The various trailers that have been coming out for “Fantastic Four” have been painting a rather grim and serious picture for the film until now, but it might not be that dark after all, as the most recent trailer for the film shows a slightly different setting, one with more fun, laughter and lightheartedness. Of course, it’s still the same film at its core, and fans should have no doubts that “Fantastic Four” is still going to be quite dark as a whole, but it might be a bit more relaxed than we thought previously, at least.
Still, some critics have noted that this might be just an illusion, as in the end, the new trailer just makes the setting “sound” a little less dark and gritty. There is still a distinct sense of realness to the heroes, and even though this is probably the first time we’re seeing them show a smile to the audience, they’re still quite serious overall.
The new clip is titled “Extraordinary Subjects”, and it definitely seems to show a slightly different side to the heroes, but it looks like this might have been the intended theme for the film all along. After all, most people seem to agree that the original idea of presenting the heroes as dark and serious never made too much sense, but on the other hand, it also makes sense that they would want to avoid touching the funny parts of the plot for some time, at least until they have shown the core of the film.
It also makes sense in the context of Fox trying to separate this film from its predecessor, which was a lot more lighthearted and heavy on the humor, and for many people that was apparently the main issue with the production. For example, the scene where Mr. Fantastic was doing his dance at the club was something that some fans – and critics – felt could have been omitted.
Something else that’s been pointed out about the new trailer is that it looks like Fox are borrowing some ideas from the “X-Men” franchise in the production of “Fantastic Four”, and there seem to be some similarities in the aesthetics as well as the overall style of the two productions. Fox are trying to create their own superhero universe at the same time, but of course it would be hard to start entirely from scratch – and why should they, when they can readily borrow solid ideas from other universes that have already established their style in a more serious way.