A Fantastic Bore

The Fantastic Four have had little success on the big screen. Not only have they not been taken seriously, the few times they’ve had comic-appropriate interpretations…they haven’t lasted. (The MCU’s takes on Mr. Fantastic and The Human Torch, the latter a holdover from another franchise, were both horribly killed on-screen.) So it’s interesting that the teaser for the newest attempt, which has a retro-futurist vibe, has me intrigued. Everything looks good, with one exception: the posters.

See, I’m no fan of Artificial Intelligence. I recognize that it has its place, and it can be used well if guided by human hands, but the thought of machines replacing people disturbs me. As we’ve seen over and over, it’s not true. Especially when people are shafted altogether. That’s not touching on the ethical ramifications, of which Hollywood’s addressed in recent years.

The posters for this movie appear to use A.I., and not in a creative way. I know people were unkind to Secret Invasion’s opening for that, but at least that was thematically-sound. That show was about Skrulls passing off as humans, so it was fitting, even if it didn’t work. These posters lack that excuse. Because when The Thing’s actor has a real suit to work with, plastering fake people on the advertisements is a slap in the face.

You know how to tell that these posters were created with A.I.? It’s a simple litmus test: pay attention to the characters’ hands. They look unusual, with several missing fingers. I could understand if that was an illusion of light, but it’s not. These finger errors are all over the posters. It’s blatantly-obvious.

I’m unsure why the movie’s advertising felt a need to do that. The MCU isn’t financially-strapped. They have the backing of Disney, a company that’s doing fine. An MCU movie can afford real extras. That they’re not is a choice, and a bad one.

This is especially-egregious because Hollywood had two strikes over this exact issue recently. In case you’ve forgotten, SAG-AFTRA and The WGA walked off the job to protest, among other concerns, the issue of A.I. replacing their jobs. With The WGA, their concerns were met. SAG-AFTRA didn’t get that same outcome, but it was enough to be satisfied. Regardless, this was huge, halting productions for months.

So…why continue using A.I.? It might be “cheaper”, but this is what SAG-AFTRA specifically was fighting against. And it’s not like Disney can’t find extras. There are plenty of actors in Hollywood who’d salivate over being part of a big production, especially if it means qualifying for benefits! Why shaft them over this? Is Disney secretly hurting?

Either way, this doesn’t exactly sit well. Doubly-so because of the issue surrounding A.I. not getting fingers right. It could’ve been easy to commission actual artists for promotional materials. Even if Disney didn’t want to hire extras, a human artist would’ve been more inspired. After all, retro-futurism isn’t new! The Jetsons were tackling this in the 1960’s! And they did so on a shoestring budget, with limited animation and reused backgrounds!

Marvel, Disney specifically, has no excuse. This isn’t the 70’s and 80’s, when they were pinching their pockets and struggling to stay afloat. That Disney’s no longer, having experienced two revivals, several CEOs and various IP acquisitions since. It’s insulting, therefore, that they’d fall back on cost-cutting with their advertising. Doubly-so for a blockbuster based on a well-known IP.

I know there’s little I can do here. I’m one person, and I don’t get paid by Disney. But while I’m sure the movie will be fine, and that I’ll watch it anyway, I wish more tact had gone into these posters. Because this is lame. And it’s tacky and shameless.

I’m unsure if much can be fixed here. Not only has the damage been done, but I doubt using A.I. for poster work will stop Marvel’s already-dedicated fans from seeing this movie. Like I said, it looks like plenty of thought went into every other aspect, including, but not limited to, hiring a Jewish actor to play The Thing, a character who’s canonically-Jewish. That last part’s huge, given Marvel’s past aversion to hiring Jews for Jewish roles.

I also doubt I’ll be able to stop the uses of A.I. in entertainment. Whether I like it or not, this is the future. A.I.’s here to stay, especially since it’s cost-efficient. I simply wish it could be regulated, so as to prevent real people from being put out of work. That might be a pipe-dream right now, given who’s in charge of The US, but it’s what I want. Especially if it means avoiding the finger issue with A.I. in the future.

Ultimately, a line has to be drawn. And it has to be drawn soon. Because what Disney’s done here is disgraceful, and it should be called out. So yes, shame on whoever decided this was a good idea. It’s tacky, and it’s disrespectful to what Hollywood entertainers have fought for. Do better, for everyone’s sakes.