Nothing original but an enjoyable flick

Rating: 8/10 (23 July 2005)

I have to say, I usually don't read Stan Lee comics. Nothing against them, just never got into them. So, for me, this movie going experience was my first trip into the world of the Fantastic Four, and it was a good time. Chris Evans, playing Johnny Storm, is superb as the cocky flamethrower and manages to steal just about every scene with his over-the-top flamboyance. Ioan Gruffudd and Jessica Alba display good tension and chemistry from the moment they share a scene. No need to delve too much into the drama of their relationship, you see the way the two look at each other and you know there's a past. Gruffudd's performance is convincing (though it's obvious this guy is English, trying to use an American accent) and Alba, wow, what a sweet presence she adds to the screen. Obviously, she isn't hard on the eyes, but she carries herself in such a sensual way that you can't help but fall in love with her.
I must say, the biggest disappointment I had was with Julian McMahon as Victor Von Doom. He played his part well, but like the villains in Daredevil, he wasn't shown enough. He does play a great bad guy (of course, he is an evil businessman) but I didn't think they had enough tension build up between him and the FF. You knew he was gonna be po'ed about his business going under, so there was no chance for hostility to build, it was pretty much there once the failed experiment took place. And for a bad guy, he didn't have much of an agenda. He basically was trying to get back at the Fantastic Four, turn them against each other, but no bold plans for overtaking Manhattan, holding the world hostage, nothing. For an evil guy, he certainly didn't have many evil ambitions, which I find ironic, since he had been an adventurous entrepreneur. Makes you wonder.
Michael Chiklis does a good job of playing a tormented thug. Man, if I had strength like that, I wouldn't be mopey, I'd be out there kicking the crud out of people, just for the fun of it. Chiklis was perfectly cast as The Thing, though I found it rather crass that his wife left him because he was deformed. I guess love doesn't last forever if your spouse becomes a mutant.
As a whole, I pretty much got what I expected from this movie. Great special effects, good action (though not enough of it), believable interaction between the characters, I give this one high marks. Not a bad movie to show to kids either (though it does show Alba briefly in her undergarments, oh ya). Just do yourself a favor: when you're watching it, suspend your disbelief, just for a short time. Let the special effects and the fun carry the way and don't over analyze things too much. No, seriously, don't do it.