新片《神奇四侠》将流行连环画英雄带入现实生活

New Movie The Fantastic Four Brings Popular

Comic Book Heroes to Life

新片《神奇四侠》将流行连环画英雄带入现实生活

 

They've been popular Marvel¹ comic book characters for more than 40 years and now they finally come to the big screen as a bright, energetic summer season entertainment. Alan Silverman has a look at The Fantastic Four.

 

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Their story starts out on a privately-funded space mission when this team of scientists and technical experts is exposed to mysterious cosmic radiation that gives each of them unique powers.

 

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What young Johnny Storm shows them is he can create fire ... in fact, when he learns to control it he can even burst into flame like a "Human Torch." His sister Sue Storm, played by Jessica Alba, gets a more subtle power.

 

Jessica Alba: I play a scientist who has a problem expressing her emotions and [after] her DNA² was altered, when she expresses emotions she goes invisible.

 

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Jessica Alba: So when she's screaming, she goes invisible. When she's having a meltdown, she goes invisible and she's completely frustrated³; and the man that she's in love with ignores her and she goes invisible and she's completely frustrated.

 

Her fiancée is the expedition leader, Reed Richards, who becomes "Mr. Fantastic" with the ability to stretch his limbs like rubber bands. Completing The Fantastic Four is Ben Grimm, who turns into an immensely powerful rock-like creature - "The Thing." Michael Chiklis plays Ben - and, in elaborate makeup⁴, "Thing".

 

Michael Chiklis: The reason for doing it was sort of a personal dream fulfillment. Something I was into as a kid and I've always wanted to be involved with this level of huge blockbuster, so it sort of met several different desires.

 

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Michael Chiklis: It cracks me up when people say like 'oh, it's going to be campy.' What do you think? You know, Yeah, there's going to be camp in it. Did you ever read the comic book? Any comic book where one of the mainstay lines is 'it's clobbering⁶ time' is going to be somewhat campy. That's what it is.

 

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Chris Evans co-stars as "Human Torch" Johnny Storm and calls it "every little boy's dream" to play a comic book character; But Evans admits that unlike Michael Chiklis, he did not grow up reading The Fantastic Four.

 

Chris Evans: I wasn't a comic book guy at all. I didn't know much about comic books. As soon as I was auditioning⁸ for the part I read a lot and when I got the part I went out and bought as many as I could find and just did research.

 

One of the longest continuously published series, The Fantastic Four made its debut⁹ in 1961 and earned the nickname 'the first family of Marvel Comics.' Chiklis says the film tries to fulfill⁵ the expectations of several generations of fans.

 

Chiklis: Obviously we were well aware of the history of this franchise¹⁰ and how many people loved it and would be anticipating it. We also knew there would be a lot of conjecture¹¹ out there - out in the ether. You can't really get preoccupied¹² with that because people are talking without seeing, without knowing, so you read these things and - 'whatever ... they'll see when they see it and I think they're going to love it.

 

Director Tim Story believes the film and the original comic book characters deal with emotions and situations that even those of us not endowed with superpowers can still recognize.

 

Tim Story: It's about a family and you see them battling not just themselves and each other, but also this thing that has happened to them and trying to deal with it. I think anybody on any level can understand that things happen in your life that just have to deal with. As you get older and lose your hair or whatever the case may be, you have to deal with it; and I think everybody can relate to four guys who, although they become 'superheroes' they don't want to become superheroes. They just want to go along with their everyday lives and some things happen with these characters that make you think twice about that.

 

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The Fantastic Four also features Welsh-born Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards alias¹³ "Mr. Fantastic;" and Australian Julian McMahon is their nemesis¹⁴ Victor Von Doom¹⁵.

 

Alan Silverman for the Voice of America in Hollywood.

 

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注释：

cosmic [5kCzmik] adj. 宇宙的

subtle [5sQtl] adj. 微妙的，难于捉摸的

invisible [in5vizEbl] adj. 看不见的

meltdown [5meltdaun] n. 融化

limbs [lim] n. 肢（臂、腿）

rubber [5rQbE] n. 橡皮，橡胶

immensely [i5mensli] adv. 无限地

elaborate [i5lAbErEt] adj. 精心制作的

fulfillment [ful5filmEnt] n. 实现

blockbuster [5blCk5bQstE] n. 巨型炸弹

mainstay [5meinstei] n. 支柱，中流砥柱

audition⁷ [C:5diF(E)n] n. 试演

franchise [5frAntFaiz] n. 特权

anticipat [An5tisipeit] vt. 预期，期望

conjecture [kEn5dVektFE] n. 推测，猜想

endow [in5dau] v. 赋予

1 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

2 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

3 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

5 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

6 clobbering   

v.狠揍， （不停）猛打( clobber的现在分词 )；彻底击败

参考例句：

• Other metals have suffered a similar clobbering. 其它金属价格亦遭受了同样的痛击。 来自互联网
• A clobbering now would probably make them more likely to turn to an electable candidate in2008. 因此，现在的失败也许将在2008年重新为他们赢回候选席位。 来自互联网

7 audition   

n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)

参考例句：

• I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音，可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
• At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初，他们说他太小，但后来他们叫他去试听。

8 auditioning   

vi.试听（audition的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• She was auditioning for the role of Lady Macbeth. 她试演了麦克佩斯夫人的角色。
• Which part are you auditioning for? 你试音什么角色？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

10 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

11 conjecture   

n./v.推测，猜测

参考例句：

• She felt it no use to conjecture his motives.她觉得猜想他的动机是没有用的。
• This conjecture is not supported by any real evidence.这种推测未被任何确切的证据所证实。

12 preoccupied   

adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)

参考例句：

• He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。
• The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 alias   

n.化名；别名；adv.又名

参考例句：

• His real name was Johnson,but he often went by the alias of Smith.他的真名是约翰逊，但是他常常用化名史密斯。
• You can replace this automatically generated alias with a more meaningful one.可用更有意义的名称替换这一自动生成的别名。

14 nemesis   

n.给以报应者，复仇者，难以对付的敌手

参考例句：

• Uncritical trust is my nemesis.盲目的相信一切害了我自己。
• Inward suffering is the worst of Nemesis.内心的痛苦是最厉害的惩罚。

15 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。