World's Not-So Greatest Film Adaptation

Rating: 2/10 (12 February 2007)

Comic book fans have been treated with some excellent film adaptations of their favourite heroes and heroines. The Spider-Man & X-Men films, as well as Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins have set a new standard by which future Marvel and DC comics franchises will be tested. As the self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Comics Magazine", the Fantastic Four are anything but in this adaptation directed by Tim Story (Barbershop); amidst these other hero films, the Fantastic Four should be ashamed. Where does the film go wrong? The budget was in place, the casting was not terrible and there was plenty of great source material (decades of comics) to work with. Even the director and editors seem to have done decently worked around what seems to be the film's main failure: the lack of any engaging plot. Fantastic Four is an origin story with an eighties montage and an anti-climactic ending, featuring a villain whose purpose for committing villainy is obscure.
The inclusion of fan-favourite Jessica Alba as Sue Storm gives way to pointless fan-service excursions. The creative discussion must have gone as such: Producer: "We need some T&A." Writer: "Okay, I've added this scene where she has to become invisible, but she can only be invisible if she gets naked." Producer: "I like it, but how are we going to see some T&A if she's invisible?" Writer: "Well, you know, she's having troubles adjusting to her powers, so when she's in her undergarments she'll temporarily lose her invisibility." Producer: "Sweet deal." Obviously, the writers never paid attention to the golden rule of film-making: that every scene in some way contributes to the evolving plot or character development. Perhaps the near lack of plot may be at fault here. Clocking in at a mere 100 minutes, the movie still could have used some editing.
Fantastic Four is not all bad. Being a fan of the comic series, the characters and their personalities were not meddled with. Some of the most entertaining scenes in the film involve the ever-famous rivalry between hotshot Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) and the hardheaded Ben Grimm (The Thing). Likewise, the future relationship between blind love interest Alicia Masters and Ben Grimm was introduced in the film. Unfortunately, Ms. Masters' role was minute; considering the dramatic issue that is Ben Grimm's transformation into a hideous amalgamation of man and rock, more development between the softness of Alicia and their budding relationship could have added to the film's potency. Unfortunately, Marvel Comics' producers were aiming for a more action-packed film. As such, Fantastic Four still falls behind most films in the genre, as the final showdown between the group and Viktor Von Doom (the pointless villain) never reaches the intensity of Spider-Man vs. Doc Ock or Batman vs. Ra's Al Ghul. For longtime fans of the comics, famous lines such as The Thing's "It's clobberin' time!" and the Human Torch's "Flame on!" are but brief excursions from an otherwise dismal attempt at the superhero genre. Despite the obvious borrowing of ideas, Brad Bird's The Incredibles provides a much more satisfying experience for superhero fans. (3/10 - Poor)