Hardly Fantastic.

Rating: 4/10 (16 July 2015)

Fantastic Four (2005): Dir: Tim Story / Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon: No, this film is not about a great game of golf although that might have been more entertaining. No, this film is about the abilities of four individuals infected with superpowers when a space project goes wrong. One of them can stretch to great lengths. One can render herself invisible. Another can become a human torch. While another becomes a rocky creature called the Thing. They must defeat the evil Dr. Doom before he can wreck havoc on mankind with a sequel. Directed by Tim Story with not a shred of story yet it is overwhelmed with special effects and mindless action. Story previous directed Barbershop and the idiotic comedy Taxi. Michael Chiklis as the Thing is terrific generating the one interesting character. He feels cursed especially when his fiancé rejects him, although the whole concluding blind woman thing is a bit over the top. Ioan Gruffudd as Stretch fails to extend a personality. Jessica Alba as Invisible Girl might as well have been invisible. Chris Evans plays the Human Torch who accepts his powers as a gift and goes to the press about it. Julian McMahon plays the nitwit villain Doctor Doom. Transcending the comic to screen results in a film that is about as fantastic as a kick in the ass. Score: 4 ½ / 10