Fantastic Four (2005)

Don't believe the naysayers (who cancel themselves out anyway). This is a sufficiently well-produced movie to make for a fun viewing. It's better than Hulk and Ghost Rider, with the feel of Spider-Man 3 and Lost in Space. (While many of the best scenes were in the trailers, the trailers accurately convey the spirit and drama of the movie.) Now I didn't grow up collecting and reading every Fantastic Four comic book in existence -- I had a life. And while it's valid to complain that Ben Grimm's lips are wrong or his head isn't square enough -- who cares? Some reviewers kibbitz that there's insufficient exposition of how our superheroes came to be while some say there's too much. (Is this possibly because it involves science, which requires thinking?) Some say Reed Richards is a romantic idiot with Susan Storm so he couldn't be a genius. (Geeks generally get an F in dating. The movie makes it clear he's "the dumbest genius around" and has issues with self-esteem so all he does is work.) Johnny Storm as the full-of-himself ladies' man is the one to watch -- he brings a sense of adventure to whatever life brings and he brings the team together in the end, all on the premise of "this is who we are" instead of rejecting their superpowers, which would have meant defeat for the whole world. Victor von Doom (say it with a straight face) is the most resource-rich villain yet -- he has more toys than Bruce Wayne! Jessica Alba is alluring in her suit, yada yada, but I don't see why she has to go invisible and remove her clothes in public (with flashes back and forth, ha ha, to titillate her preadolescent fans) when the men have to walk through the crowd anyway. Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm conveys emotion and pathos better than Sandman in Spider-Man 3. Ioan Gruffudd does fine as the self-retiring genius (but please don't make him reach for toilet paper as a sight gag again). I honestly didn't think Jessica Alba could act but she passed off a verisimilitude, you know? Chris Evans as Johnny Storm is the most developed character in the movie -- even if he is shallow, he's true to himself, and ultimately to the team. 4 stars.