Fantastic I think not...

Rating: 6/10 (27 December 2005)

Far from being anything near fantastic, "Four" is mediocre in every way. The acting ranges from great, to OK, to just plain crap. Chris Evans as Johnny Storm and Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm give their roles the comic book justice they so rightfully deserve. Watching Evans as the Human Torch makes me want him to meet good old' Spidey some time in a later film (if you don't know they are good friends in the comics.) Also kudos has to be given to Chiklis for wanting a suit rather then CGI, looks a lot better. Jessica Alba just shows up and looks good, not saying that's a bad thing but she wouldn't be my first pick as Sue Storm. But Ioan Gruffudd's Reed Richards needs some work. He plays this role just so completely bland that I want to walk up him during the movie and slap him across the face. There is no emotion on his face...ever. I fight not to fall asleep every time he shows up, but more kudos have to be given to him and his great American accent. Watching the DVD features I found out he has a strong British accent which surprised me. Julian McMahon is alright as Doom, though like Gruffudd I would like to see more in a sequel.
The script feels like it was written by a middle schooler. There is no real plot after everybody receives their powers and has just terrible lines (Call me Doom.) The story is all setup but we never get a compelling story, nothing tangible. Tim Story's direction needs some serious help. I understand that he was picked to show a dysfunctional family, but the action scenes were very choppy and had no style to them. The FX isn't terrible, the Human Torch was nice on the eyes but Story's direction really destroys the impact of the effects. This is a "B" grade superhero flick with an "A" grade superhero budget. I am saddened to hear everybody who was involved behind the scenes are coming back for the sequel. Maybe this time they will be able to create a better film.
Fantastic Four is still somehow enjoyable though, kind of like a bad horror movie. It's not the greatest superhero movie ever made, but were we really expecting that?