It's "Fantastic" in a way I didn't think possible

Rating: 8/10 (8 July 2005)

If you're reading this, then there's a high possibility that you've already taken a chance or are at least interested in seeing "Fantastic Four." The film is big, loud, and totally captured my interest in a way that a number of movies already out this summer haven't, except for "Batman Begins," which is another adaptation of a popular comic book superhero.
Where other superhero flicks have probably failed or have not lived up to their full camp potential (save Sam Raimi's marvelous "Spider-Man" movies), "Fantastic Four," surprisingly, succeeds, especially in its joy and role as a summer crowd-pleaser and I make those judgments out of amusement, not criticism. Though I'm not big on Marvel Comics' cosmic foursome, the Fantastic Four certainly do rank as their most popular team of heroic mutants outside the X-Men.
Even more surprisingly, some may realize that this is not the first time Fantastic Four has gotten the green light as a motion picture; some may remember a straight-to-video version from 1994 that a lot of people merely laugh at. But this big-budget screen adaptation, directed by Tim Story (of "Barbershop" fame), is "fantastic" and fun and may be one of the better special effects bonanzas we'll see this summer.
Beginning with a trip into outer space, a team of five scientists - Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), Susan Storm (Jessica Alba), her brother Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), and the mission's sponsor Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon) - have journeyed to Doom's space station to monitor a radioactive energy cloud that's set to pass by Earth.
This energy cloud, we learn, may have been responsible for the beginning of life on Earth. A mishap in the mission occurs when they learn that the energy cloud is approaching the station hours before it was scheduled to pass by. The team members are exposed and the next thing the audience realizes, they're back on planet Earth recovering from their ordeal.
They all seem fine, except that Reed's feeling a little more "loose" than usual, Susan's having trouble seeing her reflection, Johnny's "hot," and Ben's skin is hardening. Before long, we've got four mutants on our hands:

Reed becomes "Mr. Fantastic," in that he can stretch, bend, and otherwise reconfigure his body and give Plastic Man a run for his money; shame about the grays though.

Susan becomes the "Invisible Woman" - 'nuff said. Well, not exactly. She can't turn completely invisible but she can bend light, which of course doesn't amount to the same thing. But, it becomes harder to see her, which may be a disappointment to those who expected to see a naked Ms. Alba (even though she does strip a few times but sadly, we can't see her when that happens).

Johnny becomes the "Human Torch" and with those famous words "Flame On!" - he's on fire - literally, and the girls are melting over him. I can still picture that famous scene where the nurse shoves a thermometer in his mouth and she reads a computer monitor and exclaims, "You're hot!" to which Johnny coolly replies, "Why, thank you. So are you."

And lastly, there's poor Ben, who's my personal favorite FF member, who becomes "The Thing," and he's less +Rocky+ than Stallone but more heartfelt than The Rock himself.

The characters bicker amongst themselves like a close family as they try to figure out what's happening to them. After a daring rescue on the Brooklyn Bridge, the four become instant media heroes and are dubbed "The Fantastic Four." Johnny gets the most exposure of course, Reed and Susan try to sort out their tentative romance, and poor Ben struggles with his unsightly figure.
This will all have to be brushed to the side, however, when Victor notices he's feeling a little "steely," and he becomes "Dr. Doom" and wishes to challenge our four heroes. As it would turn out, he was affected as well by exposure to the energy cloud and he now has control over electricity and (surprise, surprise) he has plans on world domination.
"Fantastic Four" raises the bar on superhero flicks in a way not quite seen since the modern genre was kicked off with "Superman" (1978). I say that it is extremely enjoyable, doesn't take itself seriously, and is forever charming. This film embraces its camp elements and just goes to town with the humor, which, from my experience in the theater today, was met with a wildly positive response.
As stated earlier, though I'm no FF geek, I can honestly say that this instantly ranks as one of the more fun, less serious of the lighter superhero movies. We have four excellent leads who come together on-screen and realize their lives' mission in saving the world from imminent destruction at the hands of a madman.
"Fantastic Four" is fun and flawed but likable in a way that those flaws can be brushed under a carpet and left there for good. I just hope the DVD is as fantastic as a I anticipate it should be.
8/10