Since Micheal B Jordan’s casting announcement as Johnny Storm in Fox’s reboot of the Fantastic Four movies there has been a lot of back and forth about that decision. I personally have a very strong affection for Marvels first family and in all honesty seeing another FF film made not under the Marvel studios banner is really unappealing to me.
I have very little problem with Micheal B Jordan being an African American Johnny Story. It’s a story decision a big story decision and from what it sounds like the director Josh Trank isn’t doing much with it. Nor does it seem like he’s honouring the intent of the original material. Trank’s contention as director has been to make it “gritty and realistic”. What does that really mean when your lead female character’s stunt double can be a reel of fishing line?
Since Johnny Storm was no older 14 and a passenger on an experimental space craft designed by his older sisters much older beau Reed Richards and piloted by his best friend and lovable curmudgeon Ben Grimm. So Reed could not only prove the merits of his space craft that it was also so safe it could carry civilian passengers. Only to be bombastically bombarded with cosmic rays leaving the four forever changed.
From there Johnny Storm’s story is very different a terrified 14 year old boy who can burst into flames has overwhelmingly negative life decisions made for him by the adults in charge of his safety. They become a super hero team with no masks or secret identities and he had no chose in the matter. A boy who’s so terrified of losing control of his powers when he was absolutely terrified of kissing a girl because he was thought he would flame on and incinerate her.
Micheal B Jordan is 28 and a grown man these are exactly the same issues I had when Chris Evans held the role. How is this very adult Johnny Storm honouring the original intent of the character or even making interesting story decisions having him be that much older and with so much less helpless pomp and circumstance to his origin.
When Micheal B Jordan goes on in the media to say things like well this is a story about kids with disabilities and were trying to make it as relate-able as possible. I have a real wait what moment because it doesn’t sound like anyone involved really understands what the story is? If the story wasn’t already relate-able I don’t think it wouldn’t have been published for 54 continuous years now.
His recent commentary in “Why I’m torching the colorline” he seems to be more interested in placing himself into some self-imposed martyrdom then extol the virtues of movie and the character he portrays. He said “To the trolls on the Internet, I want to say: Get your head out of the computer. Go outside and walk around. Look at the people walking next to you. Look at your friends’ friends and who they’re interacting with. And just understand this is the world we live in. It’s okay to like it.”
If you really the colour line to die in Hollywood, stop talking about it. Just make good stories you can’t stop a brush fire by throwing gasoline on it. Morgan Freeman said something very profound and very apt for this situation. The long and the short of it is he said he hates black history month because there is no such thing as black history. I agree last time I checked we were all human beings from Earth despite what theorizes some may have about us gingers.
Make a good movie with a good story after that I truly don’t think anyone will have anything left to complain about after that or be left with a wait what!!??