A 'fantastic' ride plagued by doom?

Rating: 7/10 (15 July 2005)

You would think by now we have seen all we can see when it comes to graphic novels in film, but it's clear we haven't with the release of THE FANTASTIC FOUR, the new Marvel gem. And, unlike many of its predecessor's, this one focuses on more than one star, four to be exact, which is four times the fun if you ask me. Unfortunately, not everyone feels the same way I do, as some critics are bombing on this film for its lack of a good script and experienced directing. But, to me that's a cheap way of saying this film has no life, but this is just another example of critics taking a film like this too seriously. I realize the bar is set fairly high on films of this genre, given the recent success of SPIDER-MAN, X-MEN and BATMAN, but I think sometimes you have to check your expectations at the door, which is what I did for THE FANTASTIC FOUR. This film may not have the highly developed story, but it has the one thing that all movies of this genre need, character. And it's that character that leads to enjoyment, which is really all any of us want when going to watch one of these films.
The premise behind the story in this one focuses a group of individuals who, while on a relatively routine space mission, experience a freak cosmic storm that in turn changes their DNA forever. The trip was supposed to become the legacy of a selfish industrial scientist by the name of Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), later to be known as Dr. Doom. But, when the storm ruins his plans, he decides to create his own storm, using his newly developed powers. Attempting to stop Dr. Doom was of course the rest of the group, part of freak accident in space: Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), a highly intelligent scientist, later to be dubbed 'Mr. Fantastic'; Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), a hotshot pilot discharged from the military due to misconduct, also known as 'The Human Torch'; Susan Storm (Jessica Alba), Johnny's sister and also scientist, dubbed 'The Invisible Woman'; and finally Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), Reed's right hand man later dubbed 'The Thing.' As the freshly named "Fantastic Four" plan their next move, they all begin to learn how to best use their powers individually, which eventually becomes an asset when they are forced to work together to end the madness Dr. Doom has unleashed on the city of New York.
There's no doubt when the producers came up with the idea to put FANTASTIC FOUR onto the big screen, they wanted to get the true meaning of "fantastic" out of the cast. And I think for the most part they did just that, which a few exceptions. I can't imagine picking a cast that would look better than this one, with Young Hollywood heartthrobs Jessica Alba (SIN CITY, HONEY) and Chris Evans leading the pack. Following them was of course Julian McMahon, who many of us know from one of cable TV's hottest shows, NIP/TUCK. And it was Julian McMahon that out shined the rest of this cast, if you ask me. In fact, I'll even go as far to say that there should have been more of McMahon's Dr. Doom in the story, because without Doom, this movie would have literary been lost in space. Yeah, sure, the story probably centered more on the struggles of Michael Chiklis' (TV's THE SHIELD) character, The Thing, but that's part of the reason why there should have been more Doom. So, I'm not sure where the franchise will go from here, but if Doom isn't involved in some capacity, it might not get very far.
Any ordinary film based from a graphic novel is going to contain some pretty wild special effects and FANTASTIC FOUR did not disappoint. Some are saying the story gets in the way of the action taking place and I can just about get on board with that, because several times I felt lost within the story. But, I don't think it was enough to deter me from enjoying the film that director Tim Story (BARBERSHOP, TAXI) was trying to show. If anything, there wasn't enough "show and tell" of the special powers each of the characters possessed. And the only saving grace to that was Dr. Doom and his powers, which seemed to be invincible.
FANTASTIC FOUR may not be the best comic-based film of recent memory, but who cares? With a balanced enough story to go along with a good looking cast that seems to mesh well, what else do you need? I think if you try to pick this film apart, you will, but what's the point when the true idea of FANTASTIC FOUR is to simply entertain? Because in the end that's exactly what it did, taking you on a roller coaster ride that didn't stop until the dramatic ending, leaving you wanting more.
B+