Laughable.

Rating: 3/10 (26 July 2005)

Despite preconceptions that did not favour my interpretation of the film, I went into 'Fantastic Four' (2005) with a fairly open mind. I prayed I would see a charming, dulled down, childish comic book film that would be otherwise comparable to the more adult X-Men films. Unfortunately, I was not pleasantly surprised as I had hoped I would be.
Instead, I was forced to sit through an hour and a half of nonsensical, diluted, monotonous mini-stories pieced together by incoherent scenes as part of an altogether bitty narrative. The first 20 minutes rushed out the initial story of the superheroes, while the hour in the middle was filled with pointless arcs and excuses for showing Jessica Alba half naked. The ending does not save the story either, but rather bores you with a predictably flashy fight and annoys you with a pathetic "everything's wrapped up in a neat little package" party scene, where love is declared and the American way upheld. However, surely the most patriotic Americans must have been sickened by the way their country was portrayed at times during this film.
Add these down-points to the poor screenplay (duly noted as incoherent narrative) and script that only serves to embarrass the already questionable actors and actresses present, and a truly poor film is the end product. Furthermore, it cannot be argued that the film is aimed at a younger audience, as the largely childish script and stories therein are contrasted with some notably violent deaths and adult themes.
Vince's Verdict: Poor writing and equally poor direction sends this one right down the drain. If you really need a superhero fix, go and see Batman Begins again.