Be warned, there will be spoilers in this posting. If you haven't seen FF2 yet, don't read on! (Unless you don't plan on seeing it, or don't care if you read spoilers, in which case enjoy!).
So Naomi and I went to see the new Fantastic Four movie at the weekend, and I have to say that I really rather enjoyed it. Considering that the first FF film was fairly poor, how have they managed to make a second film which is not only better than the first, but also better than the latest Spiderman movie?
Here's what I think.
Firstly, and possibly most surprisingly, its down to the actors. I think all four have really got to grips with their characters more than in the previous film. They understand the characters better, and that is shown in their performances. (One gripe - as Naomi pointed out to me, for a lot of this film Jessica Alba's character should probably be renamed The Permatan Woman rather than The Invisible Woman - not a pretty sight, and certainly not a good look for the otherwise beautiful Jessica).
Secondly, the characters are written well, compared to the first film. Mr Fantastic isn't quite so nerdy, Human Torch has his flamboyant nature toned down, Sue Storm is a lot less whiney, and Ben Grimm is less moody and more fun.
Finally, the story (overall) is reasonably good. The plot moves forward at a reasonable pace, and the character interaction with the villains of the piece are suitable, if a little forced.
All that said, there are several fairly sizeable plot holes, and some general gripes I have.
Most importantly is how Galactus is defeated. Why didn't Silver Surfer do that to him as soon as he became Galactus' herald? It would have saved his own world and he wouldn't have had to help Galactus destroy countless other worlds. My only thinking behind it was that Galactus wasn't destroyed (which would make more sense), but perhaps Surfer managed to just transport him to another part of the universe. In which case, he'll be back, and he'll be pissed!
The whole power transfer thing was done fairly well, although its a bit of a tired and dated concept. That said, it made NO sense that Johnny could take on the powers of all other three at the same time to fight Dr Doom. Surely the powers would just transfer around the group? And even if it did make sense, Johnny doesn't have the intellect to realise it would work - Reed would be the only one likely to come up with that idea.
My other big criticism was the use of Doctor Doom. The basic premise was fairly sound, with the military calling him in to work with Reed to stop the Surfer. However the biggest problem was the reason for his fighting the Fantastic Four after taking control of the surf board. His intellect is supposed to be equal to Reed's, and having been told that the board was drawing a power that would destroy the world, I don't think he'd have been quite as eager to keep the board (his main motivation, after all, is ruling the world/country/whatever, and he can't do that if Earth is destroyed).
That all said, it was a fairly enjoyable 92 minutes, and while I wouldn't necessarily go and see it again, if I was forced to sit through any one of the films I have seen this year so far, I think this one would probably be my choice.
(That probably won't last long, considering other films coming out this year, but its certainly given Spidey a kick in the pants!)
Monday, 25 June 2007
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Fantastic News!
We've been home for quite a while now, so I thought it was about time I posted about our amazing news.
Naomi & I are going to be parents!
We actually found out the day before we left for honeymoon, but as we didn't have time to see the midwife before we left, we decided to keep things quiet until we got back. So we've spent the last few months going around telling everyone! :)
I've got to admit to being a little nervous about it all, but only a little. I'm hugely looking forward to being a father, and can't wait for October to arrive! We're due right at the end of October (which means no Halloween celebrations this year!), and are both really excited. The summer is just going to whizz past! (Summer? In Aberdeen?! Its pouring down outside at the moment!)
I'm actually more nervous about having to drive - I'm still taking lessons (well, I'm trying to get my lessons going again. My instructor has been rather busy the last couple of months!), and I'll need to be able to drive to get around with the baby (and Naomi has no plans to take her test again until I've already passed!). I don't know why I'm nervous about this - whenever I'm in the car for a lesson I'm fine, but I always feel nervous thinking about driving. I'm sure I'll be fine with it though.
(One of my colleagues is going on a week-long intensive driving course next week, so I'll be interested to hear how she got on when she comes back to work the week after).
In other news, we met up with my whole family last week for my Grandad's 100th birthday. 100 years old, and still going strong! I'm not sure what the secret of his longevity is (although we suspect that his taking one little dram of whisky every night may have helped - he loves his whisky, although everything in moderation). He's quite an amazing man. He's still very quick of mind, with only his body slowing him down as it ages, something noone can really avoid!
It was fantastic to have the whole family together for a meal to celebrate - I think its the first (and possibly only) time that we have all been together, considering how spread across the UK we are becoming.
He had many other celebrations over the course of the week, with various groups holding events for him, from the bowling club to the church, and even the Liberal Democrats (for whom he has actively campaigned in the past) are throwing him a party later in the month.
It just shows how well thought of he is, both in his local community and throughout the Highlands. It makes me quite proud to be his grandson.
We were also able to let him meet his first great-grandchild (my cousin Sasha pipped us to the post on that one, having given birth to Jamie back in January this year). I've got a lovely photo of Grandad with Jamie on his knee! :)
So its been a busy few months for us. I'm going to try not to leave it so long between posts in the future, but who knows how successful that resolution will be!
Until next time :)
Naomi & I are going to be parents!
We actually found out the day before we left for honeymoon, but as we didn't have time to see the midwife before we left, we decided to keep things quiet until we got back. So we've spent the last few months going around telling everyone! :)
I've got to admit to being a little nervous about it all, but only a little. I'm hugely looking forward to being a father, and can't wait for October to arrive! We're due right at the end of October (which means no Halloween celebrations this year!), and are both really excited. The summer is just going to whizz past! (Summer? In Aberdeen?! Its pouring down outside at the moment!)
I'm actually more nervous about having to drive - I'm still taking lessons (well, I'm trying to get my lessons going again. My instructor has been rather busy the last couple of months!), and I'll need to be able to drive to get around with the baby (and Naomi has no plans to take her test again until I've already passed!). I don't know why I'm nervous about this - whenever I'm in the car for a lesson I'm fine, but I always feel nervous thinking about driving. I'm sure I'll be fine with it though.
(One of my colleagues is going on a week-long intensive driving course next week, so I'll be interested to hear how she got on when she comes back to work the week after).
In other news, we met up with my whole family last week for my Grandad's 100th birthday. 100 years old, and still going strong! I'm not sure what the secret of his longevity is (although we suspect that his taking one little dram of whisky every night may have helped - he loves his whisky, although everything in moderation). He's quite an amazing man. He's still very quick of mind, with only his body slowing him down as it ages, something noone can really avoid!
It was fantastic to have the whole family together for a meal to celebrate - I think its the first (and possibly only) time that we have all been together, considering how spread across the UK we are becoming.
He had many other celebrations over the course of the week, with various groups holding events for him, from the bowling club to the church, and even the Liberal Democrats (for whom he has actively campaigned in the past) are throwing him a party later in the month.
It just shows how well thought of he is, both in his local community and throughout the Highlands. It makes me quite proud to be his grandson.
We were also able to let him meet his first great-grandchild (my cousin Sasha pipped us to the post on that one, having given birth to Jamie back in January this year). I've got a lovely photo of Grandad with Jamie on his knee! :)
So its been a busy few months for us. I'm going to try not to leave it so long between posts in the future, but who knows how successful that resolution will be!
Until next time :)
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