Fannish Fifty #32: that one plot point
Aug. 14th, 2025 08:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elaynaSpoilers for the two Fantastic Four - Silver Surfer movies
Sometimes I watch a movie and think: how did this one plot thing get through what must be an exhaustive script process? Why did no one say: this must change? Usually it’s an action movie, often my amazement is around something the hero does (or doesn’t) do.
In 2007’s The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, there’s a big fight scene at the end between Johnny Storm (with all the Four’s combined powers) and Dr. Doom, but then the Silver Surfer goes off to fight Galactus by himself, with none of the Four helping. There were other flaws in that movie, but that was the one where I was: what?!? The heroes are just hanging around on Earth and letting an alien protect them?!? What kind of bs is this?!?
So that was the first thing I thought when I read that the Silver Surfer would be in the new movie, a hope that they’d be smart enough to involve the Four in the final fight against Galactus. And they were! Galactus comes down to Earth himself and all Four are very involved in fighting him. It's much more satisfying.
But… there’s a baby. At first it’s just a pregnancy, and everyone’s all happy and thrilled and working together getting ready for it. The first 15 minutes or so, I felt like I was watching curtain!fic. Then Sue is heavily pregnant and they go off in space to confront the bad guy and no one frets about Sue going into danger. And I guess that was nice though it felt a bit weird. Sue goes into labor in the midst of the escape and Galactus decides he wants the baby. So the entire rest of the movie, there’s a baby in peril.
I don’t have kids. I never really wanted them, though I always never didn’t want them. I thought it would happen but it didn’t and I’m fine with that. But also…. I hate kids in peril in movies. Or being killed. The doesthedogdie website should have a companion arekidshurtorkilled.
They’re kinda different things really, in that the first movie needed some way for the Four to help with the final fight, and the second movie just…. Needed to not have that entire plot line of a baby-child.
I did really like the visual effects of Mr. Fantastic’s stretching, that was really well done. And I liked the characters, especially Sue and Johnny. I found Reed surprisingly … too grave, I guess. Ben was fine but I didn’t like his face design. Herbie was adorable.
Sometimes I watch a movie and think: how did this one plot thing get through what must be an exhaustive script process? Why did no one say: this must change? Usually it’s an action movie, often my amazement is around something the hero does (or doesn’t) do.
In 2007’s The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, there’s a big fight scene at the end between Johnny Storm (with all the Four’s combined powers) and Dr. Doom, but then the Silver Surfer goes off to fight Galactus by himself, with none of the Four helping. There were other flaws in that movie, but that was the one where I was: what?!? The heroes are just hanging around on Earth and letting an alien protect them?!? What kind of bs is this?!?
So that was the first thing I thought when I read that the Silver Surfer would be in the new movie, a hope that they’d be smart enough to involve the Four in the final fight against Galactus. And they were! Galactus comes down to Earth himself and all Four are very involved in fighting him. It's much more satisfying.
But… there’s a baby. At first it’s just a pregnancy, and everyone’s all happy and thrilled and working together getting ready for it. The first 15 minutes or so, I felt like I was watching curtain!fic. Then Sue is heavily pregnant and they go off in space to confront the bad guy and no one frets about Sue going into danger. And I guess that was nice though it felt a bit weird. Sue goes into labor in the midst of the escape and Galactus decides he wants the baby. So the entire rest of the movie, there’s a baby in peril.
I don’t have kids. I never really wanted them, though I always never didn’t want them. I thought it would happen but it didn’t and I’m fine with that. But also…. I hate kids in peril in movies. Or being killed. The doesthedogdie website should have a companion arekidshurtorkilled.
They’re kinda different things really, in that the first movie needed some way for the Four to help with the final fight, and the second movie just…. Needed to not have that entire plot line of a baby-child.
I did really like the visual effects of Mr. Fantastic’s stretching, that was really well done. And I liked the characters, especially Sue and Johnny. I found Reed surprisingly … too grave, I guess. Ben was fine but I didn’t like his face design. Herbie was adorable.
