Not exactly as "Fantastic" as anticipated

Rating: 7/10 (11 July 2005)

FANTASTIC FOUR (2005) **1/2 Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon , Hamish Linklater, Kerry Washington, Laurie Holden, Maria Menounos. Less-than-stellar and barely 'fantastic' adaptation of the cult classic Marvel comic books quartet of reluctant superheroes (for the uninitiated : egghead scientist Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic (a wan Gruffudd); Sue Storm/The Invisible Girl, an astrophysicist (a seemingly miscast Alba  who don't get me wrong fills out her sleek costume nicely but I'd have been pleased with say Naomi Watts); her hot-headed brother/pilot Johnny Storm/The Human Torch (Evans, the only one clearly having fun with his new-found fame); and astronaut curmudgeon Ben Grimm/The Thing (Chiklis, the best of the bunch emoting under a ton of latex wonder) who gain their other-worldly powers in a freak accident in a cosmic quest to study DNA with fellow victim/financial backer and rival cum villain Victor Von Doom AKA Dr. Doom (McMahon relishing his role as the ultimate comics baddie) who has plans of his own for domination. The special effects are average in comparison to the recent crop of big-screen adaptation of comic book heroes but the screenplay by Michael France and Mark Frost is strenuously terrible with some truly awful dialogue that sound horrendous when delivered. Director Tim Story also seems out of his element in the big action sequences that could've added more juice to the storyline and the amazing characters (again Chiklis gets to shine even with the expert make-up by Bart Mixon) that has so much more potential that if a sequel is in the midst one hopes it'll be even more fantastic than this disappointment.