Random Thoughts

Fantastic Four Review

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• Posted on July 8, 2005

So we just got back from the Fantastic Four, it was really what I was expecting. I am not saying that was a good thing, or a bad thing. It really was a lot of fun to watch, and that’s all. I wasn’t expecting it to win any awards, or the acting to be too stellar. It really was a fun popcorn flick. The effects looked good. The best effects were on the Human Torch, who looked like you would expect him to look. The story wasn’t the strongest with the weaknesses coming from pulling certain parts from the comic base, and other parts from the creative license granted to any director filming a comic book movie. I have said before that I am very forgiving in comic book movies, partially because I want them to succeed so badly so they will keep coming, and partially because I can lose myself in them being the comic geek that I am. But I give Fantastic Four a 6 out of 10.

Let me just start by saying that Jessica Alba is a very attractive girl. She is very attractive and I can completely see why she was cast in a role that I thought would have been more suited to a natural blonde, the reason being. She is a pretty good actress as well. I am not saying that she is the next Nicole Kidman, with the range and beauty to make for a perfect actress, but she can hold her own and have you somewhat convinced that she is in whatever situation her character is in. She has a pretty good background in Dark Angel doing the superhero role, so she fit well into the role of Sue Storm.

I also really enjoyed Chris Evans as The Human Torch. The only other major role I have seen him in was Cellular, opposite Kim Basinger. I thought he did a good job in this movie, but it could have been better, and the box office showed that. But he came of as his character in this movie. He really did a good job of acting like a tool the majority of the movie, but not in a bad way, just to the point of if you didn’t know him, you wouldn’t like him.

Ioan Gruffudd and Micheal Chiklis did okay in their roles as Mr. Fantastic and The Thing, respectively. But it really wasn’t anything special. I really wanted more of Chiklis, but I guess there is only so much you can do under a big foam suit. And the effects on Mr. Fantastic were not that great really. That was probably the thing I was most disappointed in. It looked like what it was, Final Fantasy-style graphics of his hand stretching. We can make the Human Torch look cool, but not a normal person’s hand look like it stretches apparently.

Also, Julian McMahon was a little disappointing. I know that Dr. Doom is a little over the top with trying to be the ruler and have power and all, but I just didn’t get that from McMahon. He just seemed like an over-the-top actor who read the wrong comic book. There was no accent as I was expecting. McMahon is from Australia, so he could have at least added a little bit of an accent so that you would believe he was from somewhere other than America. I mean, Dr. Doom is from Latveria. I have a strong feeling that someone from there wouldn’t talk like they were from California. But call me crazy.

I will say that the action scenes were impressive. I liked them a lot. That was really my favorite part of the movie. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough action to pull it from a comic book movie into an enjoyable movie for more than just comic fans. There were only a couple of action scenes, and if they had added more to the story, then it might have gotten better reviews from critics, as well as regular movie-goers. There was also quite a bit of humor that was added well. I suppose the vision for the movie was to be a comedy with a little bit of action. There wasn’t a single part where I was supposed to laugh during the movie where I felt forced or pushed into it. The jokes flowed well, and kept the movie quite cheerful.

You do have to look past the comic book logic. There are so many points where you have to keep in mind that this is from a comic book, and not a solid script written for a movie. So there are flaws and many points where you say "Alright, that would not happen like that". But keep in mind that you are watching a movie about a guy who can catch on fire at any time and fly through the air. So reality is based here, but doesn’t live here.

Like I said before, it is a good movie that I enjoyed, but I wouldn’t rush to go see it. If  you want a solid comic movie, then go see Batman. This movie is fun and enjoyable if you detach yourself from reality. But there just isn’t enough push there for people to really enjoy this movie and want to keep seeing it over and over again. I give Fantastic Four a 6 out of 10.