Finally, a human sci-fi movie that delivers on the comic books' tone and feel.

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2005)

When this movie ended, the full house actually broke into spontaneous applause, which I hadn't witnessed at a movie since E.T. The Fantastic Four is just pure, unadulterated fun, with a simple story, an interesting human conflict, four interesting characters, and delightful actors strutting their fine stuff. There are jokes that make you laugh without straining, underdogs you WANT to root for, and a very well-acted bad guy (Julian Mahon). All the characters are interesting, believable, fun, witty, and not too dark. There is NO embarrassingly trite and out-of-context sub-plot, such as the RIDICULOUS ninja characters in Batman Begins. Fantastic Four is just a simple, witty tale of 4 ordinary people who are trying to deal with the curse or gift of superpowers. It's a true beginning to what I hope is several more episodes.
Director Tim Story really succeeded in delivering a fresh, witty tale of a family that is both ordinary and super-ordinary, that we can all identify with, yet which represents the best in all of us. It's the kind of tale that Steven Spielberg would have produced.
The audience contained viewers of all ages: Kids from 8 to 80. There were comic book freaks wearing Fantastic Four T-shirts and beards, moms with their kids, teen-agers, and a smattering of adults for this afternoon movie on opening day. People loved the movie, and I guess they responded like me: I feel jaded by watching the overblown 'special effects' of computer-generated armies of millions (a la the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, where it's obvious that nothing is real). I'm equally tired of movies like Batman, where the tone and atmosphere is so dark or distorted that you can't tell what is happening or where it takes place.
I think the reason most people are staying away from movies this summer is because they are tired of un-believable characters and of movies that hide their lack of a good plot line with increasingly silly and extravagant special effects, gratuitous violence and sex. What we want is a good story, good acting, and believable people told in a fresh and witty way. Fantastic Four shows what a great movie should be about. It's not a Game Boy extravaganza. It's a diverting, interesting tale with five really interesting actors having a lot of fun. Everyone and their kids can see it and enjoy it.