Enjoyable, effects-driven summer fare but surprisingly lazy

Rating: Null/10 (17 August 2005)

Reed Richards wants to investigate the effects of a space storm that he believes could have started life on Earth, However, out of cash he is forced to turn to Victor Von Doom, a wealthy businessman, for funding. Soon the team is altogether and on Doom's space station  Richards (the scientist), Doom (the money), Grimm (the co-pilot), Johnny Storm (the pilot) and Sue Storm (a young woman with a nice body). However it all goes wrong when the storm arrives nine hours early and only Doom can get safely behind the shields. Back on Earth, the effects of the storm start to kick in, giving the four of them amazing powers. However while they try to work out what is happening, Doom's company is collapsing, driving him into anger and rejection, while other smaller changes start to kick in on him too.
Another summer, another comic book adaptation looking to kick off a franchise of blockbusters. In this regard it is no different than all the other ones; driven by special effects and noise rather than having a real depth or individualism to make it stick in the mind. These problems are obvious from the very start but it probably won't matter to those who have come for the effects because it is noisy and colourful but I was surprised by how little effort the film actually made at times. The plot is fairly straightforward but yet it also manages to be lazy at the same time  characters conveniently arrive when required and it is all too simple. In many other areas as well, it appears that the film already knows that it will get a sequel so it doesn't need to do anything special. The action is good despite being a little too sparse and simple; its quite fun and the effects are mostly good.
The cast are mixed and are a surprising mix of TV stars considering the high profile of the film. Gruffudd is OK but it is hard to get behind him as a person because he doesn't have much in the way of screen presence  he is meant to be the lead but instead he is the least of the group. Alba is cutting out a risky career path for herself here  blazing a trail as a bland, pretty blonde starlet  will the trend catch on in Hollywood I wonder? She is dull as dishwater here with a poor delivery that no amount of cleavage shots can compensate for. Thank god then for Chiklis and Evans. Chiklis gets the closest to a scarred character the script gives anyone and his tough comedy and good presence is always welcome. Evans may be pretty obvious with his surfer humour but he is at least lively next to the corpses that are Gruffudd and Alba. McMahon is a bit hammy and not as much of a super-villain as I think he needed to be.
Overall this is an OK summer movie but it is certainly no more than that. The effects are good and the action is fun if sparse. However the performances are surprisingly poor in key roles while the writing (in regards plotting and dialogue) leaves a lot to be desired. Not a bad film and will please target audience but it has certainly not done anything to deserve the sequel it clearly sees as its birthright.