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CS Weekly Archive> DVD > 06/15/07
Stretched to the Breaking Point
by jason davis
Fantastic Four (Extended Cut)
Screenplay by Mark Frost and Michael France
Based on the Marvel comic book by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
 
 
Like super-powered astrophysicist Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), who can distend and contort his malleable body into any shape, this extended version of Fantastic Four stretches itself rather thin, opting for the "everything plus the Ultimate Nullifier" approach to editing. Though several insightful character moments are reinserted to flesh out the story of four astronauts imbued with superhuman powers that alienate them from the very society they pledge to protect, the new edit robs the movie of pacing and—in one egregious case—logic, when we see two versions of Richards' date with Susan Storm (Jessica Alba) complete with verbatim dialogue. Though the monstrously deformed Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) benefits from some added moments of pathos, the film as a whole suffers, and only the supplements make the re-release worthwhile: a new audio commentary that allows screenwriters Mark Frost (Twin Peaks) and Michael France (Hulk) to offer their thoughts on adapting Marvel's flagship comic for the screen, and the an hour-long documentary featuring comic luminaries such as co-creator Stan Lee discoursing on evolution of the source material.
Fantastic Four (Extended Cut)
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Rated PG-13; 111 min.
$26.98
Buy it now
Jason Davis is the DVD Manager for CS Weekly , a contributing editor for Creative Screenwriting Magazine, and has written for Cinescape.com, MSN.com, and created the TV series Studio 13, which ran on Lorne Michaels' Burly TV network. He lives in the small space left over by his ever-expanding library of books, movies, and music.
Fantastic Four (Extended Cut) courtesy Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
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