MOVIE REVIEWS
Fantastic Four
Matt Jameson
Another comic book turned film release from Marvel studios. This time around, they introduce us to a film adaptation of the hit series The Fantastic Four. The story is both predictable and simple, like most comic book back-stories. A group of unsuspecting scientists travel to space in order to study and investigate a solar storm. This storm supposedly responsible for the initial development of life on our planet; is once again passing by earth. The team of intrepid and extremely predictable scientists want to shove a few plant samples in its wake to find out what will happen. They team up with a rival scientist whose bulging pocketbook allows him to invest in their unusual idea.
Then in typical and predictable comic book fashion, the team is accidentally exposed to the solar storm during their mission leaving them with strange and unusual super powers. Blah blah blah…insert gagging noises here. Just once could we have a comic book that doesn’t follow this cookie cutter beginning?
The remainder of the plot finds them each struggling to adjust and possible cure their new found abilities, all while trying to live their normal daily lives. Trouble is, their less than trustworthy investor was also exposed to the same solar radiation and now has some formidable powers of his own. And, following typical comic book fashion he decides to use his powers for evil.
Starring a cast of b-list actors including Jessica Alba, this movie screams through the initial 20 minutes of actual usable plot leaving the viewer to struggle through 70 minutes of pseudo-dramatic banter that doesn’t deserve to be called dialogue. But hey, at least there are some good action scenes every now and then right? Well unfortunately that is exactly right, only every now and then.
I was initially hoping for those great and epic battles from the comic book series to be expertly re-created using the best in current special effects and computer generated graphics. After watching the movie I found myself wondering if the studio had a mid-film budget cut. The initial scenes of the solar storm, space station and high tech equipment in and around the science lab were quite well done. But as the movie went on, I felt like each scene had less and less effort put into it. Eventually this culminated into a severely disappointing final showdown between the Four and their nemesis. In other words, there was no big payoff after sitting through this horrific retardation of a one-time comic book classic.
For kids, and very young ones at that, perhaps this would be a good movie. Or maybe if you were really drunk and just wanted to stare at Jessica Alba for a while you might find this passable as entertainment. But to fans of the original comic and to the average movie viewer, this effortless attempt at re-creating comic series is simply insulting. To sum up, the viewer would do best to fast forward to the two main action scenes and simply skip the rest. Trust me, you wouldn’t be missing much. I give this film a “fantastic” four out of ten. Sorry Ms. Alba, not even your g-rated sex appeal can save this one.
