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Ben says, 'It's clobberin' time!'

Fans of the comic will note that Dr. Doom is significantly changed for this film. Though he does share some history with Reed, he was never involved in the Fantastic Four's origin story. Also, his suit of armor was just that, used to cover disfigurement from another experiment-gone-bad. Here, he actually becomes a man of metal. All of this is altered in an effort to help establish the Fantastic Four's nemesis more quickly for the uninitiated. Likewise, Sue never had a romantic history with Victor, but it's used here to help build tension with Reed.

These are the sacrifices purists have to accept in adapting a comic book serial for non-fans to appreciate. For the most part, however, Fantastic Four gets it right. That's impressive, considering director Tim Story has no experience with big budget fantasies of this type, having previously helmed the enjoyable comedy Barbershop and the colossally stupid Taxi. This film isn't a breakthrough for him, but it does prove Story capable of building characters and eliciting laughs while wowing with special effects. It comes across as a lighter and more comedic version of the first X-Men movie.

Unfortunately, Fantastic Four falls short in its storytelling. There are far too many plot conveniences, with characters improbably (if not impossibly) showing up at the right place at the right time in an effort to speed things along. Ben's final rejection by his fiancée is utterly ridiculous, missing an opportunity for more drama and emotion. And it's odd that money is so important to both Reed and Victor early on, but becomes irrelevant and forgotten in the film's second half.

Flame on! The Human Torch goes to town

Then there are the few stupid parts, again included either for plot conveniences or cheap laughs. Shortly after returning from the satellite, Johnny casually breaks quarantine and leaves the hospital with no incident, picks up the nurse overseeing him, charters a helicopter, and goes snowboarding with her on a nearby mountain. It's clumsy storytelling and completely preposterous. But it also quickly accomplishes three things: it establishes character, it provides a setting where he can discover his power by melting something, and it provides us with an amusing punchline to the incident.

Which goes to show why Fantastic Four succeeds in spite of its faults. It's often silly, but it's still somehow all palatable and acceptable. Spiderman, Batman, and X-Men are all great films, but they tend to rely on heavier drama and angst. Fantastic Four plays more like a television program that's both sitcom and soap, mixing comedy with action and drama. Of course, anyone who's seen The Incredibles has an idea of what to expect, but even that animated film carried more weight and emotional resonance than this.

That's not to say that there's no one or no Thing to care about in this film. Indeed, for all of its exciting visuals, Fantastic Four hinges on its treatment of the characters. Gruffudd plays Reed as a little too insecure, but it also helps the audience care more for the man who's ironically a little too stiff. It also plays sharp contrast to Alba, who gives her character more strength and swagger than the comic does. (Perhaps too much so, since she seems to alternate between hot and cold extremes in the romantic relationship—I wonder if people will empathize more with Reed, often unsure what to make of Sue's emotions.) Better still is Evans, who gives The Torch plenty of cockiness and immaturity to the point where he's suave and charming despite his hotheaded behavior and decisions.

Julian McMahon as Dr. Doom

Then there's Chiklis, who was born to play The Thing, not so much because he looks the part, but because he's got the right blend of blue-collar gruffness, tenderness, and humor. There was a time when Bruce Willis might have been right for the role, but Chiklis is the perfect choice today, appropriately making Ben Grimm the sympathetic and lovable character that will resonate most with audiences. As for his transformation, the filmmakers were wise to avoid making him a CGI creation. Chiklis's wounded eyes penetrate the layers of latex prosthetics, and though he occasionally looks spongy, more often than not he does come off as a stone behemoth with clever use of sound and visuals.

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One Fantastic Family	Printer view
The Fantastic Four