By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Tim Story
Starring: Chris Evans | Ioan Gruffudd | Jessica Alba | Julian McMahon | Kerry Washington | Michael Chiklis
Country: germany, united_states
Year: 2005
Running time: 123
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120667/combined
Michael says: “As a longtime Fantastic Four fan I enjoyed the film quite a bit. It wasn’t what it could have been, but for me, it was much better than most of the critics make it out to be. I think Fantastic Four is a tough comic to translate into film without coming across as silly to the non-comic reader, but this film did a pretty good job. Sure there were inconsistencies and areas that worked less well than others, but I feel it captured the spirit and feel of those early Fantastic Four comics.
“For those of you who aren’t familiar with the comic, Fantastic Four focuses on four individuals who are working in space to discover the secrets of a cosmic cloud. Reed Richards is a brilliant scientist who is down on his luck and needs to turn to his biggest rival for financial backing for his work. Ben Grimm is Reed’s best friend and a pilot for NASA; a solid, tough-yet-sensitive Brooklynite who provides Reed with strength and stability. Susan Storm is Reed’s former love from their MIT days, now working as a geneticist for Reed’s rival. Johnny Storm is Sue’s younger brother, a hot-headed thrill-seeker who also works as a pilot. Also along for the ride is Victor von Doom, a brilliant and wealthy corporate bigwig whose funding makes Reed’s project a reality.
“When Reed and Doom’s miscalculations lead to a dangerous accident involving the cloud, the five undergo slow transformations into their superhuman counterparts. Reed’s body becomes capable of stretching like rubber and forming into shapes limited only by his imagination. Ben mutates into a superhumanly strong monster with a rocky exterior, but the same sensitive soul buried deep within. Susan gains the ability to turn herself invisible and to project invisible force fields, and Johnny gains the power to burst into flame and fly.
“What worked so well for me were all the elements that first drew me to the comic as a child. The bickering between Ben and Johnny; Reed and Sue breaking up their fights; Ben’s anguish at being turned into a monster; Reed’s guilt at Ben’s situation; the awkwardness of the Reed & Sue relationship; Johnny’s immaturity and hotheadedness; all these things were core elements of the early FF and were things I didn’t even realize I missed in the modern day comic. For the most part, I feel the writers and actors nailed all of these elements very well. In fact, the movie reminded me why I used to like Ben and Johnny, something the comic doesn’t really do anymore.
“‘The Shield’s’ Michael Chiklis really nailed Ben’s character. His makeup/costume worked surprisingly well on the big screen. His wandering the streets alone in a trenchcoat feeling forgotten by his teammates echoes several of the early issues of the comic. Johnny, who was a hotrod driver in the comic, was believably updated in the movie as an extreme sports junkie. I had never really thought about it, but this was truly what Johnny would be like in modern day. Chris Evans captured the insolence and youthful exuberance of Johnny Storm perfectly. Reed was the genius who has trouble with social interactions. His hesitant, less than aggressive stance regarding his relationship with Sue rang true to me. (Okay, and it helped that I found Welsh actor Iaon Gruffud to be pretty hot.) And while I never really got the Jessica Alba as Sue (my favorite Marvel character) she does fine mothering Johnny and Ben and struggling with her frustration at Reed’s intellectual approach to their relationship. Kerry Washington has a small part as Alicia Masters, Ben’s future girlfriend who is blind. I see a bigger role for her in any sequels that may materialize.
“While I have no problem with the changes made to Doom’s character (which were many), his was the story which I had the least interest in. I think the changes were necessary for the film… Doom’s story from the comics would have required a movie all its own to develop… his character fell a little bit flat for me. ‘Nip/Tuck’s’ Julian McMahon did fine, combining the narcissism and god-complex well.
“All-in-all Fantastic Four did a good job showing the team’s origin, capturing the celebrity nature of their relationship with New York, setting up the family dynamic of the team, and throwing in a couple of good superheroic action scenes. It reminded me of the first X-Men film, which while enjoyable, was blown away by its sequel. Given the chance, I think FANTASTIC FOUR will do the same thing. While I really want to give this film a fantastic four cats, they really aren’t so fantastic as nostalgic.”
Thom says: “This is an absolute great review. Uncharacteristically, I agree with everything you said, right down to the rating. I also agree that X-MEN II blew the first one away. I loved the attention to detail in FANTASTIC 4, like giving The Thing only 4 fingers per hand. I’m just now becoming a fan of THE SHIELD, so I was thrilled with Chiklis’ work here. I was also a huge Fantastic 4 fan when I was much younger, & I loved going down memory lane here.”