Fantastic Four *** (2004, Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon) – Classic Movie Review 1252

Grab the cola and the popcorn for director Tim Story’s fantastically likeable, good-natured and enjoyable 2004 Fantastic Four, an all-action film of the Marvel superhero comic that has all it needs to enthrall boys of all ages.

Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis are the scientists in question, who start off as Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm. But their DNA is changed after a radiation storm in space, and they end up as Mr Indiarubber, the Invisible Girl, the Human Torch and The Thing.

There is not a weak link in the casting, though Evans is a funny scene-stealer, Chiklis is super and Julian McMahon is gravely impressive as the villain Dr Victor Von Doom, who is changing into metal.

Curmudgeons could say that there is not much of a yarn in Michael France and Mark Frost’s screenplay (based on the comic by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby), that the leads are not much more than just decorative and that the film is slow to start and get going into top gear. But no one can complain at the awesomely staged action, the fiery special effects, the nice cast and the spirited handling.

It all adds up to mean that Fantastic Four 2 must be a cert. And so it was. Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer followed in 2007.

Stan Lee enjoys his usual cameo, this time as the postman.

Also in the cast are Hamish Linklater, Kerry Washington, Laurie Holden, David Parker, Kevin McNulty, Maria Menounos and Michael Kopsa.

A 2015 reboot Fantastic Four, with Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Toby Kebbell, Jamie Bell and Michael B Jordan, was released on 7 August 2015 in the US.

RIP Stan Lee, who died on 12 November 2018, aged 95. His new approach to superhero comics began with The Fantastic Four, a team of superheroes presented as a dysfunctional but loving family unit, which Lee co-created with Jack Kirby in 1961.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1252

Link to Derek Winnert’s home page for more film reviews: http://derekwinnert.com/