I saw Fantastic Four yesterday. Not a bad film, but there were a few things that bothered me about it. The biggest of these was the portrayal of Doctor Doom.
As every comics reader knows, Doom has worn a metal mask ever since we first met him over forty years ago. We’ve never seen his face[1]. That’s part of his mystery. But if you cast someone like Julian McMahon in the part then there’s no way that you’re going to want him hidden behind a mask for the whole film. He’s too expensive for that. So the filmmakers decided the way round this is to completely change Doom’s story so that he only wears his full regalia (including mask) for the last twenty minutes of the film. Surely a much better solution would be to not cast an actor whose face is not so famous. Why not give a newcomer a chance?
It’s the same problem that people had with Judge Dredd ten years ago. Stallone was good casting for the part, but the fact that he refused to keep the helmet on ruined Dredd’s characterisation.
I see that V For Vendetta is due be released in November. V is another character who should never show his face, but I can’t see Hugo Weaving agreeing to that.
If you’re going to cast a part that needs to wear a mask then cast someone who won’t insist on showing their face.
[1] Ok, I admit that the Fantastic Four isn’t a comic that I’ve ever really followed so there’s every chance that there has been the occasional glimpse.
I was going to mention Hugo Weaving before I got down to that bit of your item above. But really he could do with some obscurity, as the memory he left from the Matrix is still so strong. Many people came out of The Fellowship of the Ring saying “It appears you have two lives, Mr Baggins” in Agent Smith tones. I’m not sure his reputation has quite recovered.
I didn’t think much of The Fantastic Four. I thought it was just a big marketing ploy for a one off mid success hit. But then most movies are like that now. The last film, and probably only film I have liked this year was Sin City.