Eichinger met with Fantastic Four co-creator and the Marvel legend himself, Stan Lee, in Los Angeles to explore obtaining an option for a movie based on Marvel's First Family. The option was not available until three years later, when Eichinger's production company Constantin Film obtained it for a price the producer called "not enormous" and which has been estimated to be $250,000.

Eichinger's initial plan was to have the movie be a full-on blockbuster directed by Chris Columbus, complete with a cast full of big name celebrities.

But despite some interest from Warner Bros. Pictures and Columbia Pictures, budget concerns precluded any production, and with the option scheduled to expire on December 31, 1992, Constantin asked Marvel for an extension. With none forthcoming, Eichinger planned to retain his option by producing a low-budget Fantastic Four film. In September 1992, he teamed with B-movie specialist Roger Corman, who agreed to produce the film on a $1 million budget, to be released by his distribution company New Horizons Pictures.

But we all know how that ended....

Essentially, the entire of that movie ended up in a one big legal loop-hole that only benefitted Eichinger, leaving dozen of people's lives played with and their hopes and dreams crushed.

And in the case of Fant4stic, it's essentially a tragic case of history repeating itself.

Fox only produced Fant4stic not because they were genuinely interested in doing another film based on The First Family, they only did it to use it as an excuse to latch onto the film rights.

As when the 2010s rolled out, Fox's time with the Fantastic Four were about to come to an end as eventually, their film rights would've been reverted back to Marvel, and to that extension, The Walt Disney Company.

But if they had made another Fantastic Four project pretty soon, they would be able to extend their time with the film rights.

And from what I've heard, it seems like Fox wanted to get this film rolling as quick possible with the approaching deadline to the rights.

That's probably the reason why they hired Trank out of all people that could've directed this film.

Which for a film like this, you would think that Fox would go with a director that's a bit more experienced since remember: upon his hiring as director for the project, Trank was fresh off his very first directorial film.

Though you're probably wondering what I meant when I said everything went to shit upon Trank's hiring, well....

There have been plenty of cases where the productions of films have been absolute chores for one of two reasons.

The director or producers just being infamously difficult to work with, like David O'Russel or Michael Bay.

The studio constantly meddling in the production, like....basically every film studio to ever exist.

But Fant4stic is one of the rare cases where both the studio and the director made the production a living hell.

Starting off with Fox (as funnily enough, they did the least amount of damage to the production), they were guilty of....

Forcing constant rewrites

Giving Trank a much-lower budget than initially promised

Hiring a prominent special effect expert for the film, then firing him and not telling Trank about it

When production finally wrapped on the film, they were so unhappy with the finished product, that they ordered massive reshoots, including the film climax

Upon finishing the reshoots, they locked Trank out of the editing room and finishing the theatrical cut of film without him

As for Trank.....Hoo boy! Where do I even begin?

He was guilty for......

Constantly butting heads with the studio executives

Treating the cast and crew like absolute shit

Not showing up to the set on time

Usually showing up completely hammered

Frequently hiding himself from everyone on set

Constantly getting into fights (verbal and even physical) with the cast and crew

Letting his dogs loose and causing $100,000 worth of damage on the set

Constantly fighting with the screenwriters about what the tone of the film should be like

And writing a now infamous tweet on Twitter just the day before the film's release, only to be instantly deleted the next day

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And remember, this was the second film that Trank directed....

I've heard of Hollywood getting to people, but it usually takes a couple of years. But in the case of Trank, it practically happened overnight.

And funnily enough, a lot of this behind-the-scenes drama was revealed to the public even before the movie was released.

So expectations for this film were not particularly very high....

But now that we got that out of the way, let's talk about the actual movie itself.

The "Story":

Childhood friends Reed Richards and Ben Grimm have worked together on a prototype teleporter since youth, eventually attracting the attention of Professor Franklin Storm, director of the Baxter Foundation, a government-sponsored research institute for young prodigies. Reed is recruited to join them and aid Storm's children, scientist Sue Storm and engineer Johnny Storm, into completing a "Quantum Gate" designed by Storm's protégé Victor Von Doom.

The experiment is successful, and the facility's supervisor, Dr. Allen, plans to send a group from NASA to venture into a parallel dimension known as "Planet Zero". Disappointed at being denied the chance to join the expedition, Reed, Johnny and Victor along with Ben use the Quantum Gate to embark on an unsanctioned voyage to Planet Zero, which they learn is a world filled with otherworldly substances. Victor attempts to touch the green lava-like substance, causing the ground they are standing on to erupt. Reed, Johnny and Ben return to their shuttle just as Sue brings them back to Earth and Victor is seemingly killed after he falls into the collapsing landscape. The Quantum Gate explodes, altering Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben on a genetic level and granting them superhuman abilities beyond their control: Reed can stretch like rubber, Sue can become invisible and generate force fields, Johnny can engulf his entire body in fire and fly, and Ben acquires a rock-like hide which gives him superhuman strength and durability. They are then placed in government custody to be studied and have their abilities tested. Blaming himself for the accident, Reed escapes from the facility and tries to find a cure for their changes.

One year later in 2015, Reed is now a fugitive and has built a suit that helps him control his ability. Hiding in Central America, he is eventually found by the United States military with Sue's help and captured by Ben, who has become a military asset along with Johnny and Sue. Johnny and Sue have been outfitted with specialized suits designed to help them control their abilities. Reed is brought to Area 57, where Dr. Allen conscripts him into rebuilding the Quantum Gate in exchange for giving Reed the resources to find a cure. Arriving in Planet Zero, Dr. Allen's explorers find Victor, who has been fused to his spacesuit and now possesses telekinetic abilities, and bring him back to Earth. Believing that Earth needs to be destroyed to protect his new home world from future invasions, Victor kills the scientists and soldiers in the base, including Dr. Allen and Professor Storm, and returns to Planet Zero using the Quantum Gate, with Ben, Johnny, Reed and Sue in pursuit.

Now dubbing himself "Doom", Victor activates a portal on Planet Zero using the Quantum Gate and begins consuming the landscape of the Earth using a structure he created from the rock formations in Planet Zero. He is confronted by the four and, after a short battle, Ben punches Doom into the portal's energy beam, disintegrating him while Johnny closes the portal. Returning to Earth, the group is rewarded by the US military for their heroics by being given a new base of operations known as "Central City" to study their abilities without government interference. They decide to use their powers to help people and adopt the mantle of the "Fantastic Four".

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Yeah, I basically just copied and pasted the premise of this film from Wikipedia.

The reason why is because there really isn't a whole lot to talk about.

The plot is paper thin, and the execution doesn't do it any favors.

In terms of adaptation, this film doesn't really adapt any notable Fantastic Four storylines.

The closest thing to this is that it's a loose adaptation of the first volume/arc of Ultimate Fantastic Four.

You can see this with elements such as.....

The Four themselves being depicted as young adults

Reed and Ben being childhood best friends

Franklin Storm actually being a major character whereas in the 616 universe, he's largely irrelevant

The Baxter Building being turned into The Baxter Foundation

The reason for them getting their powers being a teleportation experiment gone wrong

And Doom being involved with the experiment as well and his famous armor being his actual skin instead

However, that's as far as it goes. They don't really bother to adapt the actual story of that arc, which has the team facing off against The Mole Man.

But one of the strangest story choices with this movie is in the case of Planet Zero.

Planet Zero is reportedly suppose to be Fant4stic's version of The Negative Zone.

Why they didn't just call it The Negative Zone, I have no clue.....

But as most of you know, The Negative Zone is famous for being the realm of one of the Fantastic Four's most prominent foes: Annihilus.

And with their version of The Negative Zone, you would think they would probably feature Annihilus in this movie.

But no! He doesn't appear at all nor is he even alluded to. In fact, Planet Zero is depicted as being a lifeless wasteland, with no living organisms in sight.

The Sucky Tone:

In contrast to the previous 3 FF films, this one is far more darker, serious and grounded.

This was because Trank wanted the tone of the movie to be, in his own words, "gritty, serious and as realistic as possible".

And it's safe to that Fox also encouraged this tone as well.

From the early 2000s into the mid-2010s, a good chunk of superhero films relied on taking superheroes and making them darker, gritty and more grounded than they were in their source material and other adaptations.

This can be largely attributed to the X-Men films, which were more serious and grounded than the comics and their other adaptations.

This was done because after the failure of Batman and Robin, comic books movies were briefly seen cinema poison.

The X-Men films, Daredevil, Elektra, The Dark Knight trilogy, The Amazing Spider-Man duology, and even the first few films of the DC Extended Universe all prided themselves on being more dark, gritter and grounded than their source material and sometimes even predecessors in film.

And while most of these movies are still fondly remembered, I'm gonna have to come out and say this....

I'm not a fan of these films.

Apart from some of these characters just not fitting with a darker and gritty tone, the biggest reason why I don't like these films is because a lot of them reek of this sense of embarrassment and contempt for the source material they're adapting.

Like, some of them are not even being that subtle about it.

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I am so glad this was finally made fun of in an actual Marvel project.

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And in an age where a lot of producers and directors working on a projects based on long, established properties have been open about either not caring or straight up disliking the properties they're working with, its made many of these films age kinda poorly.

However, there were some superheroes films from the 2000s that didn't fall into this trap.

Undoubtedly the biggest is in the case of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy.

Those films were unabashedly campy, and were obviously made by people who legitimately cared about, understood and loved Spider-Man.

That's why despite of a having a few faults, the films are still talked about in high regards, even after two decades.

And notably more so than the films I just mentioned.

But back to the film itself, to the Fantastic Four having a dark, gritty and grounded tone.

Most people, myself include, would have to say....

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Fantastic Four, while having their dark and serious moments here and there are some of the most light-hearted characters in Marvel.

Trying to make them dark and gritty just feels incredibly tryhard.

And as for being grounded and realistic.

That's completely antithetical to the Fantastic Four.

They're adventurers and explorers. And many of their adventures have taken place in space, other dimensions, and alternate realties. It's one of the core appeals of the team.

And as you would expect, this tone did not do the film any favors.

Fant4stic is so. Fucking. Boring.

It is deathly serious with no sense of levity or humor to be detected.

The music is bland and generic, the color grading is dull as hell, and the performances....

Dear God....the performances.

I think this actually perfectly segways into the biggest and most important part of this post:

The "Characters":

One of the strongest draws of The Fantastic Four is, well, The Fantastic Four themselves.

All of them are very likable, charming, interesting and endearing in their own way.

And does Fant4stic capture anything that made these characters so great?

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Let's start off with Reed first.

Reed in the comics and in just about every other medium is a genius, a polymath to exact.

In fact, he's tied with another one of the main characters I'll be talking about soon as being the smartest person in the Marvel Universe.

But besides being intelligent, Reed is also curious, adventurous, charismatic, level-headed, kind, and most importantly of all, passionate.

Reed is passionate about two things:

-His love for his family

-And his love for science and adventure

And while he can be little over-analytical, a little reserved at times, and have a bit of a one-mind track (so much so that he's been headcanon by just about everyone to be autistic), Reed overall is a very kind, caring and compassionate person.

Hell, he (along with the rest of the four) are some of the most morally righteous people in the Marvel Universe alongside Spider-Man and Captain America.

Now let's look at Fant4astic Reed....

Apart from being intelligent, level-headed and maybe curious, has none of the traits I just listed.

He's not adventurous.

He's not shown to be all that kind.

He has all the charisma of a funeral service.

And worst of all, he's not very passionate.

In the comics, Reed loves science and is always down to learn something new.

But the way Reed approaches science in the movie, it feels more like an obligation rather than something he's actually passionate about.

Next we have Sue.

Sue is pretty much the mother figure of the four.

Warm, caring, kind, mindful and responsible.

But she's also incredibly terrifying.

Sue's the most powerful member of the four and has proven to be a force to be reckon with for anyone who cares to hurt her family, especially her children.

Now let's look at Fant4astic Sue....

Well, how do l put this in the kindest way possible?

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Yeah. Apart from being introverted, she's also shown to be incredibly sarcastic.

Like, modern animated adult comedy levels of being sarcastic.

And needlessly so.

Apart from still being responsible, Sue shows none of the traits I just listed.

The only character see isn’t needlessly sarcastic to is her and Johnny’s father, Franklin.

This version of the character is the walking definition of a killjoy.

Next we have her brother Johnny.

Johnny is the little brother of the group, since he’s the youngest.

He’s cocky, brash, hotheaded, a bit of a prankster, and kind of a showoff.

But in spite of that, Johnny is also a very kind and loyal individual.

The dude has been show that he’s willing to die for those he deeply cares for.

Now let’s look at Fant4stic Johnny.

Johnny is really the only character who somewhat resembles his original comic counterpart.

But even then, it still feels somewhat subdued.

Plus he has the same issue as Sue with him being needlessly a dick to people.

Like, Johnny had his dickish moments, but wasn't a massive asshole.

And plus, I should probably address the elephant in the room.

As you could probably tell for yourselves, Johnny here is African-American, making him and Sue adopted siblings.

And this would be the very first (and so far only) iterations of the Storm siblings who weren't blood-related.

And in all honesty, I'm not a fan of it.

Having Johnny and Sue not being biologically-related just feels wrong.

That would be like having Mario and Luigi not being related.

Or Goofy and Max.

Or Dante and Vergil.

Sometimes, you can't alter an important familial relationship.

As for why Johnny was made black while Sue wasn't.

Well....

Apparently, the Storm Family were all gonna be black, including Sue. But the higher-ups were not really onboard with Sue being black (I'm not even gonna try to make sense of that). But they were allowed to make Johnny and Franklin black. So thus, Sue ended up being adopted by the Storms.

And I must ask....

Why?

Why did they want to make the entire Storm family black?

I'm guessing it was to give a new fresh take on the characters.

But that's kind of debatable when we get to a point I'll bring up a little later.

And in terms of casting a black Johnny Storm, I don't think Michael B. Jordan was the best choice.

He just doesn't look like how most people would see Johnny as being black.

I think there's two reasons for that.

The hairstyle. Johnny has usually been depicted as having spiky hair. I think if had Michael those upward locs, then I could see him passing for a black Johnny.

The age of the actor. In fact, this applies to all the actors of the four as well. In the film, the four are said to be teenagers, specifically fresh out of high school age. So basically they would be around 17-18 years old. It's hard to see any of them as being around that age range when the actors who played them, where, at the time of the film's release, two of them were 28, one of them was 29, and one of them was 32! Did they really just not bother to look for actors who were like college-aged?

Now we come to Ben.

Ben is undoubtedly most people's favorite member of the Fantastic Four.

While gruff, tough and a tad pessimistic and grumpy due to his circumstance, underneath Ben's rocky exterior beats a heart of gold.

He deeply cares for his friends and family and will go out of his way to protect them no matter what.

Now let's look at Fant4astic Ben.

Ben, being only rivaled by the next character we'll be talking about, is the character who barely resembles his original counterpart the most.

First, there's his appearance. Specifically before he became The Thing.

Out of this already not-good cast, Jaime Bell was probably the most miscasted of them all.

For starters, he just doesn't look like Ben Grimm at all.

Like, take a look at this guy and tell me that he looks remotely like the pre-Thing Ben in the comics.

Basically, Jaime suffers from the same problem that Topher Grace had when he played Venom.

He's too short. Ben, even before becoming The Thing, was usually depicted as being pretty tall, 6'0 to be exact. Jaime is 5'7. The dude is literally no taller than me (and I'm 5'8).

He's way too skinny. Once again, even before becoming The Thing, Ben is usually shown to be a pretty muscular-looking guy. He is canonically a skilled brawler (due to him being part of a street gang during his youth) and played on the football team in high school.

Essentially, even before becoming The Thing, Ben looked like a guy who could and can beat your ass.

This Ben looks like the guy who YOU would be beating the ass of!

Then there's his characterization.

This Ben has none of the traits I just mentioned.

Apart from being kind, he's typically portrayed as being soft-spoken and somewhat meek.

Which just don't fit the character of Ben Grimm at all.

But I think the worst part of his characterization is that he doesn't even have a Brooklyn accent!

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Yeah! He doesn't have a Brooklyn accent! Despite it being one of the most famous elements of his character.

I'm the guy who think that a character should have their accent intact if they originally had it.

I'm one of the few people who find it kinda annoying that Black Widow doesn't speak with a Russian accent anymore despite speaking with one all-time in her appearances pre-MCU.

And I'm sure that I'm the only guy on the planet who actually wants Magneto to speak with a German accent.

But Ben not speaking with a Brooklyn accent feels both disgraceful and just plain wrong.

But perhaps the worst thing about this version of Ben is with his trademark catchphrase: It's Clobberin' Time!

In this film, they decided to give the catchphrase an origin.

Because we all know that what's the fans were certainly asking for it....

But anyway, in the Fant4stic continuity, It's Clobberin' Time was what Ben's abusive older brother who regularly beat him, would say right before kicking his ass!

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Why?

Why was this added?

Who thought this was a good idea?

It adds nothing to this already nothing story.

Having Ben's catchphrase being the result of abuse from his older brother comes off as both incredibly fucked-up and like the rest of this cursed movie, unnecessarily tryhard.

The people who thought that giving this iconic catchphrase a gritty reason for existing need to get repeatedly smacked in the face.

But like I mentioned before, there's only one other character in the movie that rivals Ben in being the biggest spit in the face to their original counterpart.

But I'm gonna save that for next time.

Yeah, I'm gonna have to end this post right here since I'm pretty close to reaching the media post limit.

So this is gonna be a two-parter.

Wasn't the original intent, but hey, you can't win them all.

But tune in next time where I finish looking at this terrible movie.

And beware....I'm not gonna be very kind.

#fantastic four #20th century fox #reed richards #susan storm #johnny storm #ben grimm #marvel cinematic universe #mcu #josh trank #fantastic four 2025 #marvel #marvel comics #fox marvel

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