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Fantastic Four 1994 Movie
The world knows about the 2005 Fantastic Four movie, starring Jessica Alba (Sue Storm), Chris Evans (Johnny Storm), Michael Chiklis (Ben Grim) and Ioan Gruffudd (Reed Richadrs). It had a 100 million dollar budget and grossed 329 million worldwide. Its sequel, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, was given a 130 million dollar budget and released 2 years later. What most people don’t know, outside the comic book fan world, is that there was a movie made and never released in 1994. According to a Stan Lee interview by Kevin James, the movie was never meant to be released. The studio made the film for the purpose of maintaining the film rights to the characters. This was kept secret, even from the cast and crew. The cast and crew agreed to work on the film for lower salaries because they were told if the film was not released, it would be used as a pilot instead. Constantin Films ploy worked, because they were able to hold onto the right and make the 2005 blockbuster movie 10 years later.
Constantine Films was manipulative and insensitive to the artist who worked on this film. The cast took time for press interviews and participated in several comic book conventions to plug this movie, that the studio had no intention of releasing. The studio finally claimed they did not have the 40 million needed to fully render the film and get it ready for theatrical release.
Cast
Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic: Alex Hyde White
Susan Storm/Invisible Woman: Rebecca Staab
Johnny Storm/Human Torch: Jay Underwood
Ben Grimm: Michael Bailey Smith
The Thing: Carl Ciarfalio
Victor Von Doom/Dr. Doom: Joseph Culp
Jeweler/(Mole Man): Ian Trigger
Alicia Masters: Kat Green
About The Videos
The following is the original 1994 Fantastic Four movie. It is broken up into 10 minute section so you can get up and take breaks. It is hard to sit through for the entire film. I have added my own Mystery Science Theater comments after each video along with some Trivia. This movie is best watched and mocked amongst friends.
*If you wish to watch the entire movie uninterrupted, I have included it at the bottom of this article.
Part 1
After 3 minutes of credits we are introduced to George Gaynes. If Commandant Lassard from the Police Academy movies doesn’t bring respectability to this film, I am not sure what will. There will be many, many, many wonderful moments ahead.
Did Victor Doom forget his lines or was he having a stroke?
Gee....do you think the guys playing chess might be up to something?
What is up with the after school special music when introducing the Storms?
Should long time comic fans of the Fantastic Four be worried of the statutory issues that might be occurring with the casting of Sue Storm?
There is nothing like a little melodramatic music that crescendos the moment they shake hands to foreshadow bad, bad, bad things to come.
Part 2
Does anybody else get the feeling that the composers for this film may have worked on too many soap operas?
Hey, it’s the guy playing chess! Who saw that one coming? Wait...we all did.
Life lesson, when you think your friend has died in the hospital everybody seems to disappear from a once busy hallway.
It took 10 years and we now have the recognizable gray streaks on the side of Reed Richards hair.
I am thinking that they cast Ben Grimm for his size and not his amazing acting talents. I have seen high school plays with more believable laughter.
Thank goodness they recast Susan Storm. I was getting worried.
Say Cheese! Perfect! Great snapshot of the Fantastic Four.
Right now, Doctor Doom is looking more like Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget.
So...Reed Richards seems to be mesmerized by Susan Storm and Ben Grimm is enchanted by a blind women with a statue. Hmm....is there going to be romance in this film?
Part 3
Just so you know, this movie is four years after Ghost with Patrick Swayze and 6 years before Entrapment with Catherine Zeta-Jones. That makes the clay sculpting scene a little more disturbing and the laser avoidance a little less cheesy.
Did you notice how the lift off sequence had a futuristic spaceship, yet the close up of the engines was stock footage of a US space shuttle rocket? That is what we like to call continuity.
Hard to believe those space explosion sequences took place 15 year after Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica. Special effects really do grow by leaps and bounds. Wait....no...those effects are outdone by people creating their own videos on YouTube.
Part 4
The effects may be dated, but they did a pretty good job on their powers (for the time).
Seriously, how hard can it be to consistently put soot on an actor’s face. The dirt on their faces keeps moving around; sometime they are clean, other times they are filthy, and the streaks are never in the same place twice. It is like their dirt make up is a snowflake. No two shots are exactly alike.
I think Alicia Masters might be a little too infatuated with a guy she just met for less than a minute. That clay can’t taste that good.
Part 5
We have just witnessed superhero physics. When a male superhero mutates into a large creature, the pants will remain intact but the shirt will be missing.
Most of this films 1.5 million dollar budget went to The Thing’s costume.
Oooohhhhhh that’s not Mole Man, it’s the Jeweler! Wait....the Jeweler... who is that?
Part 6
Did you catch the gripping action sequence? Even the 1960’s Batman television series gave us a few Pows! Bangs! and Whams! They just cut right to the spinning scene change. It must have been to save money on the amazing Latveria castle, background.
It is good to know that Doom’s scientist wear rain ponchos? Keep that in mind if you ever need to infiltrate his fortress.
I believe they had Doctor Doom take a mime class before filming. He is more animated than Jim Carrey.
It’s Clobberin Time. Finally, after an hour we get to see the Fantastic Four in action. The Thing using his brute strength to demolish the competition, the Invisible Woman tricking opponents into hitting each other (they were being shot, if you couldn’t tell by the way they were shaking), the Human Torch using his cartoon flame and Mr. Fantastic tripping a string of bad guys with no depth perception.
Part 7
This After School Special had been brought to you buy Marvel. Make your weaknesses your strengths. Got it! Did you know with great power, comes great responsability?
Holy crossover comic universes Batman. Did DC give them permission to say that?
It was very nice of all the people who got shot to fall down the one hole in the entire area. That makes cleaning up much easier and creates a cool sound effect when people fall for a really long time.
Part 8
I love you!!!! Where did that come from? Did I miss something like them dating or having more than one 30 second meeting?
Worst transformation ever! (Said in Comic Guy’s voice)
Now that Doctor Doom has a blind captive, he is sensitive to the needs of disadvantaged individual. He used sign language during his communication, incase any deaf or hard of hearing people are watching his transmission. See, he is not such a bad guy.
UFO!!!!!! No, its the Fantasti-Car. I was a little confused because it was just brought in without any explanation.
Here’s an idea. Don’t clump together when you are entering an enemy’s fortress.
Green crystals....is that Kryptonite?
Part 9
There you have it. One of the biggest Villains in the Marvel Universe and it takes three punches to take him down. If we had only known he had a glass jaw.
I will not say anything about the green bolt hitting the Human Torch. I will leave that to your own imagination.
At least Sue Storm put on a Wedding Dress to get married. Apparently the Fantastic Four uniforms are very versatile. They can be worn to work or to formal occasions.
Conclusion
The movie was rushed, the effects were terrible, the acting was stiff, but the elements were all present. This could have been a great movie if it was given the attention is deserved. It was more loyal to the characters than many other big budget superhero movies. A lot of things came out of nowhere but the Baxter Building, Fantasti-Car, and many other elements from the comics were incorporated into the story.
Which Fantastic Four Movie is your favorite.
Entire Movie
Below is the entire movie with not cuts. The video quality is good enough to watch in full screen.