A Long & Overdue Review of Oppenheimer

“Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to man.

For this he was chained to a rock and tortured for eternity.”

This is the text that is overlayed against a large plume of fire, signifying the start of director Christopher Nolan’s 3 hour spectacle Oppenheimer. Adapted from American Prometheus, written by Kai Bird & Martin J. Sherwin, the film follows key moments in Oppenheimer’s life, from his studies in Cambridge to his recruitment as head of the Los Alamos, one key group that worked on The Manhattan project and the aftermath of the devastating implementation of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, effectively ending the Second World War. There are no action sequences or bombastic visual effects, but Oppenheimer is a biopic expertly disguised as a thriller. Nolan will likely garner his 2nd Best Director nomination, as well as for Best Adapted Screenplay. It has the potential of being the most nominated film of the year, earning nominations for Best Actor (Murphy), Supporting Actor (Downey, Jr), Supporting Actress (Blunt), score, cinematography, sound design, production design, costume/makeup, et cetera.

I have seen this film once in conventional IMAX and in its truest form, IMAX 70mm (a 12 hour affair for me, traveling alone) so I would have ample opportunity to fully process my thoughts on this film and why it is my favorite film of the year (so far).

Performances – Fantastic performances throughout this film and unexpected cameos from Academy award winning actors I did not expect to see (Rami Malek, Gary Oldman, Casey Affleck). Cillian Murphy is a frequent collaborator with Nolan and this the first film he has done with him that sees him in the lead role. Murphy is fully committed to the role and does help he bears a striking resemblance to his real-life counterpart. Matching Oppenheimer’s mannerisms, even down to his speaking cadence, Murphy showcases why he is one of the best working actors today. Emily Blunt is fantastic as Kitty Oppenheimer, Robert’s compass in keeping him focused on his momentous task, despite having ample reason to take the kids and run. Matt Damon as General Leslie Groves, the man responsible for recruiting Oppenheimer and the talent around developing the atomic bomb. Damon offers moments of levity in a very weighty and intense film. Florence Pugh, in her limited screen time plays Jean Tatlock, the young woman who had an on and off relationship with Oppenheimer. Tatlock was an accomplished psychiatrist but it was not explored in favor of focusing more on Tatlock and Oppenheimer’s ties to the American Communist Party. Pugh’s interpretation of the character shades her as a very troubled and reluctant young woman. Tatlock in this film was not afraid to get what she wants, but she was very apprehensive to the prospect of love and commitment. Josh Hartnett, Alden Ehrenreich, Dane DeHaan, Benny Safdie, David Krumholtz…I could go down the board of actors/actresses that gave great performances in this film. Yet, I believe Robert Downey Jr as Lewis Strauss, gives quite arguably the best performance of his career, at least since 2005’s Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. Oscar buzz is surrounding this film and I am sure that RDJ will garner a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance along with other actors in this film (Murphy, Blunt).

Score – In his second outing with Nolan (first is 2020’s Tenet), Ludwig Gorannson delivers a haunting and heart pounding score that greatly complements the film. Stirring, haunting and atmospheric, Gorannson is rapidly cementing his place as one of film’s most prolific composers working today. With most film scores that left a lasting impact on my movie going experience, I immediately downloaded the score on Apple Music. With his work on Tenet, The Mandalorian, Black Panther and this film, Gorannson definitely earns his place as one of my favorite film composers working today.

Technical Aspects – To match the tense and often terrifying moments during Oppenheimer’s plight as project director of the Los Alamos site in The Manhattan Project, the sound is often delayed and amplified to fully immerse the audience into each situation. The Trinity test is an amazing testament to Nolan and crew’s commitment to practical effects. The ‘pep rally’ scene offers the greatest example of the film’s craftsmanship hitting at all cylinders. The sequence teeters on horror as the sounds of foot stomping sounds eerily similar to a locomotive operating at full steam. It was unnerving and really drove home the feeling of guilt and anguish over launching these weapons of mass destruction. In no way is this sequence meant to glorify this act and Nolan makes doubly sure to accentuate that point with this sequence.

Screenplay – From interviews that the actors and Nolan have held prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike, one important detail when discussing the script stood out to me. According to Matt Damon, who plays General Leslie Groves, the screenplay was written in the point of view of Oppenheimer’s. It adds more context to use of black and white, which signified that these events happened. In comparison, the rest of the film is painted objectively from Oppenheimer’s thought process or POV. Obviously, we do not know what Oppenheimer felt during these moments, but I believe it really does a fantastic job of showing how flawed and unpredictable Oppenheimer was during his prolific career. Oppenheimer doesn’t paint our titular protagonist as a hero or a villain. It allows us to formulate our thoughts into who he was, which is a great telltale sign of how impactful a film can be.

Overall, I really feel this is the top contender for Best Picture of the year. Martin Scorsese’s Killers of The Flower Moon looks incredible, as does Dune Part Two (if it isn’t delayed to 2024) but Oppenheimer is such an important film. It is a biopic disguised as a psychological thriller. Nolan is one of my favorite directors working today, meaning that I would gladly go the theater to see a film directed by him, regardless of the story or premise. There are only a few directors that fit that specific distinction for me but Nolan has shown time and time again in his career that he has more than earned his reputation for making intellectually challenging event films. If you are interested in the subject matter, go see this film in IMAX. I walked out of my theater speechless and barely recorded a YouTube reel briefly sharing my initial thoughts. I haven’t had many theater going experiences where it has compelled me to write a more detailed script for sharing my thoughts. As most logical people have done, completely disregard Logan Paul and go into it with an open mind. A film carrying the title of Oppenheimer with a three hour runtime will have a lot of dialogue in it, but it is so much more than that. If you elect to do the Barbenheimer double feature, I recommend watching Oppenheimer first then Barbie for a bit of a pick-me-up.

My Feelings After Playing 80+ Hours in Starfield

Full disclosure: I got the premium edition of the game for purchasing a new AMD graphics card. I made this choice when Bethesda Game Studios announced their partnership with AMD for the most optimized version of the game on PC.

I am not a big fan of games developed by Bethesda Game Studios. I have invested a few dozens hours collectively into Skyrim, Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 with varying levels of enjoyment. I know this is blasphemous in terms of open-world RPGs but I could never get fully invested into each game. I was skeptical when Starfield was announced back in 2018 but that skepticism changed to cautious optimism with the developer showcase that took place earlier this year. B.G.S. is known for its craftsmanship in creating new worlds and lore for each of its titles so the prospect of the studio with Todd Howard leading his passion project intrigued me (a project 25 years in the making). Commandeering a spacecraft in exploring an unknown galaxy and its planets in the B.G.S. style sounded like a must play, despite my trepidation with other games in their catalog. Starfield is an ambitious undertaking with a lot of passion intertwined with several aspects of the game. Yet, there were too many glaring issues and often lazy decisions in design and dialogue that hindered my enjoyment of this game from being a must play to a wait until it is on sale or, in the case of Microsoft owned studios, perfect game to try on Xbox Game Pass.

Starfield contains the fewest bugs out of any Bethesda title, which is an achievement on its own merit. The modding community for B.G.S.’ most beloved titles have flourished over the last few years and have breathed new life into the games. Starfield has a modding community but not as robust as Skyrim or Fallout 4 so it remains to be seen how well the game will fare after a few more months. The character creation is the most fleshed-out and thoughtful one I’ve used in a B.G.S. game to date. It interested me enough to spend more time in deciding on my character’s background, perks and traits (Hero Worshipped and Kid Stuff being personal standouts). The role-playing aspect in the initial 12-15 hours was really immersive as I became more invested in the story and my interactions with companions (Sarah Morgan, IYKYK). Combat on the ground was smooth and with the inclusion of the jet pack, players were afforded more opportunities to be creative in dispatching enemies on various set pieces throughout the game. Space combat was a bit of a mixed bag for me. It was fun to fly through space, taking out spacers and pirates looking to either claim or annihilate my spacecraft. However, there were only a handful of battles that felt challenging enough. There were even fewer instances where the rewards were worthwhile in pursuing when I took out an enemy ship.

Weapon variety was pretty basic, with 4 levels set for each type of weapon. If only B.G.S. took a page out of Gearbox Software’s book with weapon scaling in Borderlands or even Bungie with Destiny. There were only a handful of weapons that I used predominantly throughout my time with the game. Keeping up with the various types of ammunition that is weapon specific was a frustrating task to undertake. This forced me to often switch to a more standardized weapon that had a large amount of ammo. In return, this produced the least amount of damage against enemies as they seemingly soaked up bullets as sponges. BioWare introduced the use of thermal clips in their weapons with Mass Effect 1 and expounded upon it in the sequel. A more streamlined approach was needed for ammo and weapons in a game set 300 years into the future where humanity now presides. The UI and Inventory management was cumbersome to navigate and keep track of. People make a big point of being able to pickup any and everything in a B.G.S. game where looting is involved. Being a packrat is often punished by limiting travel, which is ridiculous and defeats the purpose of the jet pack. Why not set limits to the amount of fuel that is available when leap frogging on terrain? Instead, we are forced to move at a snail’s pace when traversing a planet.

Exploration was not as expansive as most of us were anticipating. Fast travel usually unlocks when a player first discovers a new area or landmark, opening up a significant part of a map. I did not expect to be subjected to loading screen after loading screen when arriving to or departing from a planet. Hello Games’ work on No Man’s Sky, a game that made its debut years ago allowed players to enter a planet’s atmosphere from orbit. Flying through space in that game felt immersive and really helped sell the prospect of discovering unexplored planets, even though the studio failed to deliver on its lofty promises. The insistence of installing Starfield on a solid state drive on PC seemed pointless as the simple act of entering or exiting a room or ship was followed by a loading screen. The lack of a land vehicle (similar to Mass Effect’s Mako or Andromeda’s Nomad are key examples) to traverse the barren and repetitive planets really deterred me from fully exploring a planet unless it played a role in progressing the story (main or faction).

Shipbuilding is intuitive but difficult to master. I may be in the minority here but I felt a bit overwhelmed in using the shipbuilding mechanic. I understand B.G.S.’ approach in allowing players the freedom to dive in and figure it out themselves but it would have been helpful to feature a more in-depth tutorial in managing and ultimately constructing a ship. I have often scrolled through YouTube finding videos that do a great job of explaining and showcasing how to build a ship in Starfield.

Lastly, the writing in key aspects of the story fell flat for me. I was intrigued initially by a few of the side quests and factions that are introduced in the story but it felt a bit too similar to Deus Ex Machina, with the concept of parallel universes and ultimately having no choice but to follow one path defined by the game. When I make major decisions in a side quest or main story mission, I anticipated hearing more diverse opinions from my companions. Instead, I was often greeted with similar opinions across the board. I did enjoying interacting with and learning more about the companions, but the ones who stood out to me were namely Sarah Morgan, Walter Stroud and Barrett. Despite this, most of the companions’ loyalty quests wrapped up with no clear resolution and were often anti-climatic. The cinematic framing of characters during dialogue and key story moments was static and uninventive, with NPCs and companions I interacted with were positioned in awkward angles and took a couple of seconds to adjust themselves in the correct position. With NG+, the notion of undertaking 5 or more play throughs for a variation of alternate universes seems too much like a fever dream instead of creative license. While some of them are humorous, they do not add much to the overall makeup of the main story. I would probably do an additional play through before the DLC for Starfield releases to see if the events in Shattered Spaces adds to or detracts from the overall narrative.

If you have PC Game Pass, it is worth checking out. If you are an unapologetic Bethesda Game Studios fan, Starfield will scratch the itch for main-line RPGs since 2015’s Fallout 4. For people like myself who are not diehard fans, Starfield has a lot of good but it is littered with repetitive gameplay, cumbersome UI and inventory management, often bland and barren planets, and uneven story elements. From my time with the game, Starfield would have an important game and a highly touted sci-fi RPG…if it released in 2013, not 2023. Instead of being innovative in elements that are familiar to gamers, B.G.S. played it safe, which came across as lazy and uninspired.

A Very Long and Overdue Review for Zack Snyder’s Justice League

This review was written on 3/23/2021.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League – My Thoughts

This was an epic film. The 4 hours went by so fast that it felt like a standard 2 hour film. Zack Snyder is a visionary filmmaker and has one of the most unique approaches to filmmaking. He is one of the filmmakers who seemingly pulls stills or images from comic books and graphic novels and present them in all of their glory. It truly was a break taking experience from start to finish and demolishes the 2017 movie that will forever be known as ‘Josstice League’. I truly regret giving that version a glowing review, knowing what we know now about the arduous journey Zack Snyder had to walk in order for his true vision to be realized. Here is a rundown of everything I loved about Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

• Much more character development – #IStandWithRayFisher
• It is vastly different from the 2017 movie – 20% of Zack Snyder’s was used in theatrical cut, but these same scenes are given more context, time to breathe and more depth. The beats are technically the same, but the choices in editing and shot composition help bolster Snyder’s vision. Plus, the action scenes are extended and feel more visceral and fast paced. This film earns its R-rating and then some.
• The 4:3 aspect ratio – A more complete view of the scenes, made for IMAX screens, which may happen one day once it is safe to do so.
• Steppenwolf is more of a threat and a tragic character – From the design of his armor (a living machine that attaches to his body) to his eyes, Steppenwolf is a stark contrast to the generic and less memorable villain.
• The score was incredible – Junkie XL’s original score was scrapped in place of Danny Elfman’s nostalgia inducing score. While it was cool to hear the iconic John Williams’ Superman theme and the classic Batman theme from the late 80s to mid 90s, Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL’s score for MOS, BVS were grandiose, stirring and are a part of my constant rotation of my Motivation playlist on Apple Music.
• Character cameos/revelations – A character that has been a part of Snyder’s DCEU trilogy is revealed and offered one of many jaw dropping moments. Another key character that will have some interaction with the Justice League is Ryan Choi, better known as The Atom. Two Green Lanterns make an appearance in this film, with one during the history lesson that shows the old gods, Amazonians, Atlanteans and humanity battle Uxas, before he becomes the OP Darkseid we all know and fear. A third would have appeared if not for WB vetoing his appearance since they have plans for the characters. I am 100% certain it was John Stewart, not Hal Jordan (played by Ryan Reynolds) as Snyder reveal that he shot a scene with an actor but we may not get a chance to see the footage, finished with VFX or otherwise.
• For Autumn – The #RTSC movement has been labeled toxic by WOKE media by placing this label on the majority of fans who spread a lot of goodwill while championing this cause. The #RTSC raised over $500,000 for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), a charity near and dear to Zack and Deborah Snyder. The Snyder family experienced an unfathomable loss when their daughter Autumn Snyder sadly took her own life while Zack was working on the film. Understandably, he and his wife/producing partner Deborah Snyder stepped down from production. The studio then brought in Joss Whedon, who for geek culture and fandom, was a god, creating Buffy The Vampire Slayer (tv series), Firefly, and was the director of the biggest landmark superhero film at the time, The Avengers. Due to his success, the studio execs at WB thought he was a perfect fit and using this as an opportunity to ‘fix the DCEU’, had Whedon retool the script and reshoot footage to match a more lighthearted tone. The result: a middling movie that was drastic shift in tone with questionable visual effects (mustache-gate, Steppenwolf) and gratuitous butt shots and innuendos (thirstiest reporter, Flash laying on the top of an unconscious Wonder Woman) that were created in, by all accounts, a toxic and unprofessional work environment. The rest when it comes to the studio’s indifference and inaction while allegations were being levied borders on comedic. Warner Bros has always been heralded as the film studio that respects the director’s vision and has cultivated a long standing relationship with some of the greatest filmmakers working today, including Christopher Nolan and Clint Eastwood. Yet, it took them the better part of 4 years to fund and release a cut of a film from a director whose two previous films (MOS, BVS) have grossed $1.5 billion dollars in the global box office. Being an aspiring filmmaker, I always wanted to work with WB if I ever had the opportunity to create and develop one of my screenplays into a feature film. While that dream still exists, it will have to manifest at another film studio. Hopefully WarnerMedia and AT&T will see reason and the potential billions of dollars they will make by restoring the Snyder-verse. If the DCEU is embracing the multiverse now, why can’t Snyder’s vision co-exist with the other films and television projects slated to arrive? #RestoreTheSnyderVerse

Review: AUKEY USB C 10,000mAh Power Bank with 18W PD & QC 3.0 (PB-Y22)

The AUKEY USB C 10,000mAh Power Bank is the next review I have on the docket today, thanks to the good folks at AUKEY. This particular power bank is future proof, with the utilization of USB Type C being used to charge this peripheral. That being said, this power bank can be used to charge any device you may carry, whether you carry a smartphone or Type C compatible device. Included with the PB-Y22 is a USB Type C cable, user manual, and a 24 month warranty/product replacement information.

The PB-Y22 is compact, but has a significant weight to it, which shows that this power bank is well built and sturdy. However, it does not fit comfortably in my front or back jeans pocket in the event of carrying it around during daily use. There are four ports on the device, including one input for lightning cables, one micro USB input, one USB C input/output port and the traditional USB output port for quick charging and USB PD. The PB-Y22 also includes a tactile and responsive power button, which in turn shows the LED indicator on the front of the power bank, showing the amount of juice available in the device.

USB PD, or USB Power Delivery, is a new charging standard which allows users the ability to charge a wider range of USB C or USB PD-compatible devices.

While the PB-Y22 is compatible with iOS devices, it is better utilized with USB Type C compatible devices, namely the items I used during the course of my testing period, my 2016 MacBook Pro with Retina Display (13-inch, with Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports) and iPhone XR, 256 GB in Black. Included with my MacBook Pro is the standard power brick and a USB Type C cable (or Thunderbolt cable) to charge the notebook computer. The PB-Y22 is a compact, lightweight and clutter-free alternative for MacBook Pro users like myself who, at times, are in a rush and don’t necessarily want to carry the ridiculously long USB C cable and power brick. Although using the PB-Y22 and the included USB C cable does reduce the amount of space in your travel bag, the cable’s length does not offer much wiggle room, which forces the user to have their MacBook Pro stationary while it is charging.

Using the PB-Y22 with my iPhone XR is pretty self explanatory. Utilizing the quick charge port with a standard lightning to USB cable, the charging capabilities of the PB-Y22 were very impressive. After heavy use of my smartphone, the battery life was at 70% by the end of the day. Connecting my iPhone to this power bank, it charged my iPhone XR to full capacity in less than 50 minutes. Even though this was a small sample size, the amount of time needed to top off my phone battery was sufficient to justify making this power bank my daily driver in my EDC (everyday carry). The only caveat, as with all power banks, is the need of extra cables to charge devices that are not USB C compatible. It would be great if a USB C/Lightning/Micro USB cable was included, allowing the user to seamlessly switch between power sources.

In conclusion, the PB-Y22 is a compact and hefty power bank that will tick most of the boxes for potential users looking for an affordable and reliable USB C compatible power bank to charge their devices. While it is best suited for USB C, the PB-Y22 will work seamlessly with iOS devices. At the MSRP of $32.99 (via Amazon), this is a great, mid-tier power bank for consumers who commute daily and need an external charger that will offer great value and features for the price. #TEAMTECHKEY

Treat yourself: AUKEY USB C 10,000mAh Power Bank

Review: Photive PH-BTH3 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

PROS

• The headphones are very comfortable on the ears. I have worn the BTH3’s for approximately two hours while I studied and listened to music. For me, I tend to sweat a little bit around my ears so I experienced a little discomfort after two hours’ time of use. The ear cups are comfortable and soft, made with a soft, rubber like inlay. The ear cups cover both of my ears respectively, creating a nice seal around my ears.

• The bluetooth connectivity is relatively seamless, as it can connect to practically any device with bluetooth capability (My 2015 Macbook Pro, iPhone 5S, iPad Mini 2 and various other devices I’ve tested). By pressing the power button for approximately 5-7 seconds, the center of the right ear cup emits a blue and red led light, blinking intermittently between the two to signify that the headphones are ‘discoverable’. By turning on the bluetooth connection on your device of choice, it will allow you to connect after a simple pairing of the two devices.

• The battery life that Photive touts is fairly accurate, give or take 1 or 2 hours. After charging the rechargeable lithium ion battery that is built into the headphones, The BTH3’s lasted me approximately 12 hours in nonconsecutive use (breaks, naps, listening to music and watching movies, et cetera). Although it is recommended by the manufacturers to let the headphones charge for 12 hours, you can receive a full charge after 2-3 hours.

• The sound quality is very good in my opinion for someone who may not be well versed in audio or has the patience to tweak or alter EQs for their respective music libraries. Crisp and clear sound on midrange, lows and highs when I tested it, using a varied array of music and movies.

CONS

• You can’t use the headphones while they are charging. This is a minor inconvenience since you can switch to a wired connection thanks to the included 3.5mm audio cable that was provided.

• The headphones are non-collapsible, which is once again another small gripe due in large part to the fact that they can be laid flat and can be housed in the included and quite durable carrying case.

• The bass playback leaves a little to be desired. For audiophiles, this may be a deal breaker if you are looking for a reasonably priced pair of headphones.

• Using the headphones as a handsfree device works, but the sound quality of your phone calls sound a bit ‘distant’ in comparison to holding your phone to your ear.

VERDICT: For $50, the Photive PH-BTH3 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones are a great pair of starter headphones for someone who enjoys travel and wants to reduce the wire clutter in their day to day routine. Comfortable, durable and with mostly satisfying sound quality, these set of cans will serve one nicely if they are looking for solid, but not extravagant audio technology.

Fantastic Four: How Bad Is It?

FANT4STIC FOUR REVIEW

(Yes, I actually took the time to see this movie in a theater).

What I Liked:

The first half of the movie was solid. I could really see Josh Trank’s vision for FF front and center (Cronenberg, horror elements).
Reed Richards’ motivations for building the intergalactic teleportation device are clear.
Most of the special effects were well done, especially with The Thing and Johnny Storm.
Doom’s return to Earth was an interesting sequence (surprisingly violent) to introduce Von Doom’s alter ego. Alas, it was probably the end of Trank’s input into the film.

What I Didn’t Like:

Half-baked character development, specifically with Victor Von Doom and the Storm family. The Storm family didn’t feel like much of one when the three of them interacted with each other. I didn’t believe their relationship, which caused me to have no real attachment to any of the characters and their respective conflicts.

No apparent chemistry with the cast. It seems that a lot of the character interactions were left on the cutting room floor. It seems that at after the first half of the movie (45 minutes in or so), the actors and filmmakers lost interest. I responded in kind by turning off my brain for the rest of the movie.

There were no real action set pieces; This is coming from the studio that developed the X-Men movie franchise, which are arguably some of the best comic book movies in the industry. The coolest sequence in the trailers (The Thing dropping from a fighter jet) was not in the movie. I also understand that 3 key sequences were cut from the movie just days before the film started production. In the best case scenarios, filmmakers are given at least a few weeks or so notice of this due to budget constraints or other factors.

Victor Von Doom is a shell of himself. Gone is the regal and the pretentious heir apparent of Latveria. In his place is a bitter and love-sick tech genius spewing some anarchistic trappings about humanity destroying Earth and the need for us to be removed from it. His desire for a relationship with Sue Storm is never clearly fleshed out, save for one scene when he looks on with jealousy when Sue and Reed are apparently bonding over some random thing (I don’t remember what).

Doom’s overall look was not very menacing. I can understand the practicality of how his body/armor came to fruition, but I thought the filmmakers would give more credence into the fact that Doom was inspired by Death. In the current run of the comics, Doom has fashioned himself into a god, referring to himself as ‘God Emperor Doom’. Doom has never had a penchant for the total annihilation of Earth, just his desire to conquer it. Doctor Doom, if done correctly can be a villain on par with Loki, in terms of his intellect and mastery of the dark arts, but the filmmakers dropped the ball on this interpretation. Marvel’s best villain to date is Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk/Kingpin on the Netflix/Marvel show Daredevil. A common criticism of most Marvel films , whether or not they are a part of Disney, is that the villains are a bit underwhelming (Obadiah Stane, Whiplash, Aldrich Killian, Malekith, Silver Samurai, Ronan the Destroyer to name a few).

The ‘Green Lantern’ effect. This is in reference to the 2011 film Green Lantern. There was no emotional buildup in the film when Hal Jordan returns to Earth to fight Parallax. The same problem severely mars FF. We never see how the characters cope with their new found abilities. There is no sense of doom as we know that the Fantastic Four will win the day and survive.

This is a worser film than the previous incarnations starring Ioan Gruffold, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis and Julian McMahon. Even though the films were cheesy, there was action, story and humor in the films. None of these elements existed in this movie. The jokes that they attempted to showcased fell flat and the dialogue was forced, sometimes very trite.

FINAL VERDICT: D-

Despite a promising opening, Fantastic Four falls flat and fails to tell an intriguing, memorable and entertaining story. Half-baked character development, boring action set-pieces and feigned chemistry between the actors is prevalent throughout this movie, causing me (and many moviegoers) to disconnect myself from the story. Do not make the same mistake I did and waste your money on going to see this in the theaters; Redbox would be more appropriate, if you’re feeling dangerous.