Cinematic Vs Comic Universe Part 1 - Fantastic Four

Seeing as how all the best movies these days seem to be comic book movies, I figured I should help you understand why all the fan-boys (and girls) are crying after the newest release.

Hollywood has always confused me.  They have perfectly good source material but often decide to move away from this.  This doesn't just apply to Comics.  In the past everyone always complained how the book was better than the movie, or which version of The Shining was best.  Heck, Hollywood has even taken liberties with stories based on true events.  Then again, I can understand how writers, directors, and producers want to stamp their individuality on what is, to them, a work of art.  As such I will show you some of the differences in the comic book movies, and where I can, explain why these exist.

The Fantastic Four

Because this movie is one of many with a reboot, I will be detailing the differences in 3 parts.  The original movie, the sequel, and the Reboot.  These 3 movies remind me of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The original movie was released in 2005.  With only a few core differences in the movie from the comics, one could almost say this was "the Bad".  Dealing with the origin story of the FF, a few changes were made which mostly made sense and really only affected Doom:

• Victor von Doom was included on the origin
• The FF were no longer accidentally bombarded by cosmic rays whilst flying, but rather went up to purposefully study a cloud of cosmic gas
• Doom was also affected by the cloud.  

In the comics, Doom had nothing to do with the origin story of the FF.  He was only in later years revealed to be a rival to Reed Richards.  This change was a necessary change, as no FF villain is as known as Doctor Doom and I doubt anyone would want to watch them fight Moleman.  Having Doom's powers originate from the cosmic cloud was also a strategic choice by Fox, as very few studios would dare tread in the realm of the Mystic/Supernatural.  Doctor Doom was originally only a threat due to his vast amounts of money and technological progress.  He was however at his best when he started mixing his tech with Mysticism.

"The Good", Rise of the Silver Surfer, managed to keep all the core elements of an important FF storyline.  Once again there were several changes that were likely brought on by the previous movies success (if you can call it that).

• Cloud Galactus
• Inclusion of Doctor Doom
• Destruction of Galactus

In the Comics, Galactus is an enormous human-shaped entity that devours worlds in order to feed his hunger.  The movie... a threatening cloud.  This change was likely done to make the whole scene a little more believable for non-fans (Having a Giant Man would seem a little silly).  The inclusion of Doom again built on the previous story line and allowed for a side story and proper fight scene before the confrontation of the Big Bad Cloud, this would have been seen as wanted by viewers.  Finally in the Comics Galactus was not destroyed, but rather dissuaded by the FF's threat of using an all powerful weapon.

Lastly, we have "The Ugly".  The reboot was universally panned by critics.  Several rewrites and director changes resulted in the movie being almost unwatchable.  The changes in this movie are so numerous that it is almost not even related to the comics (except that the four people gain the respective powers of the FF).  This film changed the origin story, Doctor Doom, the family bond of Johnny and Sue, included the military, changed Ben Grimm's Yancy Street origins, and much more.  If you want to ease into the comics, don't watch this one.

New York vs Boston

So... Guess who get to travel again.  Me!

This time L managed to win an trip through her company for great performance.  Her trip included 3 nights in Boston with some outings and an awards dinner.  However, as I had never been to the States, L decided to treat me with a few extra night in New York New York.

One thing I did pick up is that New York and Boston are two very different places.  The vibes at each area like day and night.  Granted I did not get to see everything and was man down for some of the trip (more on that later), but I did get a fairly good idea of what the towns were like.

New York

When we flew in we flew via Atlanta airport.  I found the Atlanta airport to be interesting and just a little confusing (maybe because I had not come across a sky-train before?).  It was in Atlanta that we came across our first problem. Communication. The attendants couldn't make out if we were saying New York or Newark, and we of course could not hear the difference between the two.  After a slight battle however we did eventually manage to board the correct flight.

View of ESB from the roof

Once in New York, we boarded the sky-train to the train station and took the train through to Penn Station. A brisk walk later we had checked into our hotel - Hotel Metro.  The hotel rooms were simple enough, but included everything a weary traveller needs.  One outstanding feature of the hotel is the great view of the Empire State Building from it's rooftop.  The hotel had easy access to the subway and more than enough places to eat in the area.

Once we had packed out and refreshed ourselved it was time to hit the town.  First stop: Souvenirs!  Being the geeky guy I am, most of our souvenirs involved geeky items we can't find at home.  A quick stop at Think Geek and I was sorted (my typical luck held and most of the items were marked down).

After this a not-so-quick stop at Barcade was needed.  Barcade is one of the must do's for anyone that enjoys a drink and a bit of gaming.  This was one place that, had I stayed in NYC, I would frequent on a regular basis.

Museum of Natural History

Inside the MOMA!

The next few days were jammed with sightseeing.  The impressive St Patricks Cathedral made me nostalgic about my last trip to Portugal, Rockefeller square had me practicing different camera shots, the Natural History Museum was incredible and definitely needs more than the half a day we spent there.  Cental park was filled with hidden and not-so-hidden secrets where one could easily spend days at a time.  The exhibits in the Moma were mind boggling, from the small to the supersized!  I shouldn't forget the Morgan Library and the obvious Empire State Building.

On top of all this, we also managed to arrive during Fleet Week.  Watching the ladies perv over the sailors was amusing, and seeing the different ships and subs was definitely worth it.  We also managed to see one of the memorial day parades and paid a visit to Brooklyn Brewery.

My last day in New York was supposed to be spent going to the Irish hunger memorial, viewing the Statue of Liberty, and having dinner at Ninja New York.  Sadly however I was struck down by a serious bout of the flu.

New York was constantly on the go.  Times square was packed on the night we went out there, and the night life was never ending.  I could spend another week there and still not have seen everything there that I would like to.

With our time in NYC over, we jumped onto the Amtrak to Boston.  The three hour journey was enjoyable with some nice views and a comfortable ride.

The view

We checked in to The Colonnade Hotel, with its magnificent views, and headed off to Massachusetts General Hospital to get my flu sorted.  I remained hotel bound for the first day whilst L enjoyed one of Boston's famous duck tours, and only came out for the evening awards dinner.

Can a library be more awesome?

The next day I was feeling mostly better and joined in on all the other sight-seeing.  A nice river cruise gave us the lay of the land (and my first lobster).  We also managed stops at the New England Aquarium, Boston Library (yes this is worth a visit), the Freedom Trail Tour (a slight letdown since this doesn't continue on the whole trail), and the Cheers Bar. We finished off our brief stay in Boston with a trip out to see the Cirque du Soliel Kurios show.

Boston was much calmer than New York, but with this calmness come a fair amount of friendliness.  Whilst the night life here seems more subdued, there is still just as much to do in the area and more than enough to keep me busy for a long time.

Can I choose between the two? Yes.  Do I want to? No.  I guess you will have to make up your own mind on which is your next destination.