Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's the Fantastic Four

This is an excellent documentary. It shows the seedy underside of Hollywood film making. It's also an exclusive look on how not to do what should be a big budget movie on a no-movie budget. I'm pretty sure Corman pocketed a lot of the money the investors put up. The movie is horrible yes, but what's more horrible is that the people who made this movie really wanted to make a great movie and they tried. They were betrayed by the producers and money men. Marvel even tried to deny that this ever existed, but were foiled by the hundreds of bootlegs available.

Greetings again from the darkness. Most people over age 30 remember the release of Tim Burton's Batman Returns, the sequel to his 1989 hit. The film's budget was $80 million, which seems remarkably low compared to the $250 million (or more) budget of today's superhero and comic book film adaptations. Putting all of that in perspective, and providing the best ever look at low budget filmmaking, comes this documentary from director Marty Langford. It's a look back at the ONE million dollar production of Marvel's iconic The Fantastic Four (the same year as Batman Returns), and how backroom negotiations provided a stake to the heart of those involved.

We are shown a quote from Stan Lee: "The movie was never supposed to be shown to anyone." It's a quote that we understand by the end of Langford's story, but still makes little sense. In 1992, producer Bernd Eichinger realized his rights to these famous Marvel characters were expiring at year end. He contacted the master of "B" movies, Roger Corman, who gave his production team one weekend to come up with a workable plan. What followed was the "movie magic" that we rarely glimpse. Even with that low budget, the script was written, the movie was cast and shooting began (with no rehearsal) … the ultimate rushed production.

The documentary connects the dots between Eichinger, Corman, Troma Entertainment, Marvel Studios, Neue Constantine Films, and Avi Arad; however, the real heart and soul comes courtesy of the interviews with the actors and production crew who were so involved. Looking back with nostalgia, pride and frustration, these folks clearly represent the "get it done" attitude that is so crucial in low budget filmmaking. Their disappointment in never having the film released is evident a quarter century later in their words and their faces.

In what could be described as a conspiracy … though more appropriately as yet another clash in the age old art vs. business battle … the cast and crew were manipulated into believing the film would be released. Many made publicity appearances at festivals, and a trailer was cut and shown in many theatres. Unfortunately (for all but a few), the production was merely a ploy to drive up the demand and cost for the rights … as Avi Arad envisioned a slick, high-budget version of the franchise (there have been two failed versions in the years since).

Some of those interviewed include director Oley Sassone, editor Glenn Garland, Joseph Culp (Doctor Doom, son of Robert Culp), Jay Underwood (Johnny Storm), Alex Hyde-White (Reed Richards), Rebecca Staab (Sue Storm), Michael Bailey Smith (Ben Grimm), and Carl Ciarfalo (The Thing). We mostly get the viewpoint of those who were so close to the film, though there is a brief clip of Roger Corman claiming he was under the impression that it was a legitimate film project … this despite his healthy cash out.

Since a copy of the film was "rescued" by the director and editor, it has become something of an urban legend among the comic book fan base … a cult film that never had its day on the big screen. The best comparison might be a bootleg version of a deep cut of a Springsteen song in the 1970's. Everything gets released today, but in those days, studios had a way to control what was seen (and what wasn't). This is a well made documentary on an unusual topic – and a reminder that the artists just want their work seen, while the business side just wants the money.

This documentary has been long awaited by me. I'm so glad to know the behind the scenes story. This was a great documentary filled with so much heart for a project doomed by greedy film studios. I give it a 10 with a laugh & a tear.

Now, regarding the film: I picked up a VHS bootleg copy of this film in 2002 not ever having even heard of it. I watched it and sure it was cheesy, but cheese can be so good. Didn't recognize anyone in it except Jay Underwood "The Boy Who Could Fly", but that didn't matter. I actually found the film to be entertaining in its superior schlocky-ness. I'm sure by now in 2019, you could find it online regardless of it being almost entirely stricken from history. If you find it... share it! Excelsior!

I recently watched the documentary Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four (2015). The film chronicles the making of the 1990s Fantastic Four, produced on a shoestring budget, under a tight deadline, and with plenty of hope from its cast and crew. But just as filming wrapped, politics, Marvel's financial ambitions, and a quiet payoff ensured the movie would never see an official release.

Written and directed by Marty Langford-in his only directorial project-the documentary features Roger Corman (The Raven), Lloyd Kaufman (The Toxic Avenger), Oley Sassone (Fast Getaway II), Michael Bailey Smith (The Hills Have Eyes), and Joseph Culp (Apollo 13).

What makes this so compelling is how effectively it reunites the original cast, director, producers, and special effects team to tell this bizarre story. The underground copy of the film is already legendary in comic-con circles, and after watching this, I'm determined to track one down. The documentary clearly lays out how and why the project was shelved, and while the film itself is likely terrible-and may have hurt Marvel's 2000s relaunch-I still believe it deserved a chance at release. Corman directing a superhero movie is something I absolutely need in my life, as are some of the other unrealized projects teased here from directors like Wes Craven.

For all the criticism it gets for being low-budget, The Thing's costume looked fantastic, the classic '90s Corman sets were pure nostalgia, and the backstory on the studio was both hilarious and a little depressing. I was impressed by the cast's determination to bring the film to market, as well as by the sheer lengths (and payouts) the studios went to in order to bury it. This is a classic Hollywood story of hope, money, and compromise-one that's played out countless times and will happen again.

In conclusion, Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's The Fantastic Four offers a fascinating glimpse into a little-known chapter of Hollywood history. I'd score it 7.5/10 and strongly recommend it to fans of the superhero genre.

Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's the Fantastic Four (2015)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

In 1993 a proposed movie of THE FANTASTIC FOUR was given to Roger Corman. The idea was to produce it on a low-budget but to then turn it out to theaters where it would become a big hit. The film was rushed into production, the cast dreamed of big futures and finally the movie wrapped. Then the movie became a legend because it was never released.

This highly entertaining documentary from Marty Langford gets a great number of people involved with the project to sit down for interviews and by the time it's over you'll not know whether you should laugh, cry or scream. Perhaps all three? I had known about this movie for quite sometime but the story behind it was rather hazy but all of that has been put to rest as you really couldn't have hoped for a better documentary on the subject.

The greatest thing about this is the fact that you've got the film's director as well as the majority of the cast members being interviewed. It was quite fascinating getting to hear from them because most documentaries are about movies that were made, movies that were expected to be huge but flopped at the box office but that's not the case here. Sure, a lot of movies start production but don't finish it but that's not the case here either. Getting to hear from the cast members talking about their hopes for their futures thanks to this film and then not have it released was quite interesting and certainly among the best stuff here.

If I was disappointed in anything it's the interview segments with Roger Corman. He's only given a few minutes worth of screen time and it's really too bad he wasn't pressed more for his version of what happened. I'm not sure if he just didn't want to discuss it or what but it's really too bad we didn't get his side of the story. We're pretty much given a great idea of what happened but it still would have been nice hearing from the man himself.

DOOMED will certainly appeal to Marvel fans, comic book movie fans and even those who don't normally enjoy those types of movies. This is a well-made documentary that does a great job telling its story.