Fantastic Four - Mobile Edition

Comics Movie Reviews
Fantastic Four
By Hervé St.Louis
July 13, 2005 - 12:42

Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, Julian McMahon
Directed by: Tim Story
Produced by: Bernd Eichinger, Ralph Winter, Avi Arad
Running Time: 2 hrs. 03 min.
Release Date: July 8th, 2005
Rating: PG13
Distributors: Twentieth Century Fox

The Fantastic Four finally catch up to all their Marvel counterparts who have had recent adaptation to film in the last several years. There was a direct to video film in the 1990s that fans barely saw because it was deemed too bad. Kids from the 1970s and early 1980s must remember a cartoon series from Hanna Barbera. In this film, we witness the cosmic origin of the Fantastic Four and their initial feud with Doctor Doom.

The plot is thin but a mix of elements from the Ultimate Fantastic Four comic book series and the classic one. Nonetheless, I laughed from beginning to end. The acting was quite entertaining, although, I wonder why Gruffudd who plays Mr Fantastic gets top billing, if he’s so invisible in this film. Jessica Alba is convincing as Sue Storm, although not old enough. The wisecracks between Johnny Storm and the Thing are classics. My main question is why go up in space to study a cosmic phenomenon if one can reproduce its effects right here on Earth. Part of the film reminded me of the bad parts from Superman Two film.

Visually, the effects were stunning. My main gripe is the Thing. Although the props’ makers did their best, he still looks like a giant rubber chicken. The Human Torch’s flames were incredible and almost lifelike. Reid Richard’s lab lack some of the more exotic equipment one is used to seeing from the comics. They finely transposed the team’s costumes to film without stretching anyone’s credibility or abandoning the spandex influence.