Though it doesn't bear much resemblance to the original comic book, The
Fantastic Four is a surprisingly good popcorn flick. Bankrupted by his
serious study into science, Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) is forced to ask the
assistance in bankrolling his latest project. A massive space storm is due to
hit the atmosphere, granting them the possibility of running tests to determine
if human evolution could be improved through harnessing that power. He goes to
Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), whose high-tech space station has the
protection necessary to prevent human exposure to the radioactive storm. Hoping
that it will raise his stock options and gather public interest, Victor pours
funding into the project, assigning Richards and his pilot Ben (Michael Chiklis)
to share the space station not only with himself, but also the Storm siblings.
Sue (Jessica Alba) is still recovering after a two-year breakup with Richards.
Pursued by her wealthy employer and with her hands busy keeping her brother
Johnny (Chris Evans) out of trouble, she has very little patience for the
project. Only when on the station does Richards discover his calculations were
way off, the storm is projected to hit within a matter of minutes rather than
hours. The scientists are exposed to highly radioactive waves that eventually
begin to reveal DNA-alteration. Johnny bursts into flames while snowboarding. Su
suddenly becomes invisible during dinner. Richards inadvertently stretches ten
feet. Poor Ben has the worst of the deal. Unable to control the appearance of
his powers, he transforms into a human rock.
While the public is enamored with their new band of "superheroes," the Fantastic
Four, as they've been dubbed by the press, attempt to get over personal and
emotional issues. Ben's marriage suffers. Sue comes to grips with her feelings
for Richards. Johnny lets fame go to his head. Victor has noticed symptoms of
his own, but rather than harnessing them for good, he intends to unleash them
against all who stand in defiance. It's not the most ingenious plot for a movie,
but does pack enough of a punch to keep audiences interested. The primary
characters are all very likable, with semi-realistic problems that must be
overcome in order to form a fighting unit. They're also the only band of comic
book heroes you'll ever meet that actually want to be rid of their powers! The
film has a great soundtrack, nice special effects, and everything going for it
in terms of casting. There's nothing weak about it.
Victor uses electricity to fry a hole through a man's chest, in the most
gruesome scene of the film, but other than that, the violence is standard for
superhero movies. Hand to hand combat, electrical currents, cars flipping over
one another and exploding into flames; the Four occasionally lash out at one
another. Major damage is done to the city and the Brooklyn Bridge (in the name
of heroism; Ben inadvertently causes a pileup of cars, but then saves the lives
of a half dozen firefighters and cops). Sue is thrown around by the bad guy.
Language is minimal except for one abuse each of GD and Jesus. Sensuality is a
bit more prevalent, but never in excess. There are two sexual innuendos. Johnny
is a playboy who flirts shamelessly with girls. He plows into a snow bank on
fire, and it's presumed that none of his clothes remained. He coyly asks his
female skiing partner to join him in the "hot tub." In several later scenes,
he's shown clutching her ski coat around his waist to prevent from flashing
passerby (it rides rather low).
Loose clothing cannot become invisible with Sue, leading her to strip naked in
the middle of a crowd in order to slip away. (Her body is missing, but her
underclothes are shown.) Briefly her powers waver, leaving her standing there in
her underwear. On another occasion, Richards walks in while she's taking a
shower, but she turns invisible and the audience sees nothing but the towel.
Evolution is briefly mentioned at the beginning of the film as the theory for
human existence. Ben complains at a bar that God must hate him for allowing him
to look like this, and a woman seated nearby replies that "She" (implying a
female deity) doesn't hate him. Fantastic Four may have a handful of
flaws, but is well worth the price of admission.
