The Fantastic Four Fan-Friendly
When the four are placed in close quarters with one another, whether on the Von Doom space station (owned by Victor Von Doom, played by Nip/Tuck’s Julian McMahon) or in the Baxter Building, home to Reed Richards (Gruffudd), they are your typical dysfunctional family with super powers. In a way, that makes them more likeable, because they are reluctant superheroes, who aren’t so much super as they are justâÂ?¦odd.
Reed and the love-of-his-life Sue Storm (Alba) are in drama-land after a breakup that neither of them seem to be able to get over. Sue’s brother Johnny (Evans), the typical playboy with an appreciation for all things extreme, now finds himself one step ahead of former commanding officer Ben Grimm (Chiklis) and acts like the stereotypical little brother. There are plenty of opportunities to laugh in this movie, most of which come from the bickering back and forth between Johnny and Ben.
While the three somewhat-sensible scientists attempt to find a solution to their altered states (Richards has become ultimately one big human rubber band, Storm can turn invisible and bend light around her to create a force field, and Grimm has turned in a walking, talking rock-like creature), Johnny Storm not only embraces his unique ability to increase his body temperature to supernova temperatures, but attempts to increase his popularity with the newfound power. It is Johnny, in fact, that gives them their celebrity status, calling himself the Human Torch. Sue becomes the Invisible Woman. Reed is Mr. Fantastic. And Ben? Just what is that thing anyway? You guessed it. The Thing.
Although the movie has gotten a lot of negative reviews, even before it was ever released, the only real negative thing about it is the fact that it is, at times, a little more explanatory than perhaps it should have been. People expecting a film with the same darkly psychological and brooding nature of films like Batman Begins will be gravely disappointed, as this film, at times, has almost campy humor. Probably the deepest emotion in this movie is the romantic tension between Reed Richards and Sue Storm. For fans of the comic book or the animated series, however, Fantastic Four is entertaining and enjoyable, and the humor is well-appreciated.
Comic book fans will be impressed that several moments in the movie take their cues from Jack Kirby’s work on the very first issue of the Fantastic Four. The cosmic storm is depicted with the same bullet-shaped rays from the origin. Ben possesses the more lumpy, craggy facial structure, instead of the more familiar beetlebrow. Like the opening act of the comic book, Johnny races against a missile. Stan Lee makes a cameo in this film, much like he has in many Marvel movies, but this time is the first time that he has played a character actually featured in the comics – he plays the part of Willy Lumpkin, the kindly, old mailman in the Baxter building.
Fantastic Four is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and suggestive content.
