Fantastic Four 2: Anything but Fantastic

Rating: 5/10 (26 June 2007)

They say sequels seldom pack the punch of the original, with only a few exceptions viz sequel to The Godfather, Lord of the Rings and as a matter of fact Die Hard with a Vengeance was probably better than the prequels. But with the Fantastic Four, it just wasn't to be. The first movie was itself a bit of a disappointment. The second has deteriorated one more notch.
I have always preferred other Marvel superheroes to the Fantastic Four. As a team they never really proved their mettle before the likes of Batman, Superman, Captain America etc.
The movie was anything but extraordinary. The character, Mr. Fantastic, is certainly a scientist nerd, but the character would have been better with a stronger personality assuming the role  perhaps, Billy Zane if he loses his English accent even George Clooney with his powerful personality and shades of white hair. Sue Storm aka Jessica Alba certainly does not fit the role well either. Her moves are not as crisp and powerful for a superwoman, as compared with an Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider or Jennifer Garner or even Charlize Theron in Eon Flux. Every instance that Jessica Alba triggered her force field, it almost seemed like she was only posing for a photograph. Her posture and the manner in which she carried herself was certainly not superhero-like. 'The Thing' and 'The Human Torch' are perhaps the only ones doing justice to their roles. The Silver Surfer speaks little and zips across the planet, but the portrayal was apt. He at least seemed to carry the sense of terror and might about him through his actions.
Movies with superheroes are expected to be powerful, but it hardly shows with the Fantastic group. Take Batman Begins for instance. Although the movie did have several sober and emotional scenes, the build-up to the story was well done. The manner in which lose ends came together and smooth switching between past-present-and-future are credits to good direction in the movie. Fantastic Four did not have any of those. The story seemed like a mundane series of events where good foresees a threat, accepts help from evil and is double crossed but eventually prevails  in that very order. There were few instances of humor, thanks to The Human Torch and The Thing, else the movie would have been just that much worse.
Among movies that have been adopted from comic books, Sin City, although one without super heroes, was powerful. It carried emotions and strength from pictures in the comic to the movie.
Fantastic Four was everything but fantastic.
I would rate it 5/10.