Fant4stic: The Unaired TV Pilot

Updated
Fant4stic: The Unaired TV Pilot
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2015
Original Running Time:
107
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
50
Time Cut:
57
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
The biggest difference here, is that a half an hour movie is now trimmed down to a standard TV pilot, where everything the Fox studio clearly had 100% control over is gone, and what we have left is something better paced and hopefully more enjoyable.
Intention:
I personally believe that this rendition of the first superhero family is by far the absolute worst of all the F4 films. It's overly drab and downbeat, nothing happens at all until maybe the third act, all the actors look bored out of their mind (with the exception of maybe Reg E. Cathy or Michael B. Jordon) and the whole thing looks like "Man of Steel" with no concept of color or proper lighting. So, along with all of that, I tried re ordering a few events so we get a "In medias res" style opening to kick things off and grab the audience's attention, remove any poor attempts at humor and tighten up any good gags I could find, as well as any small additions to sfx that might at least create a decent story out of a terrible film.
image
Special Thanks:
TM2YC, Zarius, Canon Editor, bionicbob, ThrowgnCpr, and Addesin for input/suggestions on the coloring, edits and how to create a decent fan cover ;)
Release Information:
Digital
Cuts and Additions:
- Added a Fanedit.org Title card at the start
- Added aome alien desert ambience to go along with a much more vibrant Marvel logo
- Brand new color overhaul (to each individual scene) over the entire project for a brighter and more pleasant experience
- We now start out on Planet Zero to kick things off for a better pacing
- Added title cards for 20th Century Fox as well as each cast member over the previously mentioned scene for a proper TV feel
- Various trims to the scene, removing poor humor attempts (Instagram anyone?) and tightening things up for better pacing
- After the explosion re entry and New York's subsequent blackout, we cut to the "Fantastic Four" title card
- Following the above change, we then cut to several months earlier to Reed and Ben's high school science fair
- The library scene, which is the first meeting between Reed and Sue was axed. It has a very awkward feeling all throughout and the two have a much better scene later on
- Several sfx of telephones, cars passing by and whispering board members were added to the meeting between Franklin Storm and his financiers, to give the feeling of some life to a rather boring scene
- Reduced and trimmed out the terrible CG test monkey wherever I could to the first testing of the Gateway at Baxter
- After our four male leads enter the Gateway for a test run, we cut right back to the beginning re entry explosion where things continue on in the present
- Subtle ambience of a bio hazard alarm was added to the remains of the gateway test site after our leads return
- After Tim Blake Nelson (apparently cast officially as mole man) offers his deal to Ben, now the Thing we cut to the credits, where the Pilot comes to an end
Cover art by ironman23 (DOWNLOAD HERE)
image

Promo Trailer

User reviews

7 reviews
 
86%
 
14%
5-7 stars
 
0%
3-5 stars
 
0%
1-3 stars
 
0%
Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.4(7)
Audio Editing
 
9.4(7)
Visual Editing
 
9.7(7)
Narrative
 
9.7(7)
Enjoyment
 
9.6(7)
View all user reviews View most helpful
Overall rating
 
8.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
A solid salvaging of what was good about the recent FF reboot - while the ending seems like less of a cliffhanger and more of a commercial break (Doom re-appearing might be more what a network would want to leave viewers off on than Ben vowing to find Reed), this is still a fine bite-sized version of a failed experiment that manages to get across the characters, their setting and their desires in a compact amount of time. Inessential ultimately, but as a look at an alternate world where this cast got a chance to grow and stretch in these roles, it's worthwhile for hardcore FF fans.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
R
Top 10 Reviewer 156 reviews
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Overall rating
 
9.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
7.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Technically, this edit was pretty good, I didn't notice a single cut/transition, however I did notice a few times where the soundtrack seemed a little loud, so the Audio Editing is a little behind everything else.

It's unbelieveable how well this film works as a failed TV pilot. The way characters are introduced, the general style/quality, etc. all really feels as though this was some failed high-budget project.

This edit has an excellent vision that was executed well, I highly recommend it.
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(Updated: October 22, 2017)
Overall rating
 
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
The editor has done a brilliant job coaxing a decent story from some pretty shoddy material. It felt much more true to the source than the movie. By the end of this edit I was wanting more and wishing that the rest of the film had given anything else worthwhile to use. Turning this into a pilot to a TV series was a great choice and worked as a foundation to use my imagination to complete the story.

The edits were all smooth and seamless but what really stood out to me was how much livelier everything felt. It takes a real master of pacing to pull excitement from monotony. The audio was good and the color grading was perfect for the new tone. All in all this is likely the best anyone could do with this mess and was really enjoyable to watch.

Good job and thank you, ironman23!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
W
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
I must say I was a bit skeptical going into this edit, knowing the source. However, I am pleased to say that what Ironman23 has created here is damn entertaining! Pacing was 100% fixed, and was no longer cluttered by useless backstory. Ironman23 has cut down all of the fluff of the first act and got right to the meat of the story. Transitions were superb and the new color grade shouted "JACK KIRBY" to me in bold.

The only issue I did have with this edit was one noticeable cut around the 22 minute mark, but due to how well this edit turned out as a whole, it was completely forgivable.

I recommend this edit to anyone who is skeptical about what could be done here. Ironman23 has created something special here.

Dear Ironman23, I an anxiously awaiting an Episode 2!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
J
2 reviews
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
9.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
10.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
At first I had absolutely no interest in watching this edit. While I saw some promise in Fant4stic in theaters, it was ultimately awful and I knew there was no way that this "pilot" could possibly have a satisfying and fitting conclusion based on what the description was, and what I knew of the movie. But, after watching a few of ironman's trailers for it, I was one over. It showed just enough promise that it seemed worth spending 50 minutes going through.

I can now say that I am thoroughly glad I took the time to watch it. The promise that I saw in theaters shines through to a shocking level in this edit, with nearly every scene making the most of its purpose and its characters. The editing is tight, and since it's been two years since I've seen the theatrical version, I couldn't even tell you what or where the film was cut, it was that smooth, it was that logical, and it was that narratively strong.

Most surprisingly, even though the pilot does indeed end on a cliff hanger, without any real "conclusion" it feels appropriate and strangely satisfying all the same. Much in the same way that you don't mind when the first episode of a really great show ends in a cliffhanger, this too left me satisfied with the first installment and my only nagging criticism being that we couldn't see more "episodes" of this series. If it was a show, it would probably be one of my favorites, and certainly on par - if not better than - the Netflix Marvel shows.

All in all, it's something I'd definitely say is worth watching. While the material will never capture the FF as comic accurately as a lot of other properties, ironman does everything he possibly can to make this altered, modernized version of the FF work.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 2 0
View all user reviews