Fantastic Four (2005)

I was very unfamiliar with the Fantastic Four until this film came out. Upon seeing it, I was quite entertained. I feel that the drama in the “Spider-Man” series takes away the fun to an extent. The story of “Fantastic Four” is all about fun. Sure the movie isn’t perfect because of the lack of drama but the casting and music create an enjoyable experience as well as the story. The film exudes humor, fun and excitement.

“Fantastic Four” has some noteworthy cinematic and story moments that I wish to point out. I like when our characters are hit by the solar storm because the special effects foreshadow what powers they have attained. I also love the gag when Johnny tricks Ben into thinking that something has happened to Ben when in fact nothing is wrong yet. Because of the use of camera, we are also fooled and it makes for a big laugh. Once Ben becomes The Thing, he has to endure the challenges that have been a part of the story of the Fantastic Four since the early comic books. These hardships on Ben are portrayed fairly well, some of which were understood once Michael Chiklis was in the suit. The scene on the bridge is well written and executed to show all the Fantastic Four using their powers as superheroes. I like the moment when the truck driver and Ben look at each other when the cops tell Ben to put the driver down. Their looks seems to say: “I guess until this can be explained, we should do what they say.” The Baxter building is quite a cool place because it is revealed as such. It is like the ultimate penthouse for a scientist. I like the match cut from Victor looking at his hand in the elevator to Johnny looking at his hand in the compartment. Other well-edited moments include both montages in the film. One shows the initial tests that our heroes undertake to understand their powers and the other shows the Four adjusting to living together with their powers. The latter is the best montage as Johnny’s prank with the shaving cream bookends the montage. The sequence ends with his silent but brief celebration as he pulls off the prank and then bolts. It is quite hilarious. The funniest part of the film is the prototype Thing action figure that Ben destroys. It is the worst thing for Ben to see at that moment and the high-pitched voice along with Chris Evans’ acting make it even funnier. I like how Dr. Doom comes to be. We can tell that Victor is changing and then we learn what power he has. Once he dons the mask and outfit at the start of the climax, the evil inside that costume (that we have seen originate throughout the film) makes his whole persona genuinely villainous. The scene when Johnny first flies is awesome because of the music, special effects, acting and storyboarding. We share Johnny’s feelings as he flies to escape the missile. We then have the fitting moment as the Four work together to defeat Dr. Doom. I love the shots with The Thing in the foreground, silhouetted against the firestorm. I am also glad that in the epilogue because the other human drama component that is part of the Fantastic Four comic franchise is the romance between Reed and Sue. I didn’t catch that Elisha was blind until much later after I first saw the film. As mentioned, the musical theme plays a big part in my enjoyment of this movie.

The casting is a huge part of why the film works. This film introduced me to Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis and Chris Evans. I first saw Ioan Gruffudd on “Titanic” but it wasn’t until after “Fantastic Four” came out that I made the connection. The romance in the film works mostly thanks to Alba. The Thing makeup maintains the actual facial features of Chiklis and at the same time, it doesn’t limit his facial acting. The eyes are the most important part of any visual performance and the costume did not hinder that in any way. I love Chiklis’ performance of the line “You think you got problems? You take a good look pal.” The “Don’t do drugs” line is very funny too. Ben is not used to being a celebrity and so the only thing he can think of to say to the kids in the crowd is quite cliché. Chiklis plays that moment out very humorously. Johnny’s reaction to his new power seems to represent how most people would react and therefore Evans is very appealing in the film. His aforementioned performance when he pranks Ben with the shaving cream is his best moment. Over a decade after the release of this movie, Evans' performance and appearance is such that his subsequent Marvel role isn't a distraction. It goes the other way as well. At first, I was quite opposed to Chris Evans being cast as Captain America. I figured that it wouldn't work to have an actor play two different heroes in the Marvel universe. It is a good thing I was mistaken because both characters feel and look different to the point that some people forget Evans played the Human Torch. Julian McMahon plays a great bad guy vocally. I loved his one-liner, “This is gonna be fun.” Starting with this movie, I first was made aware of the cameos that Stan Lee makes in nearly every Marvel film. I then recognized him in earlier films like “X-men” and “Spider-Man”. Whenever I go to a Marvel movie, it makes me smile to see him. Because "Fantasic Four" was made in Canada, it was cool to have Ben Mulroney cast as an interviewer on the bridge. The special effects on this movie unfortunately have not aged well. Sometimes, they appear phoney.

Sometimes the fun that a movie provides outweighs all its flaws. I like the cast, the story and the music of the film. The one-liners in the film add to the fun. I feel that the film was in good hands under executive producers Chris Columbus and Mark Radcliffe, who have made many other entertaining film franchises. I didn’t think that the film was successful enough however to allow for a sequel but we got one anyway.

4 Stars