Fantastic Four (2018 film)

Fantastic Four is a 2018 American superhero film that is based on Marvel's first family, and produced by Marvel Studios. The film is the first of a brand new trilogy. It is directed by Joseph Kosinski, and is written by Ehren Kruger. Joss Whedon and Kevin Feige serve as producers. This is the second film in the MCU 2.0.

This film stars Patrick Wilson, Alice Eve, Dave Franco, Laz Alonso, Paul Giamatti, January Jones, Brie Larson, and Bryan Cranston. In the film, after a rough divide years ago, Johnny Storm and Reed Richard seek to reunite their team again, but could risk everything when a deadly conspiracy and a vengeful pursuit threaten their world. It will be out in May 2018 in 2D, 3D, and IMAX.

Premise
Three years ago, four friends, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, her brother, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm embarked on a risky joint-venture to explore an unusual cosmic phenomenon that seemed to be threatening the Sun. However, the cosmic storm infected the four with strange radiation, which soon gave each a odd physical ability to their genes. They once attempted to share their powers to the world, but not truly accepting who they were forced them to split. Now Reed lies as a recluse, Sue is focus on her research trips, Ben is in hiding, still ashamed of his appearance, and then there's Johnny eagerly saving the world on his own. However, surprise threats in the form of a bitter scientist bent on seizing an underground empire that could cost the future of New York City, and a political conspiracy that could shatter the United States's role in the world. Learning upon these threats, Johnny seeks Reed and tries to convince him and the others to reunite as a team, believing they and their powers are the only force to stop the dangers. However, can these four close friends unite once more, as their fears grow or will they risk other lives to ignore what could eventually be their destiny.

Plot summary
Coming soon

Cast

 * Patrick Wilson as Dr. Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic – A genius-intellect, brilliant inventor, researcher, and scientist, who holds the power of elasticity and longer endurance. For three years he has been working on a formula to suppress his and his fellow friends’ (Ben, Sue, and Johnny) powers, caused by the dangerous cosmic radiation that infected them those few years ago. Richards has been working almost in solitude, cooped up in his lab in the Baxter Building. As he obsessively tries to find a “cure”, he has basically ignored his friends’ lives. Because of his obsession and his focus to his work, it has lead to disruption regarding his relationships: his failed engagement with Sue Storm and his best friendship with Ben estranged. However, when interference from a Latveria ambassador’s audacious new act and as well a former colleague, Dr. Elder, who has been secretly creating a hazardous underground utopia, it leads Johnny Storm to convince Reed to reconstitute their experimental program, “Project Fantastic” to cease these threats. However Reed still feels personally threatened along as he has these powers, he will feel cursed and will never have a normal future.


 * Alice Eve as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman – A smart astrological historian, who has been recently going on personal and sometimes privately funded research trips around the world to map the stars, find evidence of alien life, and learn more about Earth’s past. Most of her fellow researchers don’t know she holds the power of invisibility, matter projection, and flyrokinesis (manipulate and generate force fields). She along with her younger brother, Johnny; her friend, Ben Grimm; and her ex-fiancé, Reed Richards, all faced effects from dangerous radiation three years ago in an experimental cosmic venture. However, after the traumatic experience, Sue felt emotionally detached but as the years go on, she eventually accepted who she is, but wants to keep it a secret. She wants to continue her work as a historian and researcher, but always felt the longing to explore what her powers can do more questions her. Yet as she is currently on a research trip, she can’t get contacted by Johnny and Reed after they uncovered a devious scheme that could huge ramifications throughout the world. Sue remains hesitant to focus her powers, though she accepts who she is now. Yet ponders is this going around the world her true purpose in life, or is it really more.


 * Dave Franco as Johnny Storm/Human Torch – A former jet pilot who has been described to many as wildly, reckless, and a persistent jokester towards authority. However three years ago, after a joint-experimental cosmic venture with his friends and his older sister went awry horribly, effects from the radiation led way to give Johnny the powers of pyrokinesis, flying, and the ability to become a human fireball. Unlike the rest who had to struggle to accept their new abilities, Johnny proudly embraced it. He eventually became the “optimist” regarding a future where these unique gifts are not a curse, but a blessing in a disguise. He tried and failed to convince the others to accept who they are, eventually Sue came through; Ben and Reed continue to have harder times to accept. Right after receiving their gifts, Johnny encouraged Reed to create an experimental program, where they were able to share their gifts to mankind and show the world they are something different for a reason. However, reluctance and fear eventually led to the program’s abrupt suspension. Soon they spilt to do their separate things, except for Johnny who decided to do this sharing/helping mankind a solo act. He has been constant prick towards the military, but they were heavily keeping an close eye on his actions; fearing he could destroy anything with his power. However, Johnny tried numerous times to prove them wrong. When new threats put the lives of New York City and suddenly the entire world in danger, Johnny realizes he can’t do this alone anymore. And tries an impossible task to bring the others back together, and reconstitute the failed Project Fantastic.


 * Laz Alonso as Ben Grimm/Thing  – A ex-marine who used to take part of a private security firm, but joining his best bud, Reed, and the Storm siblings to venture through space suddenly catapulted Ben’s live into the worst scenario. Unlike the rest, Ben had the most radical change due to the exposure of the radiation. He holds the power to manipulate rocks. As Johnny can be engulfed in fire, Ben is transformed into a rock-like being. Although, Johnny can switch being human and being engulfed in fire, Ben’s whole body outside and internal parts inside have been reduced to solidification. Ben felt humiliated and quitted his security firm job. He like Reed had to live like a hermit, but while Reed had his inventions to focus on if he needs support; Ben couldn’t have that. He’s not as smart as his bud, and tried numerous times to seek his friend’s help. However after the failure of Project Fantastic left the four close friends to split, it also created a huge rift between Ben and Reed. Since Reed literally refused to answer his friend’s pleas, personally to find a cure, Ben sees this as another point of how horrible Ben is as this “monstrous thing”. After hiding, finding jobs where he has masked his identity, Ben eventually found the support he needed when he met Alicia Masters, a graduate assistant in sculpturing at NYU. There Alicia unlike everyone else truly felt safe to be around Ben and that led Ben to be close to her, however he fears he could lose that when an underground threat endangers Alicia’s life.


 * Paul Giamatti as Dr. Henry Elder/Mole Man – A disgraced scientist and researcher, who has worked in the Baxter Building for many years. Before the cosmic disaster that torn Reed and his friends’ lives apart, Henry were once childhood friends with Reed and rarely with Ben; during a “scientific excursion” through a hazardous tunnel, that has been banned for decades, the two young scientists tried to find the truth behind the rumors of a fabled underground society known as Subterranea. However an incident cause a severe injury towards Henry; and because of it, he suffered from blindness. Reed felt terribly decided to recruit his friend to create many inventions together at the Baxter Building. However, Henry became disgruntled towards Reed, and after knowing his friend suffered a life-changing incident; Henry grew jealous over Reed’s intellect and as well his powers. Henry had been working on special glasses that would allow him to manipulate his vision, but little do people know that his special radar holds the qualities: to give him an enhanced vision, but as well ability to adapt anything underground. He uses his smartness to invent smart staves; he has begun practicing them and fighting with them. However, he has never forgotten his goal to find Subterranea and learn everything about the rumored Deviants—the society creators. Nearly obsessed he grew despondent and hateful towards Reed, which led to Reed to fire him. Already jealous, Henry uses his anger and fueled it more to find what has burden him for so long; and hopes one day to control it, and allow the humans to die so the Subterreaneans can rule.


 * January Jones as Ambassador Gorzenk  – Latveria ambassador to the United States; she has led her people from Latveria and wants it to be a superpower, not the U.S. So she secretly plots a coop from within the United Nations; she gets help from Hans Stutgart, an agent from her county, hired mysteriously to help cripple the United States’ power and allow Latveria to take its place. However, she holds other secrets that no one knows about; and when she learns about Dr. Elder’s plans, she makes a deal to help him get everything he needs; after initially being betrayed by Reed ignoring her help, after she helped him fund the joint-cosmic venture project three years ago. When Sue and Reed learn of Gorzenk colluding with Henry, they investigate Gorzenk and try to find the answer why she wants Latveria to be a superpower and how she manipulated things including their incident three years ago.


 * Brie Larson as Alicia Masters – She is a graduate teacher assistant at NYU, helping fellow sculpture majors. While she does that, she personally co-owns a studio where she works and lives; she creates personal works and commercial works. A year ago, she was currently working on a commercial project where she soon met Ben Grimm, but with his rock-like skin not the human he once was before the incident. Ben felt afraid and worried she would be like the others, and ignore him. However, because of her blindness—she had caused by a birth defect—she saw him differently. She saw him as just another man. She considers him as a friend, and because of her approval towards his condition, Ben was able to stay with her and be a partner. Unbeknownst to her, Ben starts developing feelings for her and will do whatever it takes to protect her, and even her works.
 * Bryan Cranston as Nathaniel Richards – Reed’s estranged, absent father; Nathaniel was such a brilliant man, one could argue Reed’s genus intellect came from his father. Nathaniel gave his son a heartfelt message, but promised he will return one day. After that speech, Nathaniel mysteriously vanished; fueling Reed’s hope to see him again while pushing him to go into the science field, believing his father was lost. So he seeks to find a answer through science not knowing what exactly happened to his father; soon Nathaniel reappears very briefly when his son is all grown up and is currently dealing with a personal issue, but as Reed hopes to get the answers of why his father disappeared; Nathaniel promised he’s doing this for the right reasons.


 * Shemar Moore as Lt. Latham – He is a lieutenant of the United States Army Corps, and a key member of the UN Security Council, where the US has a firm grasp on deciding foreign affairs and sovereign infraction. While his main job focuses on that, he is liaison to NASA regarding the Cosmic Radiation Incident three years ago that infected Reed Richards, Sue Storm, her brother Johnny, and as well Ben Grimm. Latham was a aid when Richards tried to do the Project Fantastic—an experimental project allowing the four infected to become a team, and share their gifts for non-tactical missions. Latham supported it all the way until Richards abruptly ended it, ceasing the project, and forcing the four to split. Latham continued his liaison partnership with NASA, and is supporting Sue’s trip to Myanmar.


 * Richard Armitage as Hans Stutgart – He is a Latverian agent currently living in the United States; he was sent by a mysterious force to help Ambassador Gorzenk’s scheme to depower the United States and fuel Latveria with superpower status. Stutgart disguises himself as one of her top aides, but deep down is assassinating key members that control the United States’ hold in the United Nations; one of such men so happens to be Lt. Latham, who is currently overseeing one of Sue’s research trips.


 * Shad Moss as Dawson – He is the leader of the Yancy Street Gang; his nickname, “Dictionary”. He is elegant in how he speaks, but has such an urban tone that plays in his past. Dawson and his fellow Yancy Street Gangers become a constant nuance to The Thing (Ben), and tries to peck him until he does something that could become unstoppable.


 * Stephen Hogan as Graham Vein – He is the United States Ambassador to the United Nations; he oversees the US role in the United Nations. He is hesitant regarding talks about a mutant citizenship act, which would allow mutants to open up and become citizens to the United States; however, as he has a personal dislike with mutants or other beings with powers, his delegation becomes threatened when a elaborate scheme by Ambassador Gorzenk while allowing to use Dr. Elder’s goal to destroy New York City and allow his Subterranea to rise as a utopian power.


 * Amy Hargreaves as Willa – A fellow researcher who takes part of Sue’s research trip alongside with Lt. Latham, and few other NASA scientists. She used to work in the Baxter Building, but recently got transferred to NASA. She always tells Sue her goal is to be a engineer.


 * Evan Peters as Lubowski – Another member of the Yancy Street Gang; he is known through his fellow gangers as “Lugwrench”. He is known as a tough guy, and tries to do the physical things along with fellow YSG members.


 * Johnny Ortiz as Ruiz – Another member of the Yancy Street Gang, who is a skilled hacker; using those skills get access with computers to constantly pester The Thing and make him do something he would regret. He is known as “Rhythm”.


 * Drew Roy as Charles – A college friend to Johnny; Charles doesn’t know about Johnny’s secret power, but allows Johnny to stay at his place while Johnny gives Charles a story he has a unique job that requires a lot of traveling. Charles doesn’t mind, yet it gets difficult to hang around.


 * Jared Harris voices H.E.R.B.I.E – A robotic droid created by Reed; and was one of his first creations when he first started his career in the science field. However, Reed shutdown the droid; after many years offline, Reed found it underneath a lot of stuff and recently rebuilt it for the modern world. Seeing how he has become a hermit in his own building, Reed seeks much needed advice and helpful suggestions from H.E.R.B.I.E, although H.E.R.B.I.E is not a human.


 * Dylan O'Brien makes a cameo as Spider-Man when he gets help from the Human Torch during a robbery chase. Josh Helman also appears, making a cameo as Alistair Smythe, when encounters Dr. Elder regarding a particular upgrade to his staves. Stan Lee will return as Willie Lumpkin, the Baxter Building mailman, who he first played in the 2005 film. Will Patton will play Baron Karl Hassen III, the current ruler of Latveria. Christian Camargo will play as Philip Masters, Alicia’s father who will be seen in a flashback. Jeff Daniels will appear in a flashback sequence playing Franklin Storm, Sue and Johnny’s father. The Moloids will be featured mostly in the early third act, but the climax will center on Mole Man and The Outcasts (Boulder, Digger, Landslide, and Water Witch).

Score
Michael Giacchino will compose the score.

Score soundtrack
Overall minutes: minutes

Sequel
A sequel is planned to come in 2022; as it is rumored to kick-start the MCU 2.0's second phase. Strong rumors indicate Dr. Doom and another huge villain will appear in the sequel.