Good, simple fun

Rating: Null/10 (9 July 2005)

I've read, and re-read some of the threads on the boards for this, and I have to ask, "Did we see the same movie? I thought the move was really well made, and, for what it was suppose to be, just a good time. This isn't "Cinderella Man" or "War of the Worlds (which ROCKED BTW), but it wasn't meant to be. It was meant to be F-U-N,..that's it, that's all, and it succeeded in all aspects. The cast was well thought out, and performed their parts admirably. The humor between the characters kept the story lively, and (here's that word again) fun. Ben's angst over his transformation into The Thing was palpable, without pulling the movie into "Punisher" level, which is NOT what the FF is all about. The relationship between Reed and Sue was believable with him completely clueless as to how to deal with the woman he loves,and her as a woman frustrated when the man she loves, can't seem to get a clue. (I know people just like them, trust me.) And with Johnny, he's the gut you alternate between wanting to throttle one second (when he goes overboard) and envying the next (in his reckless abandon, and ability to get the girls) The story was interesting, and kept you moving along at a rapid pace, and the special effects were,..well,..INCREDIBLE! Michael Chiklis's range of emotions really came through through all that make up, enabling you to laugh, or cry with him. I've been hearing a lot of noise and people b***hing about "miscasting" because of Miss Alba's mixed heritage, and that the character of Alicia Masters is portrayed by a black lady,..SO FRIIIKN' WHAT? Didn't we all hear the same moaning and groaning about Michael Clarke Duncan as Kingpin in "Daredevil? And he did a wonderful job! Both actresses did a fine job in their respective roles, and the fact Alicia was black just cemented the idea that it's not what you look like outside, but what's inside that counts. She (very pretty lady) was attracted to what was inside Ben, not his rocky exterior, and he was attracted to her in-spite of her race, or handicap. A lesson, I've noticed reading these boards, we could all use. All in all, I enjoyed this movie ,and everything with it. I consider myself a large movie fan, and a fan of WELL-DONE comic book movies, and I will be adding this gem to my collection when it arrives on DVD. I am also looking forward to any sequels!