There's nothing terribly fantastic about this ho-hum futuristic foray.
Fantastic Four (2005)
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Reviews Counted:195
Fresh:50
Rotten:145
Average Rating:4.5/10
Consensus: Fantastic Four is a goofy, mediocre entry in the superhero genre.
Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for sequences of intense action, and some suggestive content
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Theatrical Release:22-07-2005
Synopsis: Inventor, astronaut and scientist Dr. Reed Richards' (Ioan Gruffudd) lifelong dream is close to being realized. He is spearheading a trip to outer space, to the center of a cosmic storm. There he... Inventor, astronaut and scientist Dr. Reed Richards' (Ioan Gruffudd) lifelong dream is close to being realized. He is spearheading a trip to outer space, to the center of a cosmic storm. There he hopes to unlock the secrets of the human genetic codes for the benefit of all humanity. Extensive government grant cutbacks nearly dashed the visionary's hopes of the historic flight, until Reed accepted a financing deal with his old college rival, Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), now a billionaire industrialist. Reed's crew for the mission includes his best friend, astronaut Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis); Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), Von Doom's director of genetic research and Reed's ex-girlfriend; and Sue's hot-headed younger brother, pilot Johnny Storm (Chris Evans). With benefactor Von Doom in tow, the four set off for the exploration of a lifetime. The mission is uneventful – until Reed discovers a miscalculation of the speed of the approaching storm. Within minutes, the event threshold is upon them. The space station is engulfed by turbulent clouds of cosmic radiation which genetically transforms the crew. Their DNA is irrevocably altered…and so is their future. Back on earth, the effects of the exposure are quickly revealed. Reed gains the ability to stretch and contort his body into any shape he can imagine and, as leader of the group, is given the name Mr. Fantastic; Sue is able to render herself invisible and to create and project powerful force fields as Invisible Woman; Johnny becomes known as The Human Torch, as he can now engulf his body in flames and take flight at will; and Ben, whose freakish transmutation is the most shocking, becomes an orange-colored, rock-like, superhumanly strong creature, The Thing. Together, they turn tragedy into triumph and catastrophe into coalition, using their unique and formidable powers to thwart the evil plans of their now steely-eyed, iron-fisted nemesis Dr. Doom and to protect the citizens of New York City against any threat that may arise. Astronauts. Superheroes. Celebrities. To the world, they are the Fantastic Four. To each other, they are a family. -- © 20th Century Fox [More]
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon, Kerry Washington, Laurie Holden, Hamish Linklater
Director: Tim Story
Director: Tim Story
Screenwriter: Mark Frost, Michael France
Producer: Bernd Eichinger, Avi Arad, Ralph Winter
Composer: John Ottman
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for Fantastic Four
'Fantastic Four' could have been hot, but in the hands of some studio blockheads, the premise is stretched so thin that it disappears.
Rarely terrible, let alone memorable, it's a brutally average piece of disposable summer entertainment that fades from the mind like some hazy, half-sleeping dream.
More superhero sitcom than comic book adventure, the movie lacks a strong, dramatic through-line.
If you want to see how members of a family that's fraught with discord and dysfunction learn about teamwork and the nature of kin -- and dispatch bad guys in the process -- rent The Incredibles.
Compared with the psychological probing and spiritual brooding of Batman Begins, Fantastic Four is proudly dumb, loud and inconsequential.
The radiation-altered members of the Fantastic Four don't show their humanity. Rather, the superpowered quartet is little more than a bland collection of four-color caricatures.
It certainly looks stunning, and there's even a try at injecting some human drama and strong emotion into the action stew.
It's fun to watch superheroes who aren't quite at ease with their abilities, but The Incredibles -- last year's similarly themed animated film -- is livelier and funnier.
You can feel the flopsweat of the screenwriters, laboring to make their jokes work and their scenes interesting.
What could have been the brilliant set-up to an ongoing franchise is instead turned into a vacuous slice of summer escapism.
It's hard to tell if the other actors are awful or if it's the script.
shines when the heroes are the focus...fails miserably when focused on their Hollywood version of an arch-nemesis.
Real fans of the comics will probably be turned off by Fantastic Four's narrative limitations, while outsiders older than 12 are likely to quickly dismiss the Power Rangers-style goofery.
The really good superhero movies, like Superman, SpiderMan 2 and Batman Begins, leave Fantastic Four so far behind that the movie should almost be ashamed to show itself in the same theaters.
Could have been dumb fun...unfortunately, the filmmakers succeed in getting only the dumb part right, omitting the fun entirely.
At their best, the results have a comic zip that the X-Men pictures have largely lacked.
Take the movie on its own lighthearted terms and, chances are, you'll be taken in.
Sad, then, to see that the Marvel rag that elevated the human element in the pow-biff-bam of the superhero world has been transposed into the most plastic of comic-to-movie adaptations yet.
Latest News for Fantastic Four
September 14, 2009:
Chris Evans Talks Scott Pilgrim, Fantastic Four Reboot ![]()
He was Johnny Storm in the "Fantastic Four" movies and he's got a role in the upcoming "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," so it's only natural that Chris Evans talked about both... More...
September 01, 2009:
Fox Pushes "Reboot" Button on Fantastic Four ![]()
"The Fantastic Four" will be the next superhero franchise to get the reboot treatment: Fox has hired Akiva Goldsman to produce an overhauled adaptation of the long-running... More...
March 13, 2009:
Weekly Ketchup: Fantastic Four to Get Reboot
This Week's Ketchup leads off with lots of big news for three of Marvel Comics' biggest properties (Thor, Iron Man and Fantastic Four), followed by sequels for Taken, Hard... More...
March 09, 2009:
A Reboot for Fantastic Four? ![]()
Could "Fantastic Four" be the next Marvel-inspired film franchise to get the reboot treatment? That's the word from IESB's sources, where it's said that the new version will... More...
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