Fantastic 4
Rated: PG-13 I didn't think this film would be good. I thought it would be, at best, laughably bad. I had even drawn a little "4" on my middle finger because I was planning on some heavy flipping off of the screen. That finger didn't get raised once. Fantastic 4 is a good movie. I think that the reason it works is because the film wisely chooses to take its time in developing the character relationships and motivations. While the first act is certainly the strongest, the rest of the film works because the characters are given time to flesh out before the action sequences begin. What's more, the film does its best to always remain rooted in those character, never losing sight of who these people are and how they develop of the course of the film. And because the film is about the characters, I'm going to mostly focus on the actors. 
Chris Evans: he's gonna see a rise in his asking price after this. I don't want to say he "steals the show", but he pretty much does because he gets to have all the best lines. But he does a great job of playing Johnny Storm not so much as a "hothead", but as a fun-loving frat boy who now has to hang around scientists and his former C.O. I think even the biggest detractors are going to have to acknowledge that he's probably one of the best (if not the best) thing in the film. Iaon Gruffudd: I was not looking forward to seeing him play Mr. Fantastic. I hadn't bothered with King Arthur and it seemed like the studio had basically grabbed an almost-unknown to fill an important role on the cheap. Well I was wrong. Despite his unpronounceable name, Gruffudd is perfect as Reed Richards. He masters the befuddled, absent-minded-professor charm of the character so that he makes us believe that the only thing bigger than his intellect is his heart. Jessica Alba: Well she's certainly the Invisible Woman, which is great because I thought that the 24-year-old Alba might have some trouble pulling off the necessary maturity of the character. Sue Storm has a strong maternal side that would be difficult for most young actresses to pull off, but Alba does an admirable job. I only have two criticisms: 1) Alba's beauty makes it harder (for me at least) to pay attention to her acting; 2) I felt that at times, her performance lacked the necessary energy. I never have a problem with seeing Jessica Alba anywhere but for this role I would have liked to see the role played by someone slightly older such as Charlize Theron or Rachel McAdams. Michael Chiklis: He makes The Thing work. If Chiklis hadn't given such a strong performance in the first act when Ben Grimm still looks human, then the character wouldn't have worked when he became The Thing. The voice change that bothered me so much in the trailers now works and that's because Chiklis mastered the character so well in the first act. He makes sure that we can always see Ben Grimm beneath the orange rock. Julian McMahon: I thought he was great. I think that after the cosmic storm hits the film doesn't really know what to do with him for a while. He basically just picks at his scar and doesn't pay attention to the electricity he seems to be discharging every now and then. But man, McMahon has such a cool fucking voice and so when Doom puts on the stupid mask (sometimes you just have to look at the comic and say "perhaps we can make this look better on screen), his menace carries over. What's great is that even though these characters undergo these physical changes, they remain the same people on the inside and a film that chooses to root itself in character is always going to be better than the film that roots itself in set pieces. Does the film have problems? Of course. The Doom mask? It's a gift to Victor from the people of Latveria. Apparently, creepy looking masks are their way of saying "you rock!" Also Doom definitely has the worst line in the film (He throws some lightning bolts at Sue and shouts "You're fired!" That would only work on The Apprentice. More people need to be struck by lightning on that show). Also, neither of Ben's romantic relationship work as they should and instead come off as either awkward or idiotic. My fear is that greater minds will be able to point out the plot holes and shortcomings I missed. And they probably won't be wrong. But I know that for now, Fantastic 4 works for me. I'd rank it right alongside the first X-Men and first Spider-Man in terms of superhero flicks and like those properties, this one definitely has potential for a great sequel. I would be more than happy to spend another two hours with these characters. So don't let Fox's terrible marketing fool you. It's not "X-Men but with less people!" Well, it is, but it's not poor imitator like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It's a great comic franchise that's successfully made the leap to the big screen. I wouldn't go as far as to call it "fantastic" but it's darn good. Words by
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