Surprisingly Good, Maybe Very Good.

Rating: 8/10 (31 March 2006)

I was honestly expecting very little from the film; the cheesy-looking poster doesn't help. But thorough competence all-around (and I don't mean this patronizingly) makes for quite and entertaining 90 minutes. Start with the writing. It does a very good job at capturing the dynamic of the group, the constant bickering and sparring between the members, as well the impression of four people who have long been friends and understand each other very well. I remember being struck by the importance of the interrelationships as a kid reading the books and the cartoon series--it wasn't batman and superman working together. The plot and dialog are intelligently handled. The acting is quite good as well, Chiklis is a great Thing, and I also liked Gruffudd and McMahon as Mr Fantastic and Dr Doom. McMahon is sort of a welsh Kevin Spacey. (why is it that when I see American films and there are unknown actors who strike me as good, they seems to always be from the UK, NZ, or Aus??). The younger Storm kids are good as well. The action is quick-paced, the special effects very good, and it has the right amount of humor. Lastly, the sex, language and violence are fairly restrained, so my kids were able to enjoy it.
I admire the film because it's a fairly straightforward adaptation of the comic, competently handled in every aspect, does not go for (too many) cheap laughs, and does not inject overblown ambitions into the story. It's always a pleasure to be surprised by quality entertainment.