The ‘Fantastic Four’ Reboot Teaser Is Here! What’s Wrong And What’s Right? [Video]

The Fantastic Four reboot has just landed its first teaser trailer, and even though it certainly changes the tone of the characters, it might not change the opinions of the comic book purists.

The synopsis for the film is that four outcasts find a way to teleport to a dangerous alternate reality, and after doing so, they develop powers. As much as it sounds like a Big Bang Theory dream sequence, the first Fantastic Four teaser trailer has a much darker, more serious feel to it.

There was another franchise that was rebooted with a darker feel, and it failed in the end. Only time and critics will tell if the reboot for the Fantastic Four will repeat the same mistakes Sony made with Spider-Man.

As most trailers do, the first few seconds of the Fantastic Four reboot teaser trailer seem obscure and make us wonder what’s going on. The narrator, who by his voice might be the father of Susan and Johnny Storm with a touch of Patrick Stewart (X-Men), asks a question as a cityscape and mountain range scroll by.

“How did we get this far? Human beings have an immeasurable desire to discover.”

The first indication that this has anything to do with Marvel Comics’ first family is a modest house with the word “Grimm” painted on its side. While it’s believable that Ben Grimm (AKA The Thing) might have grown up there or possibly lives there before getting his powers, why would someone paint their last name on their house like that? Is it a family business?

We then see some obscure science experiment involving electricity as a couple of kids, one with glasses and a collared shirt in case we needed to be reminded that these are outcasts, look on nervously. Finally we see what may be the prototype of the machine that teleports them to the alternate dimension, as tubular chambers close around four people.

The first trailer for The Fantastic Four reboot is super dark http://t.co/8ghwYIQ5N9 pic.twitter.com/1VDHIjPCy7

— entertainment.ie (@entertainmentIE) January 27, 2015

The next scene in the first Fantastic Four reboot trailer is a bunch of men in military garb staring at some obscure set of plans projected on the far wall. Considering that Victor Von Doom Domashev (Toby Kebbell) is a generally antisocial misfit this time, it’s doubtful that the military is involved in doing anything for him. Why are they important?

The next few scenes give us an indication that these people are involved in something high-tech and global, such as when Susan Storm (Kate Mara) looks on at a bunch of shifting world maps on computer screens.

Our first glimpse of Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan) in the Fantastic Four reboot teaser is as a mechanic working on a car with a spoiler. This tells us he has a love for the thrills, but he’s more like Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto (Fast and Furious) than the playboy that Chris Evans played twice.

Again we see a big machine as people in radiation suits and helmets approach it. It’s not the same one from before, and there are six people. The next scene shows someone crawling away from the wreckage after something goes very wrong, and this could be the sixth person. Audiences may want to know who that obviously expendable person is.

A few more scenes show us the powers of our heroes in the Fantastic Four reboot, and then one where at least three people in those suits and helmets are crawling up a mountain. This may be because Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell) wouldn’t fit in one with his new form.

This movie appears to be taking the concept more seriously, but the Fantastic Four reboot trailer isn’t helping us ignore the fact that the story is taking a serious chance by not sticking to the comics.

The Fantastic Four reboot release date is revealed as August 7. Are you excited to see it, or will you be among those who pass on it this time?

[Image via YouTube, Movie Pilot]