First Glance: Fantastic Four’s The Thing Revealed
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Thus far, Fox’s Fantastic Four marketing campaign has focused on keeping everything about the movie under wraps and shying away from revealing any of the team’s powers. All we’ve gotten to date is that really odd trailer that doesn’t make any of us want to actually see the movie. Yesterday, we got out first poster of the team from the back, with all the characters Photoshopped to reveal their respective abilities. Still, no good look at The Thing.
However, thanks to an image of the international banner posted by a fan, we’ve got our first real look at the rock-head. We get a better look at the team’s weirdo suits and, more importantly, get The Thing in all his clobberin’ glory.
And he looks…fine. I mean, it’s such a step above the bizarre version played by Michael Chikils in the previous two Fantastic Four live-action films. I’m sure this new Thing will look awesome in action, but I can’t help but feel his face looks like a potato. Or maybe a turnip? Yeah, I think I’m thinking of a turnip.
This version lacks the character’s classic pronounced blocky unibrow. All in all, it’s a suitable design. Obviously fans will never be completely happy, but it’s much better than I was expecting given how…ahem..interesting every thing else about this movie looks.
Fox’s Fantastic Four reboot could possibly be one of the strangest adaptations I’ve ever seen, seemingly veering away from everything that makes these characters so iconic. It looks so very somber, desaturated, and…bland. It looks a bit too existential for a movie where a guy gets stretchy and fights a villain called the Mole Man.
Jamie Bell portrays this version on Ben Grimm, who morphs into The Thing when he and the gang head into an alternate dimension and are affected, gaining abilities. Grimm gets the raw deal and becomes stuck as a giant orange rock monster permanently, while Reed Richards, Sue Storm, and Johnny Storm all gain abilities that they can control.
What do you think about the Thing’s new design? Is Fox’s new reboot doomed?
Clark Allen | Associate Editor