Flawed, but better than I expected

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2005)

When I saw the trailers for this film, I cringed. Reed Richards seemed more like a scientist that Jeff Goldbloom would play. Doom look kinda dumb, and then there's Jessica Alba. I really only went to see it because my friend wanted to see it for his birthday. Now I'm a big comic book fan so I know my Fantastic Four. I don't expect them to do everything just like the comic, but I like a certain continuity. I think the comic movies that fail are the ones that stray too far from the source material. You have almost fifty years of character development, why start from scratch again?
This is where the Fantastic Four succeeds and fails. Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm are terrific. Both very true to their comic book counterparts and both scripted well in the film. They even got their rather competitive opposing nature down well. They rarely get along, but help each other when it counts.
The conflict of the team itself is done well, too. The Fantastic Four is a team of strong, conflicting opinions. This was mirrored in the film. I almost always enjoyed their back and forth interaction.
Now for the bad stuff.
Reed Richards is just not Reed. This is forgivable in the film, and doesn't really cause any problems, but it just sort of aggravates me. Reed comes off like a bumbling loser, and worse, is constantly making mistakes. This is Reed Richards. The world's most brilliant man by leaps and bounds. I know that his mistake in the shielding caused the mutation of the Fantastic Four in the comic, and if that was Reed's only failing in the film, it would see realistic. Instead, he pretty much blunders through everything. He just doesn't seem very bright.
The really unforgivable misstep, however, is Doctor Doom. Doom is a tyrant. A strong Leader. A feared man all over the planet. Well, not in this film. He's more of a chauvinistic yuppie. He is far too tame to be Doom, and comes across really as Lex Luthor. He really just seemed kinda bored by the whole ordeal. Doom is one of the greatest comic book villains of all time, and he came across as a second rate Spiderman villain.
This is why you shouldn't stray to far from the tree when making comic book movies. Doom is a rich, interesting, complicated character. He has majesty and honor, villainy and cunning. The movies Doom just seems like he is going through the motions.
Overall, I did enjoy watching this film. I would probably like to have the DVD, especially because it felt like there were scenes missing. I remember a few times when it seemed like the film kind of jumped awkwardly. Good effects, generally good story and acting, some flaws. It's worth your time, but don't expect perfection. I rank it in line with the first X-men movie. A good start. Let's hope for a better sequel.