A grossly underrated Fantastic experience!!!!

Rating: 9/10 (7 May 2009)

Off late, especially with the relatively recent success of The Dark Knight, the general perception of audiences seems to be that the darker and more 'realistic' the tone of a superhero film, the more success it attains. While this is certainly true if you consider the two Nolan-directed Batman films, the first two X-men films, Burton's 1989 Batman film and a few others I could name; the truth is that it is not merely the dark tone that makes the film successful but the little things like plot construction, storytelling, characterization etc. which are oft overlooked these days. Another factor to be taken into account is whether a dark tone suits the character. Batman and the X-men may be dark because that tone suits the world they inhabit and the kind of stories that can be told with their characters. But try making Superman dark, and you'll find the result is not all that endearing. Which is why, I've never really understood the criticism directed towards the Fantastic Four films in general, and this one in particular for their 'campiness' and 'unrealism'. After all the Fantastic Four have always been campy and fun, because they were created in an era where comics were supposed to be campy and fun. After all, you cant expect a franchise which revolves around a family of celebrity superheroes constantly bickering with one another to be exactly dark and serious can you. And as far as the unrealism bit is concerned, the Fantastic Four have always been fantasy characters: they have always been about breaking the barriers and exploring new worlds of science and mysticism. They were never meant to be all that realistic in the first place. Which is why I think this film, while certainly not one the epic scale of TDK, is definitely one of the better superhero movies of all time. The campiness and the humour is present, though not over the top. The plot is simple, yet effective. The special effects are outstanding. And even amidst all the humour and fantasy, we have a few 'down to earth' character moments which remind us that our heroes are, after all, ordinary people with their own likes, dislikes, fears and anxieties. Reed Richards(Ion Gruduff) is torn between his dedication to science and to protecting the world. Sue Storm(Jessica Alba) is concerned about the effect of the team's very public superhero lifestyle will have on her future with Reed. Chris Evans does a great job as the Ben Grimm, interacting well with other characters and generally doing a good job as the resident strongman of the team. But as with the first film, it is Michael Chilkins who steals the show with his portrayal of Johnny Storm. The character is developed much further from being the shallow showman and exhibitionist of the previous film. While those external trappings are still present, even emphasized in the sequel, Johnny is portrayed as being a lot deeper. We empathize with him over his 'alienation' from the team due to his abnormal 'power problems', understand his frustration when he learns that Reed and Sue secretly plan to end their superheroic careers, and his feeling of guilt when he realizes he is continuously letting down his friends due to his hot-headedness. Johnny greatly grows as a character in this installment, though of course, it is Reed and Sue who remain the 'real' protagonists. The film does have a few flaws though. One of them is the Silver Surfer. Not so much the portrayal of the character (Doug Jones and Laurence Fishburn do a great job on that and the effects are spectacular), but I often thought that the Silver Surfer's background could have been expanded upon, given that he is the title character and the perceived 'villain' for much of the film. His origins and his connection to Galactus could have been brought out more clearly. Also, as in the previous film, the climax, though excellently filmed, could have been more elaborate. We have Johnny Storm acquiring the powers of all his teammates and fighting Doctor Doom but the main antagonist, Galactus, appears for all of three minutes as a giant cloud and the whole 'end of the world' thing is over before you know it. If the Silver Surfer is not the villain, then Galactus is, but the Fantastic Four don't even face him, which does not lend too much credibility to him being the primary antagonist. So is Dr. Doom the real villain then. It seems likely, but then again, Doom does spend most of the film working with the Fantastic Four to capture the Silver Surfer. Basically, we have a good plot, good dialogue, characterization etc. but no clear focus on the antagonist. Otherwise, this film is truly a fantastic experience!