Michael Chiklis, who played Ben Grimm / The Thing in 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, defends the movies from the poor critic reception they received two decades ago. Marvel’s First Family are back in the spotlight thanks to The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which many consider to be the first time the superhero team has worked on screen. However, the nostalgia cycle has seen the 2000s films, which were criticized at the time of their release, looked back fondly on by the people who grew up with them as their first exposure to classic Marvel heroes.
Speaking with Collider, Chiklis reflected on the lasting legacy of Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer despite poor critic reactions. He noted the films’ box office grosses, noting, “We made three-quarters of $1 billion, those two movies. So, you know, all those people can’t be completely out of their minds, you know what I mean?” Chiklis also expressed his gratitude to fans who still talk highly of his performance as The Thing, saying, “It means a lot to me.” He then elaborated on the general reaction to the mid-2000s Fantastic Four films, saying that he thinks critics might have missed the mark on those films. While acknowledging some of their flaws, Chiklis said:
“There were a lot of people, I think, critically who got it wrong. They really maligned our films, and they were very underrated considering… they were very loved by the audience. It was one of those cases where critics weren’t great to those films, but the audience was, and that still remains. I’ve always sort of quietly gone like, okay, say what you want to say, but the people see it. And now all these years later, people are sort of acknowledging like, hey, these films are family-friendly, fun movies… they got a lot right. They may be imperfect, but they’re really good movies.”
The Legacy of the 2000s ‘Fantastic Four’ Films
20th Century Fox
2005’s Fantastic Four was a box office hit, performing on par with the much better-regarded Batman Begins that same summer. Critical reaction to the movie was rough, earning a 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, with many fans at the time seeing it as a low point in the superhero genre. Even though Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer performed slightly better with critics, garnering a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes, fans were far more critical due to its depiction of Galactus as a giant cloud. The movie also performed on par with the first one, which was seen as a disappointment, leading 20th Century Fox to cancel plans for a third movie and reboot the franchise with 2015’s Fantastic Four.
While at the time seen as one of the superhero misfires like Daredevil, Elektra, Ghost Rider, and X-Men: The Last Stand, the Fantastic Four movies have grown in appreciation over time. Chris Evans reprised his role as Johnny Storm / The Human Torch in Deadpool & Wolverine to the delight of fans, with the film’s closing montage of the 20th Century Fox era of Marvel movies set to Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” had many looking fondly back on those films. The tragic passing of Julian McMahon earlier this year allowed us to reconsider his Doctor Doom portrayal.
With the MCU’s Multiverse Saga set to conclude with Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, there is some hope from fans that Michael Chiklis, Ioan Gruffudd, and Jessica Alba will reprise their Fantastic Four roles in the grand team-up film. Fans who were introduced to these Marvel Comics characters in the early 2000s movies would certainly dream to see Michael Chiklis’ version of The Thing share the screen with Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. While Marvel might not want to take away attention from their new Fantastic Four team, the idea of the heroes meeting alternate versions of themselves is an intriguing idea ripped straight from the comics.
Release Date
June 29, 2005
Runtime
106 minutes
Director
Tim Story
Writers
Mark Frost, Michael France
Producers
Avi Arad, Bernd Eichinger, Chris Columbus, Kevin Feige, Mark Radcliffe, Michael Barnathan, Ralph Winter
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