From Comics To The Big Screen

The Fantastic Four is one of the most recognizable superhero teams in all of comicdom. Even with several reincarnations the team is still as popular as ever. And of course, with a series this popular, it is bound to get its fair share of TV shows and movies.

For those who know nothing about the franchise is all about the adventures of a team of superheroes as they fight of villains to protect their city and the world in general. The group is lead by Reed Richards, known as Mr. Fantastic and has the ability to stretch his body. He is joined by his Girlfriend (and later wife, Sue Storm - Invisible Woman), who can go invisible, and Her brother Johnny (the Human Torch), who can make fire anytime he wants. The team is completed by Ben Grimm, the Thing, whose body is similar to a rock.

What makes this series different from other comic book heroes during those days in the they don't need to wear masks to conceal their identities. In fact all of the city's residents (and interestingly, all of the villains) their secret identities, and they are treated rather like celebrities. This part of the comic's story is very much used in their other appearances in TV.

The cartoons are by far, the most popular reincarnation of the Fantastic Four outside of the comic books. There are actually four animated series shown form the 1960's to the present. Each is a different take on the Fantastic Four.

Perhaps the most popular of the four is the first series shown in 1967, done by Hanna Barbara. It followed closely the original comic books and features many of the recurring villains. The cartoon was episodic in nature, with each episode independent of the others. It is also interesting to note that there was no episode that featured the origins of the Fantastic Four and instead it was explained in a short narration at the opening of each episode.

The second series, aired in 1970's, is also rather interesting. The show pretty much followed the features of the first, but with a notable exception. There was no Human Torch, but is replaced by a robot named HERBIE. This was the only cartooned that didn't feature all the characters together. No clear explanation was given as to why the character was not included in the series, though some say that it was a precaution to avoid kids from playing with fire.

And then, there are the movies. You are probably all too familiar with the two special effects movies shown in recent years. But here's a thing that you probably don't know. There is actually a third film, which was made way before the two films. Simply titled Fantastic Four, it was a rather low budget take on the story. It was not released commercially and was intended only to get hold of the copyright. The film is quite rare and many fans would probably have a hard time looking for a copy of it.

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Speed Racer The Movie Burns The Tracks

One of the most popular cartoons to appeal to both American and Japanese kids way back in the sixties was Speed Racer. The show was such a big hit such that it had spawned several remakes and adaptations in both Japan, its country of origin, and the US. And of course, there's the obligatory Hollywood film.

For those not familiar with the franchise, Speed Racer (Known as Mahha GoGoGo! or Mach GoGoGo! In Japan) follows the adventures of a young man known as Speed Racer, as he joins races using the Mach 5, a car built by his father. His is joined by his family and and his girlfriend in his adventures, and is often aided by the mysterious Racer X, who turns out to be his brother (you see, that soap opera plot twist also happens in cartoons).

Now, here's the rundown of the movie. The project was directed by the Watchowski bothers, who were critically acclaimed for the now classic Matrix trilogy. The film pretty much close to the story of the original series, with a few changes to suit the film. There are also some new characters introduced exclusively for the movie, like villain-turned-ally Taejo Togakahn (portrayed by Korean actor Rain).

The movie tries its best to emulate the look and feel of the cartoon. All of the cast were made to appear in the same way that they do in the series. One thing you may notice though is that Speed Racer's (Emile Hirsch) traditional outfit is often under a racing jacket, though this is a rather a minor nit picking. One thing that makes the movie really interesting it the way it was able to capture the fast talking style the Speed Racer cartoon is known for. Good thing though that the dialogs are still intelligible in this manner.

And of course, since this is Speed Racer, the Mach 5 and racing scenes are pretty much the stars of the show as the actors are. The Mach 5 is definitely the one that fans imagined it would like in real life. Interestingly, the car never ran on any real tracks during the course of the movie. All of the racing sequences were done through the use of computer special effects, this paves the way for outlandish tracks and impossible stunts.

Sadly however, the racing scenes are also the movie's weakest aspects. While the scenes do look real enough, the implausibility of the stunts and tracks and the cartoonish way that they were executed would definitely shy away movie goers who were expecting serious racing action. Also, some of the races feel repetitive and boring.

The story is also pretty much watered down in favor of the race scenes. The lengthy dialogues used for the fast talking scenes also don't improve the story. Though this can be forgiven a little, since the movie is very much aimed at the younger audiences than older fans of the show.

Overall, Speed Racer might not be the fast paced racing movie that you would expect, but it is still an entertaining movie to take the kids to.

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Transformers On A Roll

Making movies out of popular TV series is one of the surest way to get a good amount of audiences. And remaking TV cartoons into big budgeted movies seem to be quite the trend in Hollywood today. And their doing not just American cartoons but also Anime as well.


One such popular cartoon that has its roots in both the US and Japan is Transformers. It should be noted that the toys that the original US TV series are based from were imported from Japan for the US toy market. When the series ended its original run, it was then picked up and extended by Japanese animation studios, furthering the connection.

Thus, there was definitely an amount anticipation from both sides and from Transformers fans in general when it was announced that there was going to be a Transformers film way back in 2007 Luckily, when the film was shown, it was a box office success and was well received by both fans and critics. As expected, the film was good enough that a sequel was immediately announced in the works.


Transformers Revenge of the Fallen continues the story of the war between the Autobots and the Decepticons from the end of the first movie. Now the Autobots have formed an alliance with humans, while the Decepticons must find and revive their leader Megatron, who was killed in the first movie. Sam Whitwicky, the human lead, must also deal with his new abilities.

Arguably, the main attraction of the film are the robots. As with the first movie, the CGI work done is definitely top notch and makes them as realistic as they are cool. Unlike the first film, the robots are given much more screen time here. There are also many more robots than the previous one. Also the new robot design were more well received. One of the surest thing that will get both fan and non-fan really giddy about is the fact that some of the robots now have the ability to combine with others. The scene wherein several construction robots assemble to form the massive Devastator is definitely a must to see, as well as the one where Autobot leader Optimus Prime joins with the robot Jetfire.

One thing that many non-fans might find a little confusing about the movie is the story. Since the film is based much on the universe of the cartoons, those not familiar with them won't easily understand some of the terms. However, since you would probably go watching this with a Transformers fan, he would surely be more than happy to explain everything and more to you.

For those that may be a bit more sensitive, the characters of Mudflap and Skids might not be to your liking, since many viewers and critics alike have felt that these two offer a somewhat bad racial stereotype. However you can still take this aside and enjoy their slapstick gags and battle scenes.

Given its length (more than two hours), Revenge of the Fallen proved to be a rather enjoyable film for fans and casual moviegoers alike. Now all you have to do is wait and see if the third film is much better than this one.