The best live action film of a cartoon out there

Rating: 9/10 (29 July 2005)

I'm not a fan of films based on cartoons, especially after the mess that was Spiderman. The Fantastic Four is just that however...FANTASTIC.
The best thing about the film was the chemistry between the four reluctant heroes(the constant squabbling between Ben and Jonny is a hoot)and the special effects are done so well it almost looks natural when you see Reed's arm stretching like a rubber band.
Julian McMahon, who is brilliant in Nip/Tuck, turns in a performance full of understated menace as Victor Von Doom. He is positively creepy, even before the accident, which makes the audience feel he has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
The film is also heartrendingly sad at times, when it looks at the tragic plight of Ben Grimm (The Thing) whose girlfriend leaves him when she sees his Thing form, he can't pick up small objects as his hands are too big and he tips the elevator overweight. He becomes bad tempered and miserable after this, but after being tricked back into his normal form by Victor, his selfless nature rises again to do the right thing in the end.
The Fantastic four has everything you'd expect from an action film, and the scriptwriters here have finally found a way to get genuine emotion into a cartoon-based movie.