Marvel's First Family Done Well

Rating: 9/10 (12 July 2005)

Well, most people will tell you that Fantastic Four isn't a good movie. These people include so-called film critics, comic book geeks, and plain idiots.
Well, I am a comic book geek, fancy myself an amateur film critic, and have done some idiotic things in my life. And I still liked Fantastic Four.
It is an exciting, thoughtful cinematic adaptation of Stan "The Man" Lee and Jack "King" Kirby's creation, the Fantastic Four, the comic book that ushered in the "Marvel Age" of comics that gave us such characters and filmic fodder as Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, and Daredevil, among many others.
The film got many things right - Ben Grimm's horror at becoming the rock-skinned Thing, Reed and Sue's love-hate-love relationship, and Johnny Storm's shear love of being the Human Torch.
More questionable is the portrayal of Julian McMahon's Doctor Doom, which was changed quite a bit from his comic book counterpart. Well, I believe the dark, demented, jealousy-driven spirit of Victor Von Doom was still there, and a bit more fleshed out and realistic.
The humor was spot on, as was the drama, and you really felt sorry for these guys, especially Ben. Marvel's track record of edgy, depressed characters began here with the Thing, and in Michael Chiklis' tortured portrayal, he really shines.
I recommend those of you who have not seen Fantastic Four to see it, with objectivity and the idea of just having a good time. I just feel that when the spirit of the source material remains, a film adaptation can be good, and Fantastic Four is good.
Highly recommended!