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Rating:  -
As franchises go, Fantastic Four is relatively unexplored territory. There are probably good reasons for this: one of the characters is a cigar-chomping piece of rock, three members of the team are related to each other, and one of character's claim to fame is his amazing intellect combined with...wait for it...the power of STRETCHING. Which was pretty funny in the 70s when it was portrayed in cartoons (I can still hear the "stretching" sound like a vacuum played backwards) and is a little creepy today.
Given that comics are the new hot property for movies, it was inevitable that the good 'ole FF have their own film. And thus we have Ioan Gruffud (a less charismatic Jeff Goldblum) as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, the delectable Jessica Alba as Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman, gruff Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm/The Thing, and Chris Evans as the wisecracking pretty boy Johnny Storm/The Human Torch. Our heroic crew assembles in privately funded mission into space to explore...cosmic space gas. Only something goes terribly awry and the mutagenic mist transforms the four astronauts into super powered freaks.
The inherent silliness of the plot and characters has been spoofed so many times that it's difficult for the actual Fantastic Four to keep up. We've all seen the family squabbles of the Incredibles. But perhaps the most caustic send-up is The Venture Bros., who deftly skewers the FF by casting Reed as an outdated 50s stereotype, Sue as a liberated housewife, and The Thing as a mentally deficient monster.
Perhaps FF can be forgiven for its lack of focus as it tries to walk the tightrope between being superhero silly and deadly serious. Reed's romance with Sue is in its early stages here, complicated by a rival, Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon)...
You! You in the back with the funny haircut! Stop laughing! That's the man's name, all right? It has nothing to do with his tendency for evil! Or fancy alliteration. Or that he happens to be a native of some country you've never heard of...that happens to send him a mask...that he just happens to wear...
Fine. Fine, yes, this is all a little ridiculous. But there's angst! Poor Grimm suffers as he struggles with his identity and his hot wife dumps him (while wearing a negligee in the middle of the street, of course). Will Reed propose to Sue, or will she stick with Doom? Will Johnny ever stop being such a card? Will Sue ever discover how to turn invisible without taking off her clothes? (!)
And so FF stumbles over itself in an attempt to be both true to the comic book's origins and cram in a plot that's really five stories into one film. Ben Grimm's angst as the unpleasant-looking Thing is diminished by a device that "cures" him. A device that didn't work without Doom's special powers, but mysteriously works in reverse without explanation. Alba is too sexy for the role; it's hard to believe the wooden Richards could romance her or that she'd find the stilted Von Doom any more attractive. And Richards' serious scientific efforts are undermined that he's basically a big inflatable balloon. In fact, much of the fight scenes in this movie involve members of the FF battling each other.
The special effects do a good job of displaying the heroes' powers, but The Thing simply looks like a guy in rubber foam. Chiklis is big, but he's not a huge man, and the film sometimes remember he's heavy and cumbersome (complete with thudding footfalls and exploding chairs) and then forgets when it's inconvenient (because a wooden bench can surely handle his massive weight, right?).
I think a lot of fans are just happy this film isn't the first attempt (that never saw the light of day but lives on in bootlegs). For my FF fix, I prefer the animated version, which manages to be both hilarious and action-packed while poking fun at the utter ridiculousness of a super-science team consisting of a talking rock, a rubber band man, an invisible woman, and a real flamer.
Rating:  -
There is clearly a reason it took me so long to watch this. I wanted to see it in the theater, but something did not allow me to go. I wanted to get the DVD, but I could not do it. I got the BD because I got it at a decent rice. After watching it, I walked away with a bad feeling...
My rule on movies is simple. If it is 90 minutes, it is bound to suck. It means that no one took the time to write a deep and detailed story, let alone do anything else. 9 times out of 10 this holds to be true. If a film is an hour and 45 minutes, it is usually decent with a little more time for a complete story and thought out scenes. Again, this holds true 9 times out of ten. If a film is 1 hour and 50 minutes or better, it is usually a masterpiece as you can tell that time was given to tell a story and everything else involved. It shows that it has substance. I don't have to tell you that the beloved films of all time are at least 2 hours long and the worst are 1 and a half hours or less!
This one is on the level of Elektra and Cat Woman - maybe a little better. The look was ok, but Sue, Doom and Reed were wrongly cast and I still cannot understand how Alba is playing a white character! Johnny and Ben were cast well enough. The story should have been deeper, but maybe before filming began they knew that it was going to be short. I believe that some directors who never read comicbooks don't take the approach to these films seriously.
Now, the special effects were cheesy and unbelievable in most cases. Alba looked like a child and not white as Sue is in the comics. Reed looked like a C list actor and I believe he is the same guy who played in the prototype FF4 movie. The actor who played Doom was horrible and had no type of feeling.
The writing and/or budget caused a problem with the story. They get powers, discover them and then they already have them mastered? Doom starts to change and then for NO REASON at all, he dons a clasic Dr. Doom mask and uniform without any reason given for the mask to exist and for him to have put it on other than the fact that the character wheres it! He just gets the uniform out of no where and puts it on for what reason? His face did not even come close to the hideous looks of the comic for him to even think about covering it up.
The writing is EVERYTHING is a movie. When that is bad, NOTHING can save a movie - NOTHING. This is only good if you are a Marvel fan. Now I am off to watch part two. If that is more fo the same, then maybe The Punisher and The Hulk are not the only other films who need a complete overhaul...
Rating:  -
I've watched the Fantastic Four cartoons and always found their charismatic witty personalities and their dialogues very entertaining. However, the actors in the movie just don't have that edge to them, they seem like second rate actors, like they had to lower the costs or something for Jessica Alba to be in the movie. I mean, they are supposed to be SUPERHEROES! Not medicore schmucks who just happen to have superpowers! Very disappointed in the acting, which I find destroys the movie, put in all the special effects that you want, point of the matter is, you need actors that have to know who their character is that they are playing.
Rating:  -
Much like the Daredevil Director's Cut, the Extended cut of F4 is the only way to watch the movie, the theatrical release pales in comparison.
While the movie itself is much too focused on the comedic aspects and sight gags in either format, with the extended cut you at least feel like you are getting more for your money.
The major addition to the film is the Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters romance subplot that is just glossed over in the original cut. Included is a wonderful scene in Alicia's studio where you actually see the romance begin and a real relationship form. As well as a scene at an Art Show where Ben is embarassed for Alicia to be seen with him and leaves.
The other footage is mostly of Dr. Doom dealing with his transformation, spying on the F4 and meeting with every member other than Reed trying to convince them that Reed doesn't care about them.
I highly suggest replacing any theatrical cut copies of the DVD with the extended cut, you won't be disappointed.
Rating: -
As a fan of the comics for years I was excited to see the adaptation to the big screen of many of my childhood heroes. This film is long on special effects and has a lot of fun action. But it lacks the story and acting that have made the early Spider Man and X-Men films fun to watch. It is still worth seeing, but it could have been much better.
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