Fantastic Four

I think we can all be in agreement now that a Fantastic Four movie will never work. This is the fourth attempt (you think the symbolism of that number would be lucky) and it just didn't work on any level. Even director Josh Trank doesn't like it.

In 1997, new childhood friends Reed Richards (Owen Judge) and Ben Grimm (Evan Hannemann) work on Reed's teleporter. Seven years later, Reed (Miles Teller) and Ben (Jamie Bell) present their science project to their science teacher to a lukewarm reception. They do get the attention of Dr Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey) and his daughter Sue (Kate Mara), who are working on the same project: interdimensional travel. They bring Reed to work on their project with the help of Franklin's renegade son Johnny (Michael B. Jordan) and reclusive scientist Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell). Once they complete the project, Reed, Ben, Johnny and Victor recklessly use the machine to go to the other dimension, where an accident occurs leaving Victor for dead and the other three with their respective powers. Sue gets hers when trying to bring them back.

What I have just told you is more than half the movie. If you think that that is spoiler-y, let me tell you, there is nothing to ruin about this movie. The climax of this movie happened so suddenly and so soon, that I turned to my friend and said "I think it's finishing". That's because this movie has a big problem with time. Both the shortness of the film itself (it's only 99 minutes) and what it does with that run time. It is about an hour of build up to when the characters get their powers, barely any time to develop the characters, first appearance of the villain (surprise it's Doctor Doom) and then death of main villain. All up I think there are two major action sequences and they don't last very long.

Despite the lack of character and action, the design of the film is pretty nice to look at. All four have a great design in their post accident bodies, but particularly that of Ben Grimm. In the last movies, he was just Michael Chiklis in a rubber suit, so making the character CGI is a big improvement. Also Doctor Doom's design is pretty cool (he has been fused with his spacesuit). While we're on the subject of Doctor Doom, why do all the film iterations try to give him the same origin of powers as the others. He's a witch doctor from Latveria (although they do make an attempt to hint at that).

The actors in this movie don't really get time to develop much of a character at all. Miles Teller disappears for a large chunk of the film, Kate Mara acts rather moody and Michael B. Jordan tries hard (but I feel his best stuff probably ended up on the cutting room floor). Pre transformation Jamie Bell is quite good, but then his performance is lost in the CGI. Toby Kebbell is the same, as he usually gives quite nuanced performances. Reg E. Cathey however will never live up to his character of Martin Querns on Oz though.

Basically just a tease at what could have been a rich exploration into what might have been, Fantastic Four falls dramatically short of any semblance of a good superhero movie.

Filth

The works of Irvine Welsh have always tackled addiction in the most confronting ways. Filth is no different. It has all the hallmarks of an Irvine Welsh story; the snappy dialogue, the scathing commentary on Scottish life and the drugs. Oh, those drugs.

Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy) is a Detective Sergeant in the Edinburgh with high aspirations. After the murder of a Japanese student, he is offered the position of Detective Inspector if he solves the crime. Meanwhile, he sabotages the efforts of his colleagues, who are also after the position, and makes the life of his Masonic brother, Bladesey (Eddie Marsan), hell.

Underneath all the madness, Filth is a pretty funny movie. Bruce is a horrible person, but he is also charming as hell and it's easily understandable how he gets away with things that he does. This is made more apparent by McAvoy's excellent portrayal of the character. McAvoy possesses the right amount of skill to play such a character. His chemistry with the rest of the cast, in particular Marsan, is electric. Never before has there been a more reprehensible corrupt police officer portrayed on film (Harvey Keitel is still playing catch up in my book). Much like how Daniel Craig played a likeable villain before he scored the role of James Bond, I see the same future for McAvoy.

The rest of the cast did a superb job, although they were all relegated to minor characters next to the powerhouse that is Bruce Robertson. Jamie Bell (of Billy Elliott fame) did a superb job of playing rookie cop Ray Lennox, Imogen Poots is fantastic as rival detective Amanda Drummond and stalwart of British cinema, Jim Broadbent is hilarious as Dr. Rossi, who I think was supposed to be Australian, but I'm not sure.

Verdict: All in all an entertaining journey into the messed up mind of a coke addicted cop who needs some serious help. Also has a great cameo with David Soul, who was the original Hutch in the Starsky and Hutch TV series.