Fantastic Four Movie Review

Bigger budget, bigger stars and a bigger try at making a Fantastic Four motion picture. Welcome back to my series of movie reviews on the FF franchise...

Genre: Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi

Director: Tim Story

Cast:  Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon, Kerry Washington, Hamish Linklater, Maria Menuonos & Laurie Holden.  

Run Time: 106 min.

US Release: 8 July 2005

UK Release: 22 July 2005

German Release: 14 July 2005

This is the second attempt to recreate a Fantastic Four film for the big screen. Originally planned to air in 1998, the movie went through several production issues and saw several directors and writers join and leave the project. The script had gone through several changes, and the issues that cropped up during the decade it took to film this blockbuster left their marks on the final product. But read for yourself in my “Not-so-Fantastic Four” movie review.

— WARNING, THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! —

Reed Richards, a shy but brilliant scientist, is obsessed with proving that cosmic radiation is a factor in evolution on Earth. Together with his friend Ben Grimm, his ex-girlfriend Susan Storm, her young brother Johnny and his old college buddy Victor von Doom, they fly to space to collect data on a cosmic cloud that is about to pass Earth.

The trip goes wrong, and the five are hit by cosmic radiation, which changes their genetic codes and bestows them with superpowers. While Victor is trying to save his company after the disastrous expedition, the other four avert a dangerous pile-up on the Brooklyn Bridge and are dubbed the Fantastic Four by the media.

Victor, feeling wronged by Reed, uses his new mutating powers to hurt people and takes up the mantle of Doctor Doom. He vows to destroy Reed and anyone close to him and sets his plan in motion by seeding distrust between the four heroes.

Fantastic Four is the exact opposite of what a good comic book adaptation should be like. The story was watered down to create a campy, goofy and very shallow family movie, with too many plot holes and no character development. One of the biggest problems this production suffered from was the lack of passion Tim Story had for the material. He went on to create a motion picture with no heart.

Another setback was the studio behind the movie. Fox was mingling too much with the story and forced their vision of what the plot should be like on the director. They tried to produce nothing more than a mediocre summer blockbuster to reach a broader audience, not truly understanding who their target viewers had been all along.

The story was an utter mess; it felt convoluted without anything ever happening. The action was dropped for a romantic subplot between Reed and Sue, which not only felt unnatural but also childish. What little action we get is over in five minutes, and this is especially true for the final confrontation between Doom and the heroes, a most disappointing finale.

Like stated before, this film does not attempt to delve into the psyche of the characters and explore what type of people they are, or how the powers they obtained changed them on a psychological level, as it did physically. The only character that is struggling is Ben (Chiklis), and that is due to his superficial mutation. Chiklis was the best character in this piece of crap; he tried giving Ben some depth.

The rest of the characters are just a shadow of their graphic novel counterparts. Reed Richards was changed to a wimp-like genius, with no job and shyness towards women. It doesn’t help that Gruffudd had no presence on screen and was struggling with his role.

Julian McMahon was a sorry excuse for Dr. Doom, his side story having been stolen from the first Spider-Man. The guy throws tantrums because he lost his company and the girl, and decides to go on a rampage. When did Dr. Doom become such a bland character?

Jessica Alba was simply terrible; her character, Susan Storm, is a woman who holds a grudge for no reason, and her brother, played by Chris Evans, is the most unlikeable character of the lot (even worse than the villain).

The cinematographic technique used by Oliver Wood was rather good and possibly the best part of the movie. The frames are crisp plus clear, making use of strong, warm colour palettes. The darker lit scenes, especially those in the final act of the movie, show hardly any signs of granulation. The only problem I had with the cinematography was the use of effects.

Although the effects team used a fair amount of practical effects for this type of movie, I did have a problem with The Thing’s look. Chiklis did not look like the menacing rock-like monster but rather like a puffed up buffoon rather than that menacing rocklike monster.

The CGI used is no better. Reed Richards' elasticity does not hold up today and looks aged and fake. The cosmic cloud at the beginning of the film looked terrible. Simply put, the special effects team did a terrible job.

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Verdict: Fantastic Four was nothing more than a sorry attempt by Fox to grab some cash, while at the same time delivering a poor film to keep its grip on the rights for these Marvel heroes. With no depth, no character development and a laughable presence, this movie obtains a 4.5 out of 10. 

So, what is your experience with this movie? Do you agree with what I said, or do you consider it one of the better Fox superhero flicks? Thank you, as always, for reading!