Review: Fantastic Four WGH, "The Cure"

Well, it was about a cure. I call that truth in advertising, first and foremost.

The problems with the episode come from Ben’s scenes. The reason I distill most of the conversations into “spiels” is because that’s exactly what they are. We’ve seen these speeches so many times in the comics, the cartoons, the films, you name it. Ben’s struggles between being human and being the Thing are handled well, but they’re nothing we haven’t seen a million times before.

Apparently, it wasn't.

I’m not really a fan of the animation, either. It was done by Moonscoop, a company in France, which, as I understand it, had a huge anime craze for a while. This is a very anime-esque show, with things like low framerates, giant monsters, the She-Hulk transformation, and the character designs sequence being indicative of that influence. But like I said, I’m not really a fan. Johnny’s Cloud Strife-hair looks… well, dumb, Reed’s hair makes him look like a little boy, and this show’s version of Doctor Doom is too bishounen for my tastes. However, I do like many aspects of the design, like the costumes, Reed’s lab, and more.

She-Hulk’s addition was taken from the comics, when she replaced Ben for a while after he refused to return from a paradise life in space. Long story. Her voice bugs me at times, because the voice actress slips into the default “sexy evil” voice. An odd choice, considering that she was playing a hero. Also, Johnny’s near-instant crush on the giant woman who picked him up by his face is… an interesting look into the mind of Johnny Storm. Best leave that window closed.

Overall, this episode is an interesting look at the price of Ben’s wish to be human again. This is something that’s explored in every Fantastic Four adaptation, but this episode does it well.

And in that way, this episode is indicative of the entire series. It does what it does well, but has very little originality.