Fantastic Four (2005) Reviews

• Captures a time when superhero films were more joyful

  StevePulaski2015-08-13

  Fantastic Four is one of the last superhero films, that I can recall, that wasn't insufferably bleak or incredibly serious to a point where any shred of humor was seen as obtuse to the film's narrative. Yes, Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is an indisputable breakthrough in superhero films, but it also made the seriousness of superhero films standard, something that would follow into the late 2000's and early 2010's as Marvel built up The Avengers. Fantastic Four reminds of the quirkiness superhero films were once predicated upon, and while it may get a bit too corny at times, and its focus can never really settle, it's also a very commercial film that satisfies on some level of entertainment when it gives every card in its deck a fair time to shine. We open by looking at a physicist named Dr. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), who is convinced evolution was triggered millions of years ago by stray elements of cosmic energy in space, some of which will pass near Earth very soon. His pal, astronaut Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), works by his side on this potentially revolutionary discovery by helping him convince their old classmate Dr. Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), the CEO of Von Doom Industries, to allow both of them access to his private space station to further experiment with the effects of these cosmic energy particles. While Doom agrees, he winds up walking away with most of the profits that this experiment will bring, affirming Reed's desperation to make his project work. Still, he persists on and brings his close friends Susan Storm (Jessica Alba) and her brother Johnny (Chris Evans) along for the ride. However, when a trip to outer space goes awry, exposure with the cosmic energy results in the four receiving deformities and enhanced human abilities that have never before been seen: Reed possesses the ability to stretch every limb of his body, Susan has the ability to disappear and reappear at her leisure, Johnny can have his body engulfed in flame simply by reciting the phrase "Flame on!," and Ben turns into a hideous, orange rock monster. Following the four's mutations, writers Michael France and Mark Frost focus a great deal of their time on the agony that these mutations bring, particularly The Thing, who experiences his wife leaving him shortly after revealing his deformity. While this agony is a solid angle (one I'd argue necessary in most superhero films), too much of the time is spent profiling The Thing and not enough on the remaining characters of the film. Reed and Ben, who are ultimately the film's main focus, wind up monopolizing too much of the picture, and any time we see Johnny is when he's right in the middle of making a smug comment or being his typical, womanizing self. The action in Fantastic Four has a colorful commercial look to it, brilliantly bold and very vibrant in a way that makes many of the scenes pop with life. It manages to achieve a comic book aesthetic without resorting to picture-in-picture editing. One particularly involving scene takes place on a suspension bridge, where The Thing is seen pummeling everything in his sight and the remaining three members of the team must resort to either relaxing him or protecting drivers and innocent bystanders. The goofiness in Fantastic Four, however, in an age of dark superhero films that come with slick aesthetics and brooding characters, is a delightful change of pace. Yes, there is a point when one wishes director Tim Story, France, and Frost would command a tighter grip on the seriousness of the writing, but the pulpy fun of Fantastic Four, in addition to the effects and the neatly choreographed action, keep it a moving, satisfying spectacle that is more than just colors flying around on screen, trying to find their place. Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, and Julian McMahon. Directed by: Tim Story.

• "A few days in space, what could possibly go wrong?" (minor spoilers)

  jimbo-53-1865112015-08-16

  Following a failed experiment in space, a group of astronauts gain super powers following exposure to radioactive energy. This exposure gives the astronauts different super powers and doctor Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) is attempting to find a way to reverse the effects of the radiation on his team. However, Doctor Von Doom (who has also been exposed to the radiation) has his own agenda and is intent on using his super powers to try to take down the Fantastic Four. Given its rather modest 5.7 average user rating I wasn't expecting much here and was actually fearing the worst. However, whilst watching this film I was surprised by how enjoyable I actually found it. The story has quite a lot of depth to it and most of the focus is on how the team cope with the way that the radiation has caused life-changing alterations to their DNA. Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) relishes his new found gift and does everything he can to make sure he's in the limelight - this makes sense as he's painted as a rather arrogant individual right from the start. Evans puts in a good performance and despite the arrogance of his character he does still have some likability about him. On the other end of the spectrum, we've got Ben Grimm (Michael Chilkis) whose DNA has been permanently altered by the radiation due to the fact that he received the most exposure to it. There is a very tender scene with his character at the start of the film where he goes back to see his wife and she can't handle what has happened to him and basically has nothing further to do with him (it seems bizarre that she doesn't even ask what has happened to him and doesn't seem interested in standing by him or helping him out - what a b*tch). Chilkis is also excellent here and gives a nicely balance performance with a character that is ugly and gruff on the outside, but has a real heart of gold on the inside. Alba and Gruffudd make up the other two characters in The Fantastic Four (Sue Storm and Reed Richards respectively) and sadly their characters are not quite as interesting as Ben or Johnny and their performances for me weren't quite as strong. Despite this though, the film provides many funny moments (mostly between Ben and Johnny) and the wonderful camaderie and rather interesting story and exploration of their super powers made this a winner in my book. The only weak link with this film lay with Von Doom (Julian McMahon) as the villain of the piece and his motivations; he seems to lose it and go berserk because he's jealous that something is going on between Sue and Reed. OK, that's fine, but why then decide to try and kill Ben and Johnny when his issue is with Richards and Storm. Despite a good turn from McMahon, I never really took to him as a villain as I felt that jealousy alone was a rather thin and flimsy reason to justify his barbaric behaviour. Taking everything into account this is a good film. It's fun, there are some interesting characters here, the exploration of their super powers are interesting and of course the special effects are incredible. It's definitely worth a look.

• I Don't Get the Hate for this Movie

  caseynicholson2015-08-12

  I recently watched the 2005 version of "The Fantastic Four" in preparation for the reboot that is in theaters now. This movie and its sequel, "Rise of the Silver Surfer" are 20th Century Fox productions. The Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises were both leased out to Fox prior to Marvel getting its own film production studios, and like other Marvel properties from before the MCU, this film is often bashed by comic book fans. I personally don't see what's not to like here. Indeed, I think that this film does a great job portraying the FF's origin story. Sure, The Thing looks a bit hokey in what is clearly a rubberized suit of some sort, and I think they surely could have found an actor that looked more like Reed Richards from the comics than Ioan Gruffudd (that's quite the name, by the way!). But all in all, this is a.....fantastic....film. lol I give it 8/10 stars. Jessica Alba does great as Sue Storm, and Julian McMahon is a superb Dr. Doom. The plot and the acting are well done, and the pace of the storytelling is good as well. To me, there's much more to like in this movie than to dislike. Language note, though: There is one "GD" in this movie, which I wasn't expecting (it's when Ben Grimm is in the hospital bed after returning from space). I guess it just goes to show that Marvel movies were not always kid-friendly even before the recent trend in the MCU line. So heads up for that.

• So-So Superhero Film

  christian1232006-07-06

  During a failed experiment in space, Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), Sue and Johnny Storm (Jessica Alba and Chris Evans), Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) and Dr. Victor Von Doom are bombarded by cosmic rays, changing their molecular systems and giving them superpowers. Four of them become the superhero team, the Fantastic Four, while Doom becomes their new enemy. The Fantastic Four is far from fantastic but it does make for decent entertainment. The movie is very light-hearted and it isn't complex at all. This is good news and bad news. The good part is that the film doesn't take itself so seriously and the movie ends up being mildly enjoyable. On the other hand, it becomes silly and cheesy with laughable acting and events. Also, the movie is actually kind of dull. There are some fun spots (like the bridge scene) but there is really no spark to the film. The blame should go to Tim Story and his lack of imagination. He keeps the film bland and dull but he shouldn't get all the blame. He is working with a cheesy and weak script courtesy of Michael France and Mark Frost. If the writing had been a little better and the direction a little sharper then the film could have been better but it stands as a mediocre one. The acting is a mix bag with some good performances and a couple of bad ones. Chris Evans gives the best performance as Johnny Storm. He seems to be having a blast and his performance is contagious. It's also nice to see something different. Usually in super hero movies, the superheroes are moody and they just want a normal life, which isn't a bad thing. However Johnny Storm actually wants to show off and he considers his new powers to be a blessing and not a curse. On the opposite side of Johnny Storm, you have Ben Grimm played by Michael Chiklis. He is the exact opposite and he wants to give rid of his powers. His situation is pretty sad since his fiancé leaves him and it's hard for him to really live a normal life. Chiklis gives a good performance and it was a little heartwarming. Jessica Alba gives a bad performance as Sue Storm. She is unconvincing as a scientist and her emotions feel fake. Ioan Gruffudd is actually somehow worse and he can't really act. His chemistry with Jessica Alba is almost non existent. The only other person worth mentioning is Julian McMahon and he plays Dr. Victor Von Doom. I think he makes a good bad guy and he gives a decent performance. Despite the lack of quality in the film, Fantastic Four is pretty harmless. There is nothing here that should really offend anyone and it works better with kids than with adults or teenagers. The film has some things going for it though. The special effects are at least above average and the movie provides decent eye candy. As previously noted, there are some performances that stood out so the whole experience isn't a complete waste of time. However, The Fantastic Four is still a disappointment. In the end, the movie is worth a rental at the most, in my opinion. Rating 5/10

• A pretty good film

  gdinelli2015-07-09

  As a reader of the comics, I was really excited to finally see a movie about my favourite characters. I've learned that a FF film was in "development hell" for some decades, so when it finally came out, obviously I rushed to the theater. And, I was not disappointed at all. Of course it's not as good as X-Men 2 or Spider-Man (the original, with Tobey Maguire), but it's good for what it aims to be: a sci-fi/action movie about comic book characters. You have to understand that the Fantastic Four are not as popular as other heroes, like Iron Man i.e., besides, their stories always covered the most strange, bizarre, far out things imaginable. And, because they are a family, there are many corny moments in the movie, but the comics too have those moments, then you just have to "let it go", to really enjoy the story. Overall, it's a very decent movie about very decent people. Relax, and enjoy the ride!