The film opens with a fascinating shot of Victor von Doom’s extravagant statue outside the offices of Doom Enterprises where Richard Reed (Ioan Gruffudd) and Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) point out his need to control others.  Reed intends to convince Doom to invest in his research in regards to solar winds.  However, the shrewd executive Doom (Julian McMahon) has already made up his mind, as he is aware of the projects possible profits and how it could increase his power and wealth.  To complicate the situation, Reed’s old girlfriend Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) works for Doom, as does her brother Johnny Storm (Chris Evans).  It is a beginning packed with intrigues and possible scenarios, but viewers with knowledge of the Fantastic Four already knows the next series of events.  Nonetheless, it is to be expected, as it is the foundation of the Fantastic Four’s adventures.

Reed’s research brings Grim, Sue, Johnny, and Doom to Doom’s space station, as its walls have the capability to protect them from the solar wind’s radiation.  However, a miscalculation of the solar storm’s arrival suggests that a catastrophe is imminent.  Somehow, they all survive and they have returned to Earth (in some peculiar way which causes some awkwardness.)  Safe back on Earth, they find themselves in quarantine (now I thought quarantine prevented people from coming in contact with the general population, but maybe I am wrong.)  Shortly after, changes begin to emerge in their physique, drastic changes, as their genetic structure has undergone a fundamental transformation.  The most evident change appears within Grimm, as his skin turns to rock.  The others also discover major changes in their physical capabilities, but it does not alter their physical presence as it does Grimm.  Some parts of the film deal with Grimm’s feelings about his mutation, which comes across with awkwardness.  This part had strong potential, but should have been rewritten before the project got a green light.

The film continues to deal with their personalities and how the newly acquired metamorphosis changes their lives.  The funniest transformation is Johnny’s transmutation to the Human Torch, as he uses it to impress girls while increasing his bank account.  The others are more serious about the change, and worry about the possible outcomes of the alteration.  Simultaneously, Doom fights to keep his business, as investors want to pull out due to the catastrophe at the space station.  Doom also suffers from some side effects from the space station accident, but does not share his discovery with anyone.  Some intriguing notions are touched upon through the mutations, but sorry to say, it shows a very one-dimensional perspective of the psychological and social scar of the characters.

The story is basically established on the idea that they got their mutations, but no real conflict arises.  This is besides the obvious conflict with Doom, which all readers of Fantastic Four already know about.  However, the film never explains why Doom wants to destroy the Fantastic Four, it merely suggests that they are powerful and stand in his way to accomplish something (oh, yes, I know that he wants world domination from the comic books and the few lines when he says it in the movie.)  It is within the conflict where the audience usually finds a plot, but since there is no conflict then there is not plot.  The film simply builds on the suggestion that the Fantastic Four will fight with Doom, but never really why this battle would exist.  Some of the weakness in the plot creation rests within the poor character development, which as mentioned is far too one-dimensional and unenthusiastic.  The characters appear extremely stereotypical in regards to the individual characteristic such as Reed who is a nerd, Grimm, the super loyal war companion, Johnny, the adolescent renegade, and Sue, the benevolent female hero who is in love with Reed.

Being an avid reader of the Marvel comic books has left me with a very disappointing cinematic experience in regards to the world of the Fantastic Four.  It did not meet the expectations, as Sam Raimi did with Spider-Man (2002) and the silver screen version of Sin City’s ominously cynical world.  The film’s lacking of a plot made it difficult to watch while the stereotypical characters feel uninteresting.  Nonetheless, the film offers some extravagantly flashy CGI action, but it lacks the insightfulness of many recently released superhero films.  The moral of the story emerges, but does so with childish ease.  Fantastic Four’s cinematic journey culminates in a clash between good and evil that compares to a vain daydream wishing for something better.

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COUNTRY

USA

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