Reviews - SPOILER FREE

[Zac]

Well, after reading a ton of reviews claiming FF to be a bad movie, I went in expecting it to be just that. However, I was very pleasantly surprised.

Yeah, it had problems, yeah, it was corny, yeah it was dumb, but it was a FUN movie. I really really enjoyed this movie. The interaction between them all in such a family-like manner was beautiful and had me rolling on the floor at times.

To keep this short, go in to Fantastic Four expecting a pretty bad movie, and you should enjoy it just fine.

[easy D]

Yeah, I put a review up at my reviews thread, pretty much saying the same thing. But, I can imagine a lot of people would be disappointed after seeing other C2F's this year like Sin City or Batman Begins.

[Sonic1002]

Sure F4 wasn't as deep and psychological as Batman, but all in all, it was a fun comic book movie. The chemistry between Johnny and Thing was fantastic...

[The Xenos]

A friend of mine who saw it said he couldn't stand Johnny, which is odd as most reviews said he was one of the good characters.

Now I want to know, how bad was Doom? That's a real sticking point for me. I like the four, but I'm as much a Doom fan as I am a fan of them.

-Xenos

[Zac]

Doom was good in the sense that he wasn't Doom, know what I'm saying? He wasn't at all like the Doom we all know and love from the comics, but on his own, I thought he was just as good a character as the others. I think if there's a sequel that we'll see him evolve moreso into the comic version of Doom, with the BAHing and the RICHARDS!ing and the CURSESing and what not.

[Essex]

**MAYBE SOME VERY VERY MINOR SPOILERS. I'D STILL CONSIDER THIS SPOILER-FREE**
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I am having difficulty describing how I feel about Fantastic Four. As a story, it was shit, pure shit. But as entertainment, maybe not so bad. I loved the effects and even the cast was pretty good. Jessica Alba was not believable as a scientist, but that's hardly her fault. She was wrong for the part if they were going to portray her as a brainy science girl, but she still added some fun attitude to the role and I really enjoyed her. Plus, she was simply gorgeous. I really liked Ioan Gruffud as Reed, despite the fact that, just like everybody else, he was given no character development. As had been said before, both Evans and Chiklis were good in their roles. I liked that Evans still made me believe he DID care about Ben, despite being rude and jackass-like.

But god, the story...they story. It seemed like they started filming with nothing but an outline. The villain was bad because he was. The heroes were good because they were. There was nothing more to it. No motivation, no reasoning. What the hell made Von Doom go from being an arrogant ego-maniac to a homicidal maniac? The story was simply about a bad guy fighting good guys. Not for any goal or purpose at all. And I'm a little confused where the authorities were once he started running amok. Did they already have so much faith in these weird heroes that they decided to call it a day, and then for some reason allow his assistant to return him to his home country after he had been...vaguely defeated?

I liked the *idea* of focusing on the public's reaction to the FF, but that aspect was handled ridiculously superficially. Were they afraid of them? Did they love them? It seemed to be a little of both, which is fine, but that's all we saw...I'm confused why nobody was concerned about a man who could set himself or anything else on fire at will...And why did all the other business men who worked with Von Doom seem totally uninterested in the Fantastic Four, when OBVIOUSLY creating superpowers on demand would probably be a pretty profitable technology...?

Doom was a laughably bad villain, but frankly, just adapting the comic book Doom would have been equally as bad. He's never been chock-full of motivation. In the movie, we needed some reason to be afraid of him. He hated the Fantastic Four and wanted to kill them. So what? If he did, then what? There was no danger for anybody else. I really loved how he looked though. The mask and costume were awesome and he could have been truly frightening if he was treated more dramatically. Instead, he was hollow and pointless. I had no problem with them giving him those metallic powers in the same accident as the rest of the FF, but the way in which he was defeated was a joke.

On a final story note, why was Alicia there? In the comics, we understand why she cares for Ben. She understands his sensitive side that most people don't see. But in the movie, she's suddenly interested in him before really ever talking to him. It ends up seeming like the only reason she's with Ben is because she's blind, which is so totally against the point. How exactly did getting with a blind girl help Ben's character accept his appearance? And I don't understand why he didn't want to change back to Ben Grimm at the end. He helped save the day, everything was good...how did he so quickly accept his fate as a horrible, incapacitated monster when they could feasibly turn him back very soon after?

On the positive side, the effects were awesome. The Human Torch effects were stellar, as were all the others. Sometimes the Mr fantastic effects looked a little strange, but that had more to do with how ridiculous he can sometimes look than it did with the actual effects. Thing looked awesome while stationary, but he needed a little more CG added to his hide. When he moved, it was obvious he wasn't made of solid rock, as it was able to bend for some reason. Or maybe this could have just been solved with more strategic placement of the rocks near his joints and neck, and even his cheeks. He still looked cool, though, and was very faithful to the spirit of the comics (right down to the way his fingers looked).

Overall, it just felt like nothing happened in this movie. They got powers and fought a bad guy. The end. I think I might see it again in my lifetime, though. As I said, the effects were fun enough to warrant watching it. Maybe the story will even seem more coherent on second viewing.

I'd recommend it to people who like action movies. I'd just warn them not to expect the Fantastic Four, but more the Moderately Entertaining But Very Flawed Four.

[Pod]

In a short review I will just say the thoughts I got....
*If you watched at least 5 different trailers/commercials of this movie you kinda have seen most of the film.
*The costumes arn't that big in the film, and Dr.Doom isnt much of a costume guy in the film either.
*If you read the Ultimate f4, original ff or any other origin comic of ff...this movie isnt the same in the beginning.
*If you want to see alot of johnny and ben...watch this movie.
*If you saw Sin City and want to see more skin of Jessica Alba (Who wouldnt? :lol: ) then watch this movie.

[norrinraad]

Well, I'm going to be a lot easier on this movie than many folks have. To me, Fantastic Four falls into the category of being an "entertaining" film as opposed to being a "great" one. I'm sure most people are able to make that distinction between films they see as well. Million Dollar Baby, for example, may be a "great" film but I didn't find it a necessarily enjoyable one and I have no interest in ever seeing it again. On the other hand, most critics considered Godsend one of the worst films of the past decade and I thoroughly enjoyed it and have since bought the DVD. I would inlcude Fantastic Four in the list of films that were critically disdained but I personally enjoyed.

There were plenty of weak spots in the film, no doubt. As a fan of Doctor Doom, I would prefer to forget he was ever in this film. However, the ending did hint that the Doom we all know and love, the brilliant meglomaniac, the ruthless but oddly noble despot of Latveria, will be making a comeback in future installments (and don't thing for a second there won't be a sequel). And although I think Nip/Tuck is one of the finest TV shows available, I would prefer to see the role re-cast at some point down the road. In this film, the villain's motivations are murky at best and his entire backstory and powers are only hollow echoes of the real deal.

Unlike most people, I didn't mind Jessica Alba as Sue Storm. Sue was always much younger than Reed in the comics anyway, so her age really isn't a factor, nor is her ethnicity. I thought she was just fine portraying a motherly role as the glue that keeps the Four together. Her relationship with Victor was a little hockey and seemed to be included just to add a little drama to the film, but so be it. Chiklis as Ben was spot on. He brought the right balance of defiance and tragedy to the role and was completely believeable. In the comics, much of Ben's defiant attitude stems from his reaction to the way others react to him, and Chiklis nailed this perfectly. He is Ben Grim, as far as I'm concerned. And Evans as Johnny was great as well. I thought he just nailed the character. Let's face it, guys who are cocky without the looks or cool factor to back it up come across as, well, kind of pathetic. Evans' cockiness is thoroughly believeable, as it should be. This guy will go through real life breaking hearts and making other guys wish they were him, and this is exactly who Johnny Storm is in the comics. The dude has to be hot enough to make the ladies swoon and cool enough to make the boys want to hang with him, and Evans is totally authentic in the role. Moreover, the interplay between Johnny and Ben was exactly as it was in the comics, and came across as completely authentic. As for Reed, the casting here was a weak spot for me. Gruffudd just didn't project that older man power and intelligence that would reasonably make a much younger and beautiful woman fall for him. Reed has to have a fatherly qualify to him to work, and I didn't feel this was shown here. A shame, and I hope the role is also re-cast in the future.

The story is seriously lacking in this film, so for those hoping to get involved in something deep or meaningly, you're best advised to look elsewhere. On the plus side, I really enjoyed the effects. Johnny was a marvel as Torch and Sue's powers were fun as hell to watch as well. Doom, for what he was in the context of this movie, was fine as well, though Reed's powers were a little cheesy in their portrayal. Ben, alas, didn't really work for me. In the comics he's called The Thing for good reason. He just didn't look monstrous or otherwordly enough for my tastes. They're on the right track, no doubt, but a combo of suit and CGI for the sequel might just do the trick.

All in all, I enjoyed this movie for what it is, and it's nowhere near as bad as critics are trying to make it out to be. It's definitely worth seeing, there's alot of fun to be had, and I'll be buying the inevitable DVD Director's Cut. If this isn't a fair barometre of a successful film, I don't know what is.

[The Xenos]

As a fan of Doctor Doom, I would prefer to forget he was ever in this film. However, the ending did hint that the Doom we all know and love, the brilliant meglomaniac, the ruthless but oddly noble despot of Latveria, will be making a comeback in future installments (and don't thing for a second there won't be a sequel).

I think I shall wait and see the sequel. Hopefully Doom will be more developed and classic in it. If a friend gets the movie on DVD I'll check it out, but I don't think I want to pay for this. Ok, if my parents want to go see it at the 2nd run and arthouse thearter in the area, maybe then. We shall see.

-Xenos

[Essex]

so for those hoping to get involved in something deep or meaningly, you're best advised to look elsewhere.

There's a huge difference between expecting something deep and expecting something that is actually coherent and cogent. I didn't go to FF hoping for a socially relevant story, but I did go in hoping for a story that actually made sense. If they bothered to actually explain half the things that happened, I could have loved this film, as I certainly enjoyed the effects and actors.

[QuantumFX]

I agree with Essex on just about everything in his review. I really wish Doom wasn't the love child of Colossus and Electro though.
The maddening part of the film for me was the inclusion of the "Debbie" character. If the writers and director think that this is how women act to someone who they love, then I feel sorry for them. I can guarantee that they're either single, divorced or very shallow people.
In the comics Ben's tragedy is that he thinks he's a monster, he thinks people hate him. He needed Alicia to provide an excuse for being accepted. It was so much of an excuse that he never realized he could turn his powers off until it was too late. The point is, that it's all in his head. People are startled by his appearance but they know he's a hero.

[norrinraad]

There's a huge difference between expecting something deep and expecting something that is actually coherent and cogent. I didn't go to FF hoping for a socially relevant story, but I did go in hoping for a story that actually made sense. If they bothered to actually explain half the things that happened, I could have loved this film, as I certainly enjoyed the effects and actors.

I hear what you're saying, I definitely found the story lacking too. Actually, re-reading my review it sounds like a glowing recommendation, while really I was only trying to make lemonade out of a lemon.

The most frustrating thing about the film is that all the ingredients for a classic where there; however, the director opted for a clumsy approach that made even the more emotional aspects come across like a TV movie. For someone who has only made a couple of lightweight comedies he did an admirable job, but his inexperience definitely shows throughout the film. Perhaps a different director for the sequel is in order.

[Jakerman]

Ok, I'm not a FF fan, and this movie didn't change that. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't good either. The story is...well... uninteresting. Dr. Doom is not the Doom we know and not a good reinterpretation. Alba doesn't seem believable as a scientist, the wardrobe people didn't help any, and Mr. Fantastic in general is just boring. Evans and Chiklis were good and brought in most of the comedy. And *****minor spoiler***** Stan Lee had a line and pulled it off nicely. ****end of spoilers**** There will probably be a sequel but unless I can get free tickets or something I'll just stay away.

[imported_Thom]

I'll second Norrin's notion that the movie was "entertaining" but not "great". I think, fortunately, my expectations weren't set any higher than that, so I was able to enjoy it.

And although I think Nip/Tuck is one of the finest TV shows available...

Wait... Is this sarcastic or serious? I watched a few episodes of a Nip/Tuck marathon recently and I thought it was one of the most laughably ridiculous shows I've ever seen.

[The Xenos]

I dunno, I haven't seen it, but I think it's a serious yet darkly comic show about a laughably ridiculous profession and setting.

-Xenos

[norrinraad]

Wait... Is this sarcastic or serious? I watched a few episodes of a Nip/Tuck marathon recently and I thought it was one of the most laughably ridiculous shows I've ever seen.

Totally serious! I'm a little surprised Thom, I would have assumed you'd appreciate the show's subtleties and sophistication. I'm thinking perhaps the reason you aren't a fan is because you've only caught the show sporadically.

Once upon a time there was a show called Sex And The City that I absolutely loathed. Every female in my life was religiously addicted to it and for the life of me I couldn't understand why. Every once in awhile I was drafted to watch it and I thought the main characters were all shallow, bed-jumping harpies. Moreover, I didn't see how the whole thing could possibly have any basis in reality. However, my sister (who is a rabid fan) was at the time a single girl in her 20s and she assured me the situations were authentic. Apparently it was based on the real life adventures of a 30 something woman in New York City, and the experiences of the other characters reflected her actual friends' dating mishaps as well. Of course, things would naturally be exaggerated for television but the spirit of the show was supposedly "real". Still, I resisted until someone loaned me the entire first season DVD. Once I started taking the journey with the characters, I finally "got" it. What these four actresses did, in essence, is create exquisite characters, people who could quite conceivably exist in our world, minus the ridiculous situations and the uppercrust lifestyles of course. I have met all of their real world counterparts. Women like these do exist, most definitely. A woman I work with named Rosa seems determined to bring sexual enjoyment to just about every man she meets, and I have met more "Carries" than I could list.

I guess the point is, if you ever get a chance to really sit down with Nip/Tuck from the start, you just may change your mind. Watching it scattershot is not the way to go. What most fascinates me about it is the subtext. Here we have two very successful plastic surgeons who are selling "the dream" and, on the surface, living it. As I get older, I realise that there are indeed different rules for beautiful people, and this is the promise these doctors are selling their clients. However, their personal lives are in a complete shambles, regardless of the facade they put on for the rest of the world. I guess the moral is for $10,000 you may be able to fix your face, but what's inside is not so easily remedied. They sell the promise of beauty as a quick fix for life's problems, but there's no magic bullet for the problems they themselves experience. The show also focusses on their families and social lives, showing the dangers of unchecked ego and too much priviledge. Once you develop a sense of entitlement, it can wreak havok on those around you. And through all this, there remains a sense of gritty realism and authenticity that is absent in the sanitized world of the Cosbys and the Friends and the Everyone Loves Raymonds. Let's face it, if you pulled in $2 million a year, you would run in very specific circles, and the show reflects that. These guys date porn stars and associate with the "beautiful people", but the show doesn't shy away from the despair and isolation under the pretty surface. Check it out sometime, it really is miles above most of what you can catch on network television these days.

Back on topic, I would have preferred Julian to be available for Season 3 of Nip/Tuck instead of making Fantastic Four. He's a good actor, no doubt, but he's just not Doom.
__________
"With you in your cold grave, I cannot sleep warm."

[easy D]

Hey, I liked Nip/Tuck, too, but I haven't seen it in a while, but I 've been planning to buy the DVD soon (that and Rescue Me). And I was surprised to hear that Julian McMahon got the part for Doom in F4, and I had such high hopes for him in the film. Too bad he didn't live up to my expectations in the movie.

Everyone else, I thought, performed well in the flick. It just seemed, to me, that they missed the mark with Doom.

[DarrenJSeeley]

Unlike most people, I didn't mind Jessica Alba as Sue Storm. Sue was always much younger than Reed in the comics anyway, so her age really isn't a factor, nor is her ethnicity. I thought she was just fine portraying a motherly role as the glue that keeps the Four together. Her relationship with Victor was a little hokey and seemed to be included just to add a little drama to the film, but so be it.


I don't think Jessica was terrible either, but my first reaction from the film was that she was there for the sake of her cleavage. Granted, Sue Storm has had "interesting" costume changes over the years, but something isn't right when she's "seeing" Doom and when she is on the space station, when she hands out the suits, is she also attempting to seduce Reed with a 'good view'?

But anyway, a week has passed after seing the film, and I think now that Alba may have been playing Sue as an older woman with youthful looks.
Since it isn't mentioned, the question of Sue Storm's age in the film can trip people up. Let's go with the thought that Sue is the exact age of the actress playing her, which is 23.

Listening to the dialog, we know:

*Sue has been seeing Von Doom for about a year and a half, working with Doom for two. Her character is also implied as being slightly shallow, by her own charater's admission (only with Doom for the money-she really doesn't love him- she loves Reed)

*I The relationship with Reed was five years prior to the events in the film. They were also living together during this time. It was Reed who could not commit.

So if Sue Storm is 23, this means that she was with Doom for at least one year as a romantic intrest (22) and since Reed did not know she worked for Doom, we will shave off one year (estimated) that she was not with Doom romantically or with Reed (21)* Now, factoring in the five years, she's 17.

Now, factor in the comics. Reed is 23 when he first met Sue who was 12.
So if Sue is 17 when she starts to see Reed, then Reed is 28. Add five years to Reed. 33. Ioan is 32.

Now, if Sue just started working for Doom about the same time she was seeing him, then these ages, in connection to story, character and casting, would seem to be accurate. I think an audience would need to be clear on this, because when the characters of Reed and Sue have the expostion of the past relationship, then what is revealed some people may be uncomfortable with.

Which brings us to:



.....alot of fun to be had, and I'll be buying the inevitable DVD Director's Cut. If this isn't a fair barometre of a successful film, I don't know what is.

In a recent fanfeed tied to Movieweb.com, Julian McMahon indicates that were were more scenes filmed with him and the otheer actors but not used. Two hour film, something has to be on the floor. Way the actor implies it, the footage could be anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes
out of the film.

(Like things that help make the film have some substance).

I expect the FF DVD to be jam packed with deleted scenes.

[imported_Thom]

Totally serious! I'm a little surprised Thom, I would have assumed you'd appreciate the show's subtleties and sophistication. I'm thinking perhaps the reason you aren't a fan is because you've only caught the show sporadically.

Well what I've seen of the show I got all in one go. I saw about four consecutive episodes beginning with the (last?) episode in which Famke guest-starred. I get what you're saying about the underlying social commentary of the show--sometimes the "shiny happy people" have lives that are just shit with a sugar-coating--but the per-episode plotting was what bugged me. The episode that stood out to me as a real stinker was the one w/ the former druggie/prostitute who claimed to have experienced the Stigmata. I forget the details, but I just seem to recall the show's attitude being patently offensive to any side the situation at hand. And the back-and forth "It's real... It's not," just got silly.

But eh, I normally hold your opinions in high regard so it's possible the show just rubbed me the wrong way.

[norrinraad]

But eh, I normally hold your opinions in high regard so it's possible the show just rubbed me the wrong way.

Why thank you sir, the feeling is most definitely mutual. If you ever do get a chance to catch the show from the beginning, please post your thoughts. You just may see it in a new light!

[Bigkid]

I finally got a chance to see it, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. To be honest, I have been pulling for the film to do well (this being a comic thath I enjoyed as a kid, and now want to enjoy the live-action version).
Here are my thoughts:

A).I thought Jessica Alba did a pretty good job. She didn't embarrass herself, and I think it was a mistake, however, to make the role of Sue Storm that of a scientist. If I'm not mistaken, in the comics, she went along for the ride merely because she was a civilian who was having a thing with Reed Richards (is this right or wrong?) While Reed was a scientist. Ben and Johnny were pilots, and I always thought that Sue was merely along for the ride as a civilian test case.

B). They could have made the Doom character better had they done something along the lines of the original character, and maybe the fact that he was a tycoon. I will explain this at length somewhere else, maybe bring back the DOOM thread (if I can still find it).

C). I think most people are in agreement about Chiklis and Evans......dead on right the way they interpreted their roles. And I really liked what they did with the costume with Ben, I think it looked as close to the comic as you were going to find. I don't know if I was too happy with the way they used, as a device, Ben making the decision that he made AFTER his encounter the first time with Doom (don't want to give anything away here, but I'm sure most of you that have seen the film know what I'm talking about). Ioan Gruffod was ok, I thought he provided a good "reluctant leader" element to Reed.

F/X wise, I thought Giant Killer Robots and Spectral Motion did some really good work, nothing looked really ridiculous or cheesy.....even some of the stretching f/x that some people had a problem with, I didn't really have a problem at all with. What I find, though, which is a little strange, is why couldn't they get Industrial Light and Magic involved with this project? I mean, 20th Century Fox have a working relationship with them, correct? And a pretty good one, considering that George Lucas made a ton of dough for them with the Star Wars films. So why couldn't ILM have done the work on this project? I'm not complaining, mind you, but I just find it a little odd that they wouldn't be able to get the best f/x people in the biz working on their project, when 20th Century Fox literally made it possible for Lucas to create ILM in the first place. Just a thought.

[easy D]

I finally got a chance to see it, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. To be honest, I have been pulling for the film to do well (this being a comic thath I enjoyed as a kid, and now want to enjoy the live-action version).
Here are my thoughts:

A).I thought Jessica Alba did a pretty good job. She didn't embarrass herself, and I think it was a mistake, however, to make the role of Sue Storm that of a scientist. If I'm not mistaken, in the comics, she went along for the ride merely because she was a civilian who was having a thing with Reed Richards (is this right or wrong?) While Reed was a scientist. Ben and Johnny were pilots, and I always thought that Sue was merely along for the ride as a civilian test case.

I thought she was a scientist, and her brother Johnny was along for the ride. Could be wrong about this.

F/X wise, I thought Giant Killer Robots and Spectral Motion did some really good work, nothing looked really ridiculous or cheesy.....even some of the stretching f/x that some people had a problem with, I didn't really have a problem at all with. What I find, though, which is a little strange, is why couldn't they get Industrial Light and Magic involved with this project? I mean, 20th Century Fox have a working relationship with them, correct? And a pretty good one, considering that George Lucas made a ton of dough for them with the Star Wars films. So why couldn't ILM have done the work on this project? I'm not complaining, mind you, but I just find it a little odd that they wouldn't be able to get the best f/x people in the biz working on their project, when 20th Century Fox literally made it possible for Lucas to create ILM in the first place. Just a thought.

Maybe ILM was too expensive. You get a world famous FX company to do a film like Fantastic 4 and it would probably boost up the budget a lot. I thought the guys who did the FX did a great job, myself. Especially with the Human Torch.

[The Xenos]

Well there are plenty of other F/X fish in the sea. I think ILM is the one that has most gotten a name for itself in the public. Just like THX or any of Lucas's companies. He is just a bit of an attention whore.

-Xenos

[Oldsoul3300]

Overall, the movie was a tad bit better than I expected.
Highlights in my opinion were Michael Chiklis as Ben and Chris Evans as Johnny.
I thought Jessica Alba was laughably bad. She didn't fit the role at all and I DREAD seeing her return in the sequel.
At first I didn't think Ioan Gruffold was doing that great of a job until I realized where the true problem was. The writers didn't give him enough to do in the story. Most of the time he seemed like he was in the way, if not actually hindering the script. I think with a better story, Gruffold would do a fine job.
Julian McMahon was pretty good, though a couple times his voice got a little nasal and he sounded just like Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies.
I enjoyed how they tied Latveria into the story and look forward to seeing where they take it in future installments.
The FX were good, for the most part. Reed's stretching got really cartoony at times. The texture of his skin didn't look realistic at all in some stretching scenes.
All in all, it was a decent movie. There were things they definitely could've done better. But at the same time, most of the movie was pretty solid.