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

"Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's the Fantastic Four" is a fascinating documentary...much more interesting than I'd imagined. It's the story of an ultra-low budget superhero film produced by the King of Cheap Hollywood Films that was completed...and then shelved! Using lots of interviews, a few clips and a lot of enthusiasm, the picture makes the viewer want to find a copy of the film to see just how good a $1,000,000 film can be...a mere pittance nowadays for a movie...especially one with some complex special effects.

So...what happened? Why would they never show a film that was actually completed? And, how difficult was it to complete when it now appears as if the producer never intended to market the picture...or at least he knew he probably wouldn't be doing so. Well, see the documentary and find out for yourself...as well as how you might just be able to see the film despite its never having actually been officially released.

Roger Corman's officially unreleased production of 'The Fantastic Four' is a fun if bewildering viewing experience. The special effects are pointedly outdated, the narrative writing is questionable, some inclusions are outright flummoxing; that the 1994 movie is enjoyable is largely a matter of constant, shocking disbelief at what one has beheld. That the picture struggled with a low budget is one matter; how much the eyebrow-raising writing and direction could also be attributed to that low budget is another matter entirely. The history of this production is rather astounding in and of itself, and the idea of a documentary laying it all out is welcome indeed. There's maybe not a major wealth of information herein beyond what one can learn elsewhere on the Internet, but 'Doomed!' still does a good job of providing further perspective on the fiasco.

The image that quickly emerges as we watch this is that the cast and the crew who were directly involved with the making of the movie were genuinely excited about the prospect of working on such a property as The Fantastic Four. Everyone was very ready to do their part, and mostly proud of what they were able to do with recognition of the minimal resources that were available. The point is made that the history of live-action adaptations of Marvel comic books was very spotty up to that time, so the vibe on-set was a combination of "working within modest expectations" and hopes of creating something better and memorable, a new high water mark.

The enthusiastic if rushed work during the early 90s production is notably contrasted with the secretive, then-undisclosed, and somewhat shady dealings behind the scenes. Whether intentionally or as blunders of mismanagement, people sitting in posh offices made decisions regarding the superhero team as a property that all but ensured the movie never really had a chance, and all the contributions of the cast and crew were effectively destined for oblivion. True, all this information is known and can be discovered elsewhere, but it's the personal testimonies of those involved, and tiny peeks at the process, that really make 'Doomed!' worthwhile. Their early earnest energy is distinctly opposed with building frustration; details about aspects like some of the filming locations, the post-production efforts, or the score composition all give a delightfully vivid panorama of the entirety of the quagmire that was 'The Fantastic Four.'

This documentary itself is generally well made, compiling film clips, behind the scenes footage, multiple interviews, and stills to tell the story of a feature that was basically ghosted. Marty Langford's sequencing and editing orders the material into a simple, roughly chronological timeline from conception to reaction, while the filmmakers did a suitable job of collecting it all in the first place. I don't think it's entirely perfect; the production values are a little too glaringly bare-faced, as one quite anticipates from Z-grade distributor Uncork'd Entertainment, and intertitles displaying relevant quotes are wholly unnecessary since those quotes tend to echo sentiments that are often spoken aloud shortly thereafter. For whatever deficiencies one may perceive, however, the very idea of 'Doomed!' is gratifying, spotlighting a project that deserves remembrance even if only for the labor that went into it. There's perhaps nothing about this feature that's so essential as to demand viewership, but for select audiences - cinephiles or Marvel fans most of all - it's an enticing look behind the curtain at a movie that never truly got off the ground. Clocking in at an easy 85 minutes, 'Doomed!' is an enjoyable, worthwhile view if you have the chance to check it out.

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.

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 enjoyed this but even as a casual comic book fan, I knew most of this story. The most interesting thing is that everyone involved thought they would get a "leg up" in the industry if this had been released. I honestly think this could have only hurt their careers. One topic that is never discussed is that the story and acting were terrible. They keep talking about how it looked so good for what they had to work with and never mention that fans would have hated it and anyone who didn't know about the comic would have been turned off of Marvel forever because of this mess.