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Fantastic Four (2005) More at IMDbPro »

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989 comments in total

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197 out of 337 people found the following comment useful :-
Truly enjoyable., 18 July 2005

Author: write_to_ellen from United States

This film was well put together, fun, and didn't take itself at all seriously. I am not sure where the negative hype comes from, but I find when a good film gets bad reviews, that means most people just didn't get it. In this case, perhaps from the last few comic book films that attempted to "mean something," I think people forgot how to enjoy themselves. Laden with kitsch and tongue-in-cheek humor, this movie embraces that it comes from a comic book and allows itself to be big and a little silly. Yes, Jessica Alba wears an impossibly tight jumpsuit. Yes, the Human Torch is so slick and charming that, if you met him in real life, he'd get a solid smack for his arrogance. But this isn't real life, people, in case you forgot-this is the Marvel Universe, where clothes are tight and the dialog...isn't. Who cares? This movie is so fun that you wish these people did exist and would take some media focus off the jerks that are in the public eye.

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264 out of 499 people found the following comment useful :-
Don't compare this to X-men & Spiderman, it's good in its own way., 10 July 2005

Author: hatred_aside from Australia

I don't understand the reason behind the bad reviews & comments given to this movie, I mean this movie was pretty good, i think one of the main reasons behind it is that Fantastic Four was never popular as some of the other Marvel comics, so people didn't really care to see this as much as Spiderman or X-men, personally Ben Grimm was one of the more outstanding characters, Jessica Alba as Sue Storm was one of the main reasons for me watching the movie for obvious reasons. Chris Evans as Johnny Storm was pretty funny throughout the whole movie. I really enjoyed the movie from start to finish. It was very much an entertaining movie, but maybe fell to short in time, it could've been a little longer but it seemed to finish a little to quickly. My main point to this review is to inform people just to watch this movie with an open mind.

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116 out of 207 people found the following comment useful :-
Somebody Finally Got it Right!!!, 30 June 2005

Author: TomAW from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Wow! Just WOW! Let me start by saying I'm not a regular Fantastic Four reader, but I am a huge superhero fan and I've been reading comic books and watching superhero movies since the mid seventies. Spider-Man's my favorite, so I'm familiar with the FF characters from team-ups, crossovers etc. A few days ago I was visiting a friend in NYC and he treated me to a special advance showing of the Fantastic Four.

Now I've been watching superhero movies since the original Superman, and year after year, film after film, they've gotten close, but there always seems to be something missing. With Spider-Man, for example, I liked it, but I thought the Goblin could have been much better and Toby M. made a great Peter Parker, but mediocre Spider-man.

But the Fantastic Four . . . this one seemed to finally put it all together. The good guys were good (without being goody-goody) the bad guy was bad (without being a caricature) the setting was grounded and realistic (not an altered reality like the early Batman films) allowing just enough suspension of disbelief where it was really needed. Sure there were moments that could be questioned: "Would that really happen? Would he really say that?", but it's just about impossible to make an ambitious film like this without a few moments like that. What I really loved is they had POWERS, and they used them. You didn't get the feeling (as you did with X-Men for example) that they were being held back. They looked like they were coming right off the comic page.

Here's a little breakdown: Chris Evans/Human Torch - Amazing. I think a lot of credit has to be given to whoever did the casting on this one. No offense to Mr. Evans, but I got the feeling that playing an over-the-top superstar thrill seeker wasn't much of a stretch for him - if it was I really owe him a tip of the hat, but he seemed completely natural in the role. If Sam Raimi had thought to put Chris E. in the Spider-Man suit and let Toby M. play Peter P., we might have had a very interesting film. And kudos to the special effects department on this one, when the Torch "Flames On" you can practically feel the heat coming off the screen.

Michael Chiklis/Thing - Again, the casting was perfect on this. Michael C. WAS the Thing. He made you feel his pain, but he didn't wallow in it. While I thought they might do this with CGI, I'm glad they didn't. MC brought a depth and realness to the character that no computer could hope to match. There were a few moments when the suit didn't look quite right, but it was never enough to destroy the moment.

Ioan Gruffuld/Mr. Fantastic - Ioan G. did a good job, but he didn't have as much to work with as the other characters. He was believable and likable, but not a standout with everything else that was going on. The special effects were well done, but since your brain knows people can't actually stretch, it never quite looked "real". Still, to the filmmakers credit, they didn't hold back, and there were scenes (such as a fight with the Thing) that had me sitting slack jawed and amazed.

Jessica Alba/Invisible Woman - Jessica A. is simply breathtaking to look at. Now that I've said that, I feel a little less guilty saying her acting, while not bad, was a little flat. Still, she brought a special quality to the character, and many, many men and boys will walk out of the theater in love with her. The invisibility/force field effects were generally well done, but not quite what I expected, and at times I found myself wishing they had done them a bit differently.

Julian McMahon/Dr. Doom - Like many fans, I had been hoping for Doctor Doom - RULER OF LATVERIA, but in the context of this film, you can see that it wouldn't really have worked. This is an origin piece. The Fantastic Four aren't really the Fantastic Four yet. They're just a bunch of confused geeks trying to figure out who and what they are. Doctor Doom - RULER OF LATVERIA would have dispatched with them before breakfast. The ending, however, perfectly sets up a sequel (and I'm almost certain there WILL be a sequel - this film is too good not to get one) in which the a mature Fantastic Four can face a mature Dr. Doom. For this film, Julian M. was subtle yet powerful. He wasn't a cartoon bad guy, but a real bad guy. The kind you've met before who will shake your hand and look you in the eye while he's sticking a knife in your back. His relationship with Sue is creepy and it really defines his character. Everyone in the audience can see that he doesn't even understand what love is. To him, love is possession. Toward the end, he becomes truly frightening, but it's not a jump like some villains. You could see the evil smoldering below the surface from his first on-screen moment.

Overall, the film was well balanced and a LOT of fun. It was very funny at points, it was very heart rending at other points. Dramatic, intense and exciting. Remember that moment in Star Wars when Han Solo came back to help Luke blow up the Death Star. Remember how you just cheered an celebrated with the heroes? That's how this film made me feel.

I'm afraid I'm not eloquent enough to describe just how much I loved this movie. While not perfect, the sum total of the parts created a great, memorable experience.

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72 out of 126 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent Movie. It sets a high bar for any sequels that will come., 8 July 2005

Author: Tuttle from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I thought it was an excellent film. It reminded me a great deal of the original X-Men movie but with far better FX and action. Like X-Men, it serves its purpose and introduces the characters and their relationships quite well. It sets up for an even better second film, just like X2.

Complaints? I wish they had left out that "Debbie" character. Having her leave her engagement ring conveniently on the bridge was shallow and too much of a shortcut. Plus, more Alicia would have been nice but overall, nice characterization.

This movie never gave me the feeling that it was dragging on. The in-your-face action of their origin scene quickly gets you drawn into the movie, and the plot and characters from there on out keep you interested during the rest of the film.

FF4 really has it all. It makes you laugh, moves you, makes you cheer, makes you gasp and lets you feel smart. It sets a high bar for any sequels that may come.

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24 out of 33 people found the following comment useful :-
So-So Superhero Film, 6 July 2006

Author: christian123

During a failed experiment in space, Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), Sue and Johnny Storm (Jessica Alba and Chris Evans), Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) and Dr. Victor Von Doom are bombarded by cosmic rays, changing their molecular systems and giving them superpowers. Four of them become the superhero team, the Fantastic Four, while Doom becomes their new enemy.

The Fantastic Four is far from fantastic but it does make for decent entertainment. The movie is very light-hearted and it isn't complex at all. This is good news and bad news. The good part is that the film doesn't take itself so seriously and the movie ends up being mildly enjoyable. On the other hand, it becomes silly and cheesy with laughable acting and events. Also, the movie is actually kind of dull. There are some fun spots (like the bridge scene) but there is really no spark to the film. The blame should go to Tim Story and his lack of imagination. He keeps the film bland and dull but he shouldn't get all the blame. He is working with a cheesy and weak script courtesy of Michael France and Mark Frost. If the writing had been a little better and the direction a little sharper then the film could have been better but it stands as a mediocre one.

The acting is a mix bag with some good performances and a couple of bad ones. Chris Evans gives the best performance as Johnny Storm. He seems to be having a blast and his performance is contagious. It's also nice to see something different. Usually in super hero movies, the superheroes are moody and they just want a normal life, which isn't a bad thing. However Johnny Storm actually wants to show off and he considers his new powers to be a blessing and not a curse. On the opposite side of Johnny Storm, you have Ben Grimm played by Michael Chiklis. He is the exact opposite and he wants to give rid of his powers. His situation is pretty sad since his fiancé leaves him and it's hard for him to really live a normal life. Chiklis gives a good performance and it was a little heartwarming. Jessica Alba gives a bad performance as Sue Storm. She is unconvincing as a scientist and her emotions feel fake. Ioan Gruffudd is actually somehow worse and he can't really act. His chemistry with Jessica Alba is almost non existent. The only other person worth mentioning is Julian McMahon and he plays Dr. Victor Von Doom. I think he makes a good bad guy and he gives a decent performance.

Despite the lack of quality in the film, Fantastic Four is pretty harmless. There is nothing here that should really offend anyone and it works better with kids than with adults or teenagers. The film has some things going for it though. The special effects are at least above average and the movie provides decent eye candy. As previously noted, there are some performances that stood out so the whole experience isn't a complete waste of time. However, The Fantastic Four is still a disappointment. In the end, the movie is worth a rental at the most, in my opinion. Rating 5/10

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29 out of 44 people found the following comment useful :-
more like fantastic bore, 1 October 2005

Author: bpsoccerddr18 from United States

This movie was really,really,really a great disappointment. First off when i went to see this movie i was expected something action-packed and a little funny. It was a major disappointment to see that there was barely any action/violence whatsoever it was mostly the 4 trying to figure out their powers and them arguing! The plot of this movie states "Five friends get special powers after being exposed to harmful space ray things, then they have to save the from Dr. Doom", but really they are barely any fight scenes at all with Dr. Doom and when there is it's not that spectacular! And, they don't even use their powers that much like I said it's basically them just arguing with each other! Anyways, this movie was a great disopointmeant i give it 3 out of 10.

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15 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
The title is half right, 5 October 2006

Author: RogerBorg from Glasgow, Scotland

In that there are Four of them. But Fantastic? More like "Mediocre", or "Barely Adequate", or "Contractually Sufficient".

For once, the reviewers were right. This film is a big, rambling, poorly conceived, sloppily scripted, shoddily acted pile of orange rubble. Avoid it, or suffer the consequences.

It's hard to know where to begin, there's so much wrong with it. For a start, the acting "talent" is AWOL. TV performers don't inevitably get lost on the big screen, but this cadre evited it. Alba turns in the exact same performance that she always does, going through her entire range, from "pouty and petulant" to "petulant and pouty". Evans is either a strutting superannuated fratboy poseur, or for some reason is deliberately playing one so well that it's hard to tell the difference - either way, his character is thoroughly irritating and utterly unsympathetic. Chiklis is adequate, but is let down by the plain fact that he's a round little man in a big rubber muscle suit. This was a role for Ron Perlman, not Wimpy. Gruffudd is a huge disappointment; he has no screen presence, and his slightly out-of-his-depth portrayal of Hornblower is apparently the man, not the character. It would have been better if he had been invisible, as he manages to fade into the background with ease in every scene. McMahon is the only actor who appears to be enjoying himself, but as he's barely in the film, he can't rescue it.

The script was apparently in development for ten years. I can't see why, as it's one scene, repeated ten times. If this is the refined version, I shudder to imagine what the raw cut would have been like. I find it hard to believe that the lines were written by, or for, adults. There's no real plot to the film, or even a story beyond "Nasty self absorbed un-credible astronauts become nasty self absorbed un-credible 'super' heroes, then argue with each other for a while, take their clothes off for no reason, then beat up some poor disfigured guy apparently because he didn't join their little gang, roll credits." Direction and cinematography was Filmschool #101, the score was instantly forgettable, and the editing was appalling, with the pacing in particular being random and rushed.

The effects were only what we've come to expect from a hundred million dollar movie, which brings me to the big question: what on earth did they spend all that money on? It wasn't on the "talent", either on-screen or off, it certainly wasn't on the rubber suit, and the effects couldn't have cost that much - or if they did, they were seriously over-charged.

I have an idea where at least some of the budget went. From IMDb's Trivia section: "Contains over 25 cameos from real life employees of Fox television affiliates." And I strongly suspect that the IMDb records for this movie contain about 2,5000 comments and ratings and mutual approvals from about five of those real life employees. Reading the top recommended comments, most of which have 10 ratings, reveals a depressing pattern of almost identically styled raves from the likes of "top10dude" and "BigTenPower" with embarrassingly obvious track records of enthusing about, you guessed it, other shoddy Fox movies. When someone rates Elektra a 10, you have to just snort in disbelief at the audacity of it.

I guess it's a pretty good investment for Fox, but this kind of astroturfing drastically reduces the usefulness of IMDb as an early review source. With time, this awful, foul mess of a movie will no doubt settle to its rightful place near the bottom of the ratings pile, but it's likely that the shill reviews will stay stubbornly at the top of the recommended pile for a long time to come. Beware; consider the source.

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35 out of 57 people found the following comment useful :-
What a bad movie!, 21 July 2005

Author: PeteRoy

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This movie was all over the place, the story was stupid, the character development was crap, the action scenes doesn't make sense, the editing of the movie is horrible.

The movie failed to make you feel sympathy with the characters, you can't identify with any of them, it felt as if you started watching from the middle of the movie.

The action scene on the bridge was amazingly stupid and pointless, the thing causes terrible car wreck on the bridge trying to save someone from killing himself and then the fantastic four all use their powers to save people, that action scene felt all wrong and ridiculous.

The scene with the motocross and the human torch was also pointless.

The movie suffers this tough criticism because it disappointed so many people so much.

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155 out of 297 people found the following comment useful :-
Very good - satisfying, 8 July 2005

Author: Jim Nickel from Canada

I don't know why some people wanted more action. That has been the bane of many movies lately - focusing too much on action and special effects and forgetting how to tell a good story.

This movie remembered to use the special effects to help tell the story and not focus on them. The effects were really good and many of them were used for humour instead of action. The only effect that looked a bit computerish or fake was the flame effect on Johnny Storm.

The acting is decent and all the characters seem to fit the roles. They have the right attitudes and lines.

There were a few scenes that were a bit contrived and we weren't sure why/how the character ended up there - for example, Johnny Storm is suddenly in a bike jumping show - but maybe he knows someone on the inside - so we will just let it go. Besides, it's a comic book.

It seemed very true to the feel of the comic books. I really enjoyed this show and would recommend it.

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37 out of 62 people found the following comment useful :-
Great for people that have never read the comic, 25 July 2005

Author: drendoynk from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I'm your average guy, I don't read comic books, and I usually don't comment about movies. Here is some thing a lot of people who gave this movie a bad review might not understand. The Fantastic 4 is a great movie!!! Especially for people who are too young to remember the comic books or the show!!! I remember when I was 9 years old, The Fantastic 4 used to be on late night on Cartoon Network. That was the only time I remember hearing about them or seeing them on a main stage.

Ten years later, a smile comes to my face when I hear about a movie being made about the superheroes I vaguely remember loving as a child. I don't read comic books. I could care less about the comic book accuracy. I just wanna see some guy burst into flames, fly, and say smart** comments.

Spiderman didn't do it for me, X-Men didn't, the only Batman movie I truly enjoyed was Batman Forever (Robin was cool, and Christian Bale didn't even act in Batman Begins.) I've never enjoyed a superhero movie more than the Fantastic 4. It's got such a simple formula: What would you do if you woke up one morning with superpowers? Each character was real. Johnny was an adventurous guy before the accident, of course he's not going to stay cooped up in Reeds lab all day. Reed was a geek, he stayed a geek the whole movie. Sue was like... the "dude, I totally wanna do your mom" type. She was responsible and everything... and she looked so hot in that cat suit. Ben was great as the family man who goes through the trauma of losing his wife and being out-casted.

I loved the Fantastic 4 because each character goes through their own issues, but the dramatic bull**** doesn't eclipse all the awesome action. I hated Spiderman because Peter still looked like a dopey, love sick, puppy even when he was kicking some bad guy buttocks. This movie had the right balance of emotion and butt-kicking.

The actors had such great chemistry! The scene after Johnny goes to the motocross contest was priceless. It was basically: This is how you bicker with superpowers.

The scenes with the Thing adapting to life with big fingers was great. You can't just wake up one morning bigger than life and expect to be able to do everything normal. The scenes with Sue stripping down in the middle of the street were so true. Is there a better way to get away from a crowd than turning invisible and stripping off all your clothes? The little things like all of Johnny's clothes burning, the tabloids, the action figures, the way the Thing squeezed a huge bundle of oranges for his juice in the morning, all those things make this movie great.

When you see the Fantastic 4, it's like you're watching 4 people's lives change through a hidden camera. They're doing their normal, everyday stuff... except with wicked cool powers.

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