"Flame On!"

Rating: 7/10 (12 January 2009)

When I heard Chris Evans had been cast as 'The Human Torch' in a movie of 'The Fantastic Four', I fell off my chair. Fortunately, it turned out not to be the annoying ex-Radio One D.J., but an American actor of that name.
Following the successful 'Spider-Man' and 'X-Men' movies, it seemed inevitable Hollywood would get round to doing the F.F. - Marvel's first smash-hit comic, launched in 1961.
Four people risk their lives flying into outer space - scientist Reed Richards, his best friend Ben Grimm, girlfriend Sue Storm, and her headstrong brother Johnny Storm - where they are exposed to cosmic radiation. Back on Earth, they find they have each been blessed with super powers - Reed can stretch his body like a rubber band, Sue becomes invisible, Johnny bursts into flame without getting burnt himself, and poor Ben changes into a grotesque orange monster that resembles an unfinished statue. They become media darlings; Reed is nicknamed 'Mr.Fantastic', Ben 'The Thing', Johnny 'The Human Torch' and Sue 'The Invisible Woman'.
The movie sticks to this origin story but with one major difference - arrogant industrialist Victor Von Doom goes along for the ride. He becomes progressively insane, his skin peeling away to expose metal. He dons a mask to become 'Doctor Doom'.
When I saw this originally my first reaction was that it would have made a decent pilot for a television series. As a cinema movie it was a bit of a let-down, boasting little by way of spectacular action ( apart from an extended scene on a bridge and the climactic battle in a street ). Doom did not have any major plots to conquer the world up his sleeve, other than a determination to defeat the F.F.
The special effects were fine, and the cast portrayed the characters well ( Michael Chiklis being an outstanding 'Thing' ), but the lack of action sequences proved a handicap. Fortunately, the movie performed well enough at the box office to warrant a superior sequel; 2007's 'Rise Of The Silver Surfer'.
The other thing ( no pun intended ) I liked about the picture was that it eschewed the dark, angst-ridden approach favoured by the likes of other superhero movies such as 'Batman Begins'. 'Fantastic Four' was bright, colourful, fun to watch, which is just how it should be.
And Stan Lee's 'Willie Lumpkin' cameo was his best to date!