Mark Gatiss – Movies of the Soul

Vampire Owl: We should have been the fantastic two.

Vampire Bat: So, you do not wish to include Vampire Penguin and Vampire Panda to make it four.

Vampire Owl: This would be more than enough. Anyone else would make Vampire Alligator and Vampire Crocodile too angry.

Vampire Bat: You can still have a fantastic four plus two.

Vampire Owl: Why would I wish to make too many people become fantastic?

Vampire Bat: Maybe we can develop a team good enough to fight zombies all by ourselves.

Vampire Owl: To fight such mindless creatures, random vampire troops will be enough.

Vampire Bat: We do not have a standing military force anymore.

Vampire Owl: We, the vampires are always military civilians.

Vampire Bat: We are no longer the hunters that we used to be.

[Gets a tea cake and three cups of Valparai tea].

What is the movie about? :: Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) with the ability to extend his body to any lengths, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby) who can be invisible and also generate force fields, Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) with superhuman strength and durability, and Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn) who can control fire and fly, together makes the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four that keeps their Earth safe from evil that tries to keep unleashing on the common people. After after they gained superhuman abilities from exposure to cosmic rays during a space mission as astronauts, they have been appreciated and celebrated by media. The team became celebrities like no other, with on other heroes to rely on on that Earth. Reed’s inventions have improved technology while Sue’s diplomacy has brought peace for most of the world. When Reed and Sue reveal that they are expecting a child, thing could not be any better, with their world even thinking about a kid with superpowers, making it a Fantastic Five team instead of the usual four.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: One day, they witness meteors in the sky, and along with then, a humanoid alien called Silver Surfer (Julia Garner) descends on a surf board. She tells them that Galactus (Ralph Ineson), a gigantic cosmic creature has chosen to consume their planet and that all life on Earth shall perish without leaving any sign of previous existence. He is someone who predates the universe as everyone knows it, existing like a cosmic vampire as well as an unstoppable godlike power lasting for billions of years, feeding on planets. Silver Surfer has been providing Galactus assistance in his objectives in exchange for him sparing her planet. She has been traveling through space on a surfboard in search of the right planets for Galactus to feed on. The team decides to go to space to stop Galactus from coming to Earth and destroying it. They do not feel that this is something they cannot handle, as negotiation was also an option along with fighting just two superpowered aliens.

And what more in to follow as a planet faces total annihilation? :: They track the Silver Surfer’s energy signature and reach a planet which is quickly destroyed by Galactus, only to escape for the devastation at the last moment. The team is found by the Silver Surfer and brought to Galactus, who tells them that it is his need to feed on planets to hunger that has been going on for billions of years. Galactus senses that Reed and Sue’s unborn child has an immense cosmic power and could take on his place, thus freeing him from hunger. He offers to spare their planet in exchange for the child, but the team refuses and escapes to the spaceship. The team, with a tough effort, manages to delay Silver Surfer who was chasing them, and reaches Earth with Sue giving birth during the journey in space. As Reed reveals the details of their encounter with Galactus during a press conference, their decision to save one child over billions of humans on Earth leads to negative opinions on them. People call for the sacrifice of the child, as saving them is what superheroes should do, and one life should not be valuable than billions of lives. As time keeps running out, what can Fantastic Four finally figure out to save both the world and the newborn child?

The defence of The Fantastic Four: First Steps :: The movie has an interesting cast that begins well, except for the emotional lag, as they get into action nicely. The visuals are nothing less than stunning with focus not only on what happens on Earth, with other areas also getting some nice detail. Galactus, his spaceship and Silver Surfer, all look really good. There seems to be a lot of effort to make the whole thing close to comics as well as suitable for the real world in live-action. There are some stunning action scenes which keep the viewers thrilled as danger is that huge with almost no hope left for Earth, as even superheroes just hope and believe rather than go for anything with full confidence. Back on Earth, the retro-style futuristic world is something that will keep us interesting, and the nice use of colours do not cease to amaze us, as a new Earth is brought to us. The fact that origin story is skipped gives us some more time to work with the world, as we do know how these particular superheroes came into being, and the small reminder added in the beginning helps the new viewers too. It is to be noted that any connection made to the superheroes of the other universes is going to make the whole thing so huge.

The claws of flaw :: None of the new cast matches the team of Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis, with Jessica being the one true Invisible Woman as we know them – the new cast still got a long way to establish themselves in their newfound roles. That movie was just classic nostalgia material which could not be matched by that one reboot which came next either. Compared to that which had lots of fun, this movie becomes an emotional absurdity at times, especially related to a kid who is valued more than a billion lives. Even the antagonist’s helper seems to know this and values human lives, as she herself has gone through personal sacrifices to save others. This over-emotional side seems to curse the movie more than anything else, as the cheap melodrama often gets into our heads. The final battle also feels like the four members of the team having too much power against such a godlike cosmic undefeated creature, especially the character of Sue, which feels overdone in not just emotions, but also with the powers and meaningless anger. The characterization and story struggle often shows up as if it needed to be there.

How it finishes :: The superhero team in a fresh universe with a retro-futuristic 1960s model provides this particular movie with a new style, as this one also seems to get the critical appreciation on its favour, even though I would always love the Jessica Alba starrer above others for its simplicity with a classic tale without messing it up with too many misdirected emotions – the reboot never came close after that. There is some bigger action here and real danger, even though the attempts at solving problems seem to be misdirected, and emotional get the weaker side of superhero despite movie trying to make some characters feel too strong. Yet, the team of cast seems to work well as one, and the beauty of the visuals cannot be easily matched, whether on Earth or outside. For a fan of the Fantastic Four series, this version is surely more ambitious, and might mean more when connected with the universe with a sequel or as part of other Marvel movies. As we remember seeing a Fantastic Four spaceship in Thunderbolts, we know that something grand is yet to be seen and Avengers: Infinity War or Avengers: Endgame might not be the biggest Avengers movie on Earth.

Release date: 25th July 2025
Running time: 114 minutes
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Julia Garner, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, Ralph Ineson

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Vampire Owl :: None of our undead doctors have approved of this movie.

Vampire Bat :: That will not be a problem at all, because neither have the critics.

Vampire Owl :: So, we should still watch this one?

Vampire Bat :: As long as there is no ban, we can surely do that.

Vampire Owl :: Thankfully, we are not from a realm where there are bans on certain types of food, cinema and clothing.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, unlike these humans who are elected for no reason, Uncle Dracula is a lenient and intelligent ruler. Even the brain-dead Lich Queen knows better.

Vampire Owl :: We should let the clever film makers from the human side to work on their movies here.

Vampire Bat :: Yes, that will also be a big bonus for tourism; all is well as long as they keep their hatred, vanity, greed and envy outside our realms.

Vampire Owl :: And to avoid any temptation for the vampires, they should lock their necks, especially those veins…

Vampire Bat :: Stop! I am going to pretend that I never really heard that!

[Gets three cups of tea with tapioca chips].

What is it about? :: The tale begins and goes through the perspective of a nameless hunchback (Daniel Radcliffe) who works as the clown in a circus. He has been part of the circus for so long, and is more of a property of the circus, treated badly by most of the people there. But he secretly reads books that are stolen, mostly related to science, particularly human anatomy. He has feelings for an aerialist, Lorelei (Jessica Brown Findlay) who is injured during one of the shows. With no hope for her survival after falling from a good height, the hunchback tries his best to do anything, and at that exact moment, is aided by a stranger known by the name Victor Frankenstein (James McAvoy) who was attending the circus performance. Both succeeds in saving the girl who is taken to a hospital. This becomes the turning point in the life of the hunchback.

So what happens next? :: Victor Frankenstein has been a very ambitious medical student who has been working on something special. His aim has always been to make a discovery that would change the future. He has been scarred by his earlier experiences and wishes to make amends with his father (Charles Dance) who thinks that he is good for nothing and will never be anywhere close to his brother. He wanted to create life, and fascinated by a simple, uneducated hunchback’s knowledge in human anatomy, decides to recruit him for the cause as his assistant, and make things better and easier. So, he plans and manages a grand escape for the hunchback whom he names Igor, after his former room-mate. He drains the new assistant’s hump with his expertise and successfully hides him as the room-mate that he once had.

How does the journey go? :: The newly named Igor instantly impresses Victor, and they realize that they can go a long way forward. The police inspector Roderick Turpin (Andrew Scott) who investigates the disappearance of the hunchback realizes that something strange is going on, and it is against God. Considering Victor’s experiments as sins and his creations as unholy, he decides to stop him, whatever it might cost. They also come up against Lorelei once again, but this time as a different person. She also asks them to rethink about going against the natural order of things. But Victor and Igor are so close to their first case of success, but will that bring them glory or terror? What role will Lorelei play in this dangerous attempt at glory? Is it really an act against God, and what danger can this new creation from the grave bring?

The defence of Victor Frankenstein :: The visuals are really good with this one; there is a lot of style associated with the movie, and the cast also saves the day. Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy are good, especially the former who seems to have more control over his character. Jessica Brown Findlay also brings some charm while Andrew Scott is a fine opponent to the protagonists. The differences when compared to the original story has been nicely created. The messages are well placed, and they are mostly against vanity and the false ambition which stay strong within the main protagonist – he is so close to becoming Doctor Faustus, not just Doctor Frankenstein. It also asserts that there are things that cannot be changed and we have to accept them. There are some nice dialogues which keep making the point too. It has its own dose of entertainment too, and that matters.

The claws of flaw :: Victor Frankenstein needed a better flow in its story. It surely begins nicely, but gets lost at times. It is quite strange that the movie doesn’t try that hard to deviate from its source material from which it hasn’t really followed – there seems to be an attempt to return but at the same time staying different. The movie needed to be more certain with its story, and also could have dealt with its main characters differently – even though the main actors handle the whole thing well, better characterization and a much better background would have done them all, some more good. More horrors and thrilling moments could have been added to make its central idea about life and death more appealing; for now, they have done well to do that with the dialogues – maybe they could have done so without speaking that much about the same.

How it finishes :: Victor Frankenstein is another interesting movie based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 Gothic horror novel. The different versions of the same story or newly written extensions always bring something that can catch our attention, just like I, Frankenstein which extended the tale very nicely. In another case, there was Dracula Untold which brought another angle to the popular 1897 Gothic horror novel by Bram Stoker. If you are going to judge this one based on the many years old story, this is not the movie for you; but if you are ready to think from another angle, and understand the imagination behind making such a different attempt, you can surely go for this one, as despite not being that big Frankenstein movie, this is a fun movie which also leaves the viewers with some interesting messages to take home.

Release date: 27th November 2015 (India); 25th November 2015 (USA)
Running time: 110 minutes
Directed by: Paul McGuigan
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay, Andrew Scott, Charles Dance, Freddie Fox, Mark Gatiss, Callum Turner, Daniel Mays, Spencer Wilding