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| Source: rec.art.movies.reviews newsgroup | | Rating: 4
| Every review out there for this movie is going to do some version of
this line, so let's just get it out of the way. Fantastic Four isn't a
fantastic movie, but it's pretty damn good.
I never have been a big Fantastic Four fan, so this review is coming
from a movie fan not a comic book fan. The whole "we're so much better
when we work as a team" stuff just never worked for me with the comic,
but it does seem to translate better to film. For those who don't know,
here's the rundown.
Reed Richards is a bright scientist dude who has an idea to test the
effects of solar storms on DNA, with the idea that that's what sparked
evolution here on Earth. He's broke though, so he turns to fellow
scientist Victor Von Doom for help. They, along with Ben Grimm, Susan
Storm and Johnny Storm head up to Victor's space station for some
testing. The storm arrives much earlier than expected causing them all
to be exposed... and changed. That's the first 30 minutes of the movie.
The next hour or so deals with them discovering their powers, how to
control them, and coming to grips with what they can do. That may sounds
long and tedious, but it's really the best part of the movie. I really
enjoyed that unlike other superheroes these guys tell everyone who they
are which gets rid of the whole "let's live a secret double-life in a
cave with my aunt while I write for the local newspaper and take
pictures" thing. We know where they live, what they can do, and that
they aren't particularly happy about it.
So what's wrong with the movie? Simple, Dr. Doom kinda sucks. Great
name, and he has the right attitude but his powers are a bit boring.
He's obviously written so that none of the Four could possibly defeat
him on their own and are forced to work as a team, and even then they
just fight to a stalemate. The one battle scene in the movie (yes, I
said ONE) is a bit of a letdown, and I hope that with the eventual
sequel they bring out some additional bad guys to liven things up. And
yes, they left the ending wide open for a sequel.
Other than Dr. Doom, the rest of the movie does quite well. The effects
are excellent, the acting is good for the most part, and the story is
better than I expected... much better than I expected. If you're in the
mood to just sit back and enjoy a movie without having to think very
much, then Fantastic Four will hit the spot. Take a date, take the kids,
take the spouse, it's safe for everyone and they should all have a good
time.
By : John Frankel (www.moviesforguys.com)
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| | Source: rec.art.movies.reviews newsgroup | | Rating: 0
| Mark Hamill once said that, while filming the original "Star Wars", he
remarked about the lack of continuity. His character had just been
sucked underwater by the creature living in the trash compactor, but now
his clothes were dry and his hair was all perfect again. Harrison Ford
replied "Hey, kid: it ain't that kind of movie."
This admonition applies equally well to superhero movies, including
"The Fantastic Four". While they have some trappings of science
fiction, such films belong to the realm of fantasy. Yes, it is
ridiculous that the space station has huge open spaces (suitable for
moving cameras and lights around) instead of being cramped, which is not
realistic because they couldn't afford to waste the energy heating all
that unused space, especially for a station that was apparently
unoccupied at the start of the film. There is no attempt to explain the
gravity on the space station by having it rotate, or deal with problems
of conservation of matter and energy, any more than Harry Potter films
try to explain why brooms can fly. It ain't that kind of movie.
The plot is a pretty predictable origin story: ordinary people are
exposed to hocus-pocus Magic Science Thing, discover they have new and
amazing powers, and (in an amazing coincidence) a villian just happens
to be getting started at the same time and they are just the ones to
stop him. In this case, however, the villain's motivations and goals
are never made clear in any way that makes much sense, and that's a
disappointment.
Also, the actions of some characters on discovering the results of their
exposure to the Magic Radiation seem ridiculous. One immediately runs
off to his fiancee, who recoils in horror at the character's new
appearance. My first inclination would be to run off to a doctor.
Another, whose new condition may be seriously harmful to any romantic
partners, doesn't seem to think of this at all, let alone be bothered by
it.
The point of a movie like this is that it's supposed to be fun. And
while "The Fantastic Four" isn't bad, the origin story (and inevitable
confrontation with the bad guy) aren't as much fun as those of other
superhero movies. One thing you want in a film like this is to see
something you've never seen before, but the visual effects here don't
achieve that.
Bottom line: it's good dumb fun. The plot, the dialogue, and the
characterization are all (unsurprisingly) at about the level of a comic
book. If you liked these stories as a child, or if you just want to see
a comic book instead of read one, you may enjoy this movie. (I saw it
principaly because my companion watched "The Fantastic Four" as an
animated cartoon when she was younger.) If you want smarter
entertainment, you should probably look elsewhere.
[ Spoilers below ]
It may be somewhat disappointing that Johnny Storm ends the film no more
mature than he began it, but then this may be how his character has been
for many years (I am not familiar with the franchise). As some people
do live just to have fun, and try to avoid learning any lessons from
their experiences, it was refreshing to have a movie in which every
character doesn't experience Important Personal Growth. Such growth is
often demonstrated by having the character spout a few trite platitudes,
which don't really add anything anyway. As with an explanation for the
gravity on the space station, better to just skip it. No character
growth at all is better than obviously stupid character growth.
If this were science fiction, one complaint that seems obvious for this
movie and many others, but which is rarely mentioned, involves the
problem of the Invisible Woman. If light passes through her, or is
deflected around her, or whatever, how can she see anything? Light has
to be absorbed by her retinas for her to see. If she's really
completely invisible, then she's also blind. Others have to do with the
Human Torch, whose body temperature is apparently in excess of the
boiling point of water. (A nurse measures it in excess of 250F, and a
heat-seeking missile locks on to him, ignoring incandescent light bulbs
and assorted high-power lab equipment.) How does he drink his beer
without it boiling away in the glass? How do all those groupies hang
off of him without suffering first-degree burns? And aren't any of
them concerned about what might happen during a moment of passion?
Oh well. It ain't that kind of movie.
By : Darren Provine
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