Entertainment
Let's Talk About That 'Fantastic Four' Ending
The Fantastic Four reboot goes out of its way to separate itself from its 2005 predecessor and the 2007 follow-up. It's grittier, a little more grounded in reality, but still takes viewers to another dimension — figuratively and literally. As opposed to the origin story told in the comics, the movie has Marvel's first family getting their powers by going to an alternate dimension. Reed Richards (Miles Teller) gains the power of elasticity; Sue Storm (Kate Mara) can render herself and objects around her invisible; her brother Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan) can become a mass of fire; and Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell) is a rock creature with superhuman strength. Not only that, but their arch nemesis, Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell) gets his elemental God-like energy from the accident, too. All make for an action-filled movie, and for a Fantastic Four ending worthy of discussion. (Spoilers ahead!)
Some backup: after the team gets their abilities, they are taken to a secret facility. Much like the X-Men, some see their newfound powers as a problem. Reed escapes because he thinks they are up to no good while Sue, Johnny, and Ben stay behind. The staff at this facility guarantees that they can cure them of their ailments if they do some stuff for them in return — in other words, use them as weapons. As for Von Doom, people think he is dead after he wasn't able to escape the alternate dimension with the others — or is he?
Yup. You guessed it. Homeboy is not dead. When a team travels back to the alternate dimension, they find him in desperate need of medical attention, so they bring him back to the facility only to find out that he is perfectly fine. In fact, he's deadly. He has superhuman powers that he absorbed from the alternate dimension that allow him to basically do whatever he wants. So he goes around the facility killing everyone in his path before he reaches the transporter that will take him back to his "new home." Johnny and Sue's dad, Franklin, tries to stop him, but he kills him too, in front of Johnny and Sue! Things really start to get personal at this point.
Johnny and Sue try to stop him from leaving and even Ben and Reed get in on the action — but none of their tactics work. Doom gets into the transporter to go to the alternate dimension and is followed by the Fantastic Four (although att this point, they haven't given themselves that name yet). When they get there, they discover that before Victor left, he worked his scientific magic to figure out a plan to make the Earth implode... and this is where the Fantastic Four steps their game up and the final showdown finally happens.
They attempt to take him down, but as Ben points out, he's stronger than them. In true leadership form, Reed says that if they work together with their powers combined, they can defeat him. In an impressive showcase of CG-laced superhero power action, they manage to bring Doom down, and while doing so, they save the Earth. All in a day's work for the Fantastic Four. After Doom's defeat, they bargain with the government to no longer be used as weapons and get access to their own facility where they can do their own work. The last scene is them trying to figure out a name for themselves and, it shows their start as a family — a dysfunctional one, but a family nonetheless.
Of course, it ends with the door cracked open for a sequel. The last part, where the team takes down Doom is a great team vs. villain finale, and it's reminiscent of some other great fight sequences in superhero movie history, such as:
X-Men Vs. Magneto In X-Men (2000)
The X-Men will forever be at odds with Magneto, but it was the first movie that established their rivalry — especially with the final stand-off at the Statue of Liberty.
The Incredibles & Frozone Vs. Syndrome In The Incredibles (2004)
Pixar's superhero team are kind of like the Fantastic Four, but more domesticated. Despite that, they gave us one hell of a battle at the end of a movie that is long overdue for a sequel (don't worry, it's coming!)
The Bride Vs. Gogo And The Crazy 88s In Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)
Let's switch it up and give some love this epic fight scene that had one hero fighting a group of villains. It's like watching a ballet... but bloodier.
Hit Girl Vs. Henchmen In Kick Ass (2010)
Foul-mouthed, skilled with a gun and ultra violent —Hit Girl is in need of her own movie.
The Avengers Vs. Ultron In The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
This battle was definitely candy for the eyes, but it didn't compare to...
The Avengers Vs. Loki And The Chitauri Army In The Avengers (2012)
For every fanboy and fangirl out there, this battle scene was what they had been craving since Iron Man. It's simply the best.
I'm sure there are more battles out there that deserve our attention. We can only hope that there will be a Fantastic Four vs. Dr. Doom rematch in the sequel. (C'mon — do you really think he's dead?)
Images: Twentieth Century Fox, Giphy (3)