Month of Superhero Film Reviews: Fantastic Four

Howdy ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Day #15/16 of my Month of Superhero Film Reviews! During this month I’ll be reviewing of some of the best and worst comic book adapted films. I’m one day late again and I apologize, but heck the show must go on. Today we’re talking about a terrible adaptation of a great Marvel comic book series, today its all about Fantastic Four.

Oh Fantastic Four, I actually used to like this film a lot when I was a teenager. After I saw this in 2005 I proper got on the hype for these characters. I started watching the cartoons, done my research online and also got knowledge from Marvel Ultimate Alliance too. This film made me aware of the source material and turned me into a fan. However after a few years I realised that this film is actually a lot worse than I thought, it bad and I’m gonna tell you why in this review.

In terms of the plot the film follows four astronauts who have their lives changed forever, when they end up being hit by a cloud of cosmic radiation during an experimental space mission. Reed Richards can stretch his body like elastic, Sue Storm can become invisible. Johnny Storm becomes the human touch, able to manipulate and create fire and Ben Grimm becomes the ‘Thing’, a man made out of rock. But there is one problem. The journey’s sponsor, Victor Von Doom has also been affected and with his new-found powers he has big plans for world domination. So it is down to Reed and the others to stop Doctor Doom before his even plans come to pass.

The story in this film sounds really cool and different on paper and with the right kind of execution then this could have been something really good. Unfortunately the end result is something bland and very basic. The problem lies in the script. The way the story plays out is in the most generic and cliché of ways, there’s you basic hero versus villain stuff, there’s the typical love story and the formation of a team that don’t necessarily get on at first but form together by the end of the film. There is a very cheesy and light-hearted nature because of the way the story’s been crafted and it doesn’t have enough seriousness and realism which makes the material hard to take the seriously.

Now let’s talk about the cast. Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic is okay but doesn’t really have the screen presence, charisma or right look of the original comic book character. Jessica Alba as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman is also pretty weak, Alba just doesn’t have the acting skills necessary to pull off such a smart and strong female character. Besides the fact that Alba looks incredibly hot in this film, otherwise she is useless.

Then we have Chris Evans as Johnny Storm/The Human Torch who is honestly the best element of this film. Johnny storm is the hot-shot, arrogant, charismatic ladies man who is there to annoy most people but has a likeable charm that is undeniable. Evans plays the character very well to the point where it is totally in line with the source material. Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm/The Thing is the only other good actor in this film, Chiklis plays his role well as the grumpy rock man who has complications dealing with his look and powers. Along with Evans, Chiklis has some great banter and on-screen chemistry similar to the comics.

Now let’s talk about Julian McMahon as Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom. Doctor Doom is meant to be one of the most brilliant, sophisticated and evil villains of the Marvel comic universe and yet his character is so downplayed, basic and useless. McMahon just doesn’t have the right skills to make the work in the same vein as the comics, this version is just dull, uninspiring and not intimidating at all. As for Kerry Washington as Alicia Masters she was good, but really underused and not enough time was given to her character to make her feel totally relevant.

Now let’s talk about the presentation. The film is alright in this department. The CGI is decent and works for the most part but there are times when it does look really fake. The action scenes and sequences are good but nothing spectacular, the best part is when Johnny’s on-screen and when he first takes flight properly its one of my favourite moments. As for the soundtrack by John Ottman its nice and has some nice heroic moments but otherwise its nothing overly memorable.

And lastly how does it compare to the comics? Honestly I’ve never really read the comics, but I know about the Fantastic Four through the cartoons, online research and playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance. The story and characters are kept the same besides some updates that are made for present times. The only things I notices was the fact that Alicia Masters is suddenly black and that Victor Von Doom’s character has been severely simplified.

So to conclude Fantastic Four is a film that could have been brilliant, in the end it’s just lame. There are a lot things left out or not fully looked into like the whole family dynamic of the hero team, Ben’s issues with his powers, Doctor Doom’s intellect and powers, all of these elements are parts of the comics that aren’t fully capitalized on in this film and what we have left is a poor representation of the comic book series that is loved by many.

Rating: 5.5/10 (A film that could have been fantastic but ends up being below average)

So there’s my review people, only 15 more to go. So have you seen Fantastic Four and if so what are your thoughts on it? Drop me a comment and let me know your thoughts yo! Come back tomorrow and I’ll have a new film review online, until then peace out!