The First Family of Super Heroes
Dysfunctional, but Still Fantastic

"It's Clobberin' Time!" That was my thought when I saw the first trailer for Fantastic Four and my opinion has not changed. The action, humor, and relationships between characters are all reminiscent of the comic book, even if some of the details have changed. As a comic book adaptation, this film gets high marks. As a fun, summer, popcorn movie, it far exceeds expectations.

Fantastic Four
Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba) defends herself with a force bubble, fighting alongside her family of superheros in Fantastic Four. (20th Century Fox, 2005)
Directed by: Tim Story
Written by: Mark Frost and Michael France, based on characters created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Starring: Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, and Julian McMahon

Rated PG-13 (for sequences of intense action, and some suggestive content)
Running time: 106 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 6 out of 10.

The Fantastic Four are one of the great superhero teams, like the Justice League or the Avengers. Originally a quartet of scientists out to investigate "cosmic rays," the team steals a rocket ship and heads to space. (Yes, it sounds silly now.) The origin of the fab four (who first appeared in comics in 1961), has been slightly updated for the film. Rather than stealing a rocket ship, the four head to space through the good graces of a billionaire genius named Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon). As those who know the comic (even if only a little), Von Doom will become the Four's greatest villain, Dr. Doom.

While the story is altered (if for no other reason than believability), the characters remain the same. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) is a genius scientist with no social skills. Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) is an old flame of Richards (and in the film is the head of genetics in Von Doom's company). Johnny Storm (Chris Evans) is the quick-tempered, hot shot of the group. Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) is the working class pilot of the bunch, a man with less smarts but with a heart of gold. While the characters have been tweaked from the originals (thankfully in Sue's case), the differences are still true to the characters.

Like any good origin story, this film is about the Four's acceptance of their new abilities and their need to decide how best to use them. Unlike Spider-Man, the X-Men, Hulk, or even Daredevil, the Fantastic Four are some of the few in the Marvel Comics pantheon who are adored by the public. Rather than being feared by the people of New York or hunted by the police, the Fantastic Four have a rare status of true heroes. For all their heroics, though, they are a family first. The bickering, joking, and arguing are as much a part of who they are as their teamwork.

Despite the fact that Fantastic Four is an action film, it is the ability for the characters to seem real that makes this movie work. The villainous Von Doom, for instance, is not a "take over the world" kind of guy. He is a self-made billionaire who is concerned by a failed IPO, plummeting stock, and a bank threatening to take over his company. The villainy comes later, when he realizes that he may be losing the one woman he can't possess to his old adversary, Reed Richards.

In a neat twist on the old comic story, Von Doom is no longer a scarred man behind an iron mask. Like the Fantastic Four, Doom has been changed by the cosmic rays -- albeit more slowly. This change mimics the recent Ultimate Fantastic Four comic book that retold the story to include Victor as a fifth member of the group. As in the Ultimate comic, Von Doom sheds his skin, which is replaced by an organic steel that makes him strong and a conduit for electricity.

The special effects are better than expected. After hearing that Chiklis would be wearing a special suit and makeup to become the Thing, I was concerned that he wouldn't be fierce enough. I had seen what computer effects did for Hulk in 2003, and (despite what others thought) I enjoyed the green giant as a fully CGI character. My biggest fear was that the Thing wouldn't live up to that standard. In a way, he didn't. He seemed short, too small for a character that (in the comics) is massive. Yet, it was Chiklis within the suit and makeup that gave the Thing true character. I don't think I've ever seen a better performance by someone under that much makeup.

The soundtrack is standard for a Marvel-inspired film. Foregoing a score, the film relies on cuts from pop, hard rock, hip hop, and rap music to provide the background music for every scene. The music's driving beat helps punctuate the action sequences of the film, but fail to give it any sense of epic grandeur. In this, Warner Bros. does much better with the Superman and Batman films.

Overall, Fantastic Four is good for what it is: a popcorn movie. This summer has produced some wonderful films. After seeing Batman Begins, however, I expected that Fantastic Four would be a disappointment. While it didn't live up to the Dark Knight's reintroduction, it proved that good comic book movies can still appeal to mainstream audiences and fanboys alike. I look forward to seeing what Marvel does next with the franchise.