Monday, September 19, 2016

Movie Review: DOOMED! THE UNTOLD STORY OF ROGER CORMAN'S 'THE FANTASTIC FOUR'


Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four is a film that has been on my radar for over twenty years, ever since it first came out that the film was being made.  Then about ten years ago, I managed to get my hands on a copy of the film.  Just from watching it, you could tell just how ambitious of a film it really was, and how much it would have benefited from a larger budget and better technology.  It wasn't until just a few years ago that I began to learn about the truth behind the making of this film and the fact that it was never meant to be seen by anyone, ever, which is a terrible shame.


Check out the film's original trailer below:


Now, I'm not saying that this is the Fantastic Four film that we've all been waiting for, but in a time when we had the Dolph Lundgren Punisher film, Captain America, and even the 1990 series, The Flash, from DC, this film would have fit perfectly, and could've been something special.  But politics and secrecy were the downfall of The Fantastic Four, and that's where Doomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman's 'The Fantastic Four' comes into play.

I remember hearing about this documentary a couple of years ago and wondering if it would ever be released, kind of like the film itself.  It seemed that everything surrounding the original film was (pardon the pun) doomed to fail.  However, thankfully, that was not the case with Doomed! as it has finally secured distribution through Uncork'd Entertainment and will be released digitally next month, with a DVD release to follow shortly.

I had the honor of watching this film early, and I have to say, it's become one of my favorite documentaries of all time.  Not only does it cover a topic that's near and dear to my heart, but it's done in such a (prepare for more puns) fantastic way, from the format, the editing, and especially the great interviews with the cast and crew of the original film.  It was amazing to see them all on screen talking about this film that I grew up waiting for, and finally saw while I was in college.  It gave so many answers to the questions I've had for years, and some I hadn't even thought to ask.

The entire main cast returns to tell their story of this film that they spent so much time on, pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into, just to have it ripped away from them with no warning.  I was entranced by this amazing story of how these events unfolded, and the way the director, Marty Langford, went about telling it was incredible.  I never once lost interest, as the story flowed perfectly within the three act structure.  Hearing from people like Oley Sassone (the director of The Fantastic Four), Chris Gore (the journalist who was on set for the whole film), and the entire main cast, was something I never thought would happen.  We even heard a little bit from Roger Corman himself, although, I kind of wish there had been a bit more from him.

This is the perfect documentary for anyone who has seen the original film, or who is just a fan of the genre.  It's entertaining, informational, and heartfelt, and I highly recommend checking this one out.  Doomed! The Untold Story of Roger Corman's 'The Fantastic Four' will be released on VOD on October 11, with a DVD release scheduled for December 20.

The Merc's Score: 10/10


You can check out the trailer for the documentary below:





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