The title of this movie should read: Chris Evans is HOT.

Rating: 5/10 (8 July 2005)

I just saw this movie at a sneak preview last night. As far as comicbook movies go, this one was pretty shallow.
(Keep in mind that I don't read the comics, so I'm coming from the point of view of the audience segment not already familiar with the back story. And obviously the creators are looking to broaden their audience to include people like me as opposed to specifically addressing comic fans, so all you nerds getting your light sabers in a twist because there was some nuance I didn't catch, get a grip.) This movie had the feel of those movie sequels where all the returning characters mail it in with glib remarks instead of conveying any depth of emotion or intimacy, because you were supposed to "gotten" that in the previous movies.
In this movie, all these characters know each other, worked with each other, and in a couple cases, are related to each other and dated each other. So where's the chemistry? Sue and Reed act more like lab partners than pining lovers. Sue and Johnny are brother and sister, and you're supposed to get that connection because she tells him to grow up, and he jokes that he's going to be "scarred for life" when she strips to her underwear to be invisible. ClichÃ©d but still doesn't work. First of all, she's not hideous, sister or not. Second of all, she's in her underwear, not a gangbang video. What's the big deal?
Another thing is, except for Reed, I never got any impression that any of the other scientists were, well, smart. Much less brilliant. Where was the technobabble, the certifications and qualifications, the science talk? So, as far as comic book movies go, I'd say this one is the most mediocre. The acting is only okay, the character development is only okay, the action is only okay, the spec effects are only okay, and I get the impression that most of the connection made with the audience is through comic book references so that comicon nerds can feel comfortable that the characters are being represented accurately.
There is one saving grace to this movie, which I mentioned in the summary. Chris Evans is hot! Smoking hot! Get it? Get it? He's smoking hot because he catches fire, and also because he's a fine piece of man meat! Which you get to see, a LOT, because his clothes keep burning off! Because he's smoking hot!! Ha ha! Not only does it make for a continually amusing double entendre, (at least it did for me) it also makes for continually appreciable gratuitous semi-nudity. Whenever Chris Evans isn't running around in a skintight jumpsuit, he's running around half or mostly naked. In a movie world where Bo and Luke Duke got recast with Stiffler and Jackass, it's extremely refreshing to see that some directors still care enough about their female audience to include attractive actors and gratuitous male nudity. Thank you, Tim Story. It made your movie watchable.
(And thank YOU, Chris Evans. Keep up the good work!)