Arrogance versus humility. Evil versus good. Dr. Doom versus the Fantastic Four. These are the polar opposites played out in The Fantastic Four, the latest Marvel comic to surface in the 21st century on the silver screen. Many of the characters from the preceding films actually made their first appearances in Fantastic Four comic, the first of Marvel’s creations. Here, the movie version exceeded my expectations, and serves the spring board for what Marvel hopes will be a movie dynasty like Spider-Man has become.

This page was created on June 12, 2005
This page was last updated on September 6, 2005

—Overview
—Photos
—About this Film pdf
—Spiritual Connections

Review by Kevin Miller
Review by Maurice Broaddus
Review by Jacob Sahms

Dial up modems will take a few moments

Directed by Tim Story
Written by Michael France and Mark Frost
Comic book & characters Jack Kirby and Stan Lee

Cast (in credits order)
Ioan Gruffudd .... Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic
Michael Chiklis .... Ben Grimm/The Thing
Jessica Alba .... Susan Storm/The Invisible Woman
Chris Evans .... Johnny Storm/The Human Torch
Julian McMahon .... Victor Von Doom/Doctor Doom
Kerry Washington .... Alicia Masters
Mark S. Allen .... Ralph
Paul Belsito .... Bridge cop #1
Lorena Gale .... Old Lady
G. Michael Gray .... Boyfriend
Gina Holden .... Receptionist
Laurie Holden .... Debbie
Aonika Laurent .... Bohemian
Colin Lawrence .... Bridge cop #2
Stan Lee .... Mailman Willie Lumpkin
Hamish Linklater
Maria Menounos
Kathleen Mullan .... Elevator Girl
David Parker .... Ernie
David Richmond-Peck .... Gallery Patron
Patrick Stoner .... Patrick
Tony Toscano .... Tony
Douglas Weston .... Von Doom's Doctor
Lynnanne Zager .... The Computer (voice)

Produced by
Avi Arad .... producer
Michael Barnathan .... producer
Chris Columbus .... producer
Bernd Eichinger .... producer
Ross Fanger .... co-producer
Kevin Feige .... co-producer
David Gorder .... associate producer
Stan Lee .... executive producer
Ralph Winter .... producer

Original Music by Mathieu Archambault
Cinematography by Oliver Wood
Film Editing by William Hoy

Runtime: 123 min
For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM, and MPAA.ORG.
Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG

Teaser:
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Trailer:
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International Teaser:
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Real Player, Hi-Res
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International Trailer:
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Featurette - 'Everyday People':
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Behind-the-Scenes Featurette:
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Fantastic Four - The Album

Inventor, astronaut and scientist Dr. Reed Richards’ (Ioan Gruffudd) lifelong dream is close to being realized. He is spearheading a trip to outer space, to the center of a cosmic storm. There he hopes to unlock the secrets of the human genetic codes for the benefit of all humanity.

Extensive government grant cutbacks nearly dashed the visionary’s hopes of the historic flight, until Reed accepted a financing deal with his old college rival, Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), now a billionaire industrialist.

Reed’s crew for the mission includes his best friend, astronaut Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis); Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), Von Doom’s director of genetic research and Reed’s ex-girlfriend; and Sue’s hot-headed younger brother, pilot Johnny Storm (Chris Evans). With benefactor Von Doom in tow, the four set off for the exploration of a lifetime.

The mission is uneventful -- until Reed discovers a miscalculation of the speed of the approaching storm. Within minutes, the event threshold is upon them. The space station is engulfed by turbulent clouds of cosmic radiation which genetically transforms the crew. Their DNA is irrevocably altered…and so is their future.

Back on earth, the effects of the exposure are quickly revealed. Reed gains the ability to stretch and contort his body into any shape he can imagine and, as leader of the group, is given the name Mr. Fantastic; Sue is able to render herself invisible and to create and project powerful force fields as Invisible Woman; Johnny becomes known as The Human Torch, as he can now engulf his body in flames and take flight at will; and Ben, whose freakish transmutation is the most shocking, becomes an orange-colored, rock-like, superhumanly strong creature, The Thing.

Together, they turn tragedy into triumph and catastrophe into coalition, using their unique and formidable powers to thwart the evil plans of their now steely-eyed, iron-fisted nemesis Dr. Doom and to protect the citizens of New York City against any threat that may arise.

Astronauts. Superheroes. Celebrities. To the world, they are the Fantastic Four. To each other, they are a family.

Although I tend to avoid discovering too much about how a film is faring critically before I see it, with Fantastic Four, I was picking up a sour smell on the wind long before I entered the multiplex. One critic I overheard on the radio referred to it as “a vile disease.” Another critic (Maurice Broaddus, who had seen an advance screening) sent me an e-mail saying, “Lower your expectations.” These initial responses, coupled with my suspicion of any film produced by Ralph Winter, caused me to seriously question whether I should even bother seeing the film. But I was really looking forward to watching a movie that night, and I had already made plans with friends, so off I went.

I think it was about thirty minutes into the screening when I turned to my friend and said, “You know, this really isn’t all that bad.” Don’t take my comment the wrong way: Fantastic Four wasn’t all that good, either, but it certainly wasn’t a vile disease. Perhaps Maurice’s warning had the desired effect: I walked into the theater with my expectations around my ankles, but I could probably have worn them at least knee-high.

As the film progressed, however, I realized my expectations weren’t just riding low; I may have actually put on the wrong pair. Still smoldering in the afterglow of a genre-defining film like Batman Begins, I, like most critics, had expected Fantastic Four to follow in the Caped Crusader’s footsteps by offering us a gritty, sophisticated story that was more concerned with exploring deep, philosophical issues than portraying fisticuffs and budget-busting CGI shots. In short, I expected a comic book film for adults. Fantastic Four didn’t seem to be going in that direction at all though. Where Batman Begins was gritty, Fantastic Four was goofy. Unlike Bruce Wayne, Dr. Reed Richards and co. weren’t at all interested in pondering deep, philosophical issues. They didn’t even seem too concerned with fighting evil, for that matter. They spent most of their time fighting each other. And the filmmakers never once shied away from throwing in a cool CGI effect, just for the fun of it. It took a while, but I finally came to see that Fantastic Four wasn’t a comic book film for adults after all. It was a comic book film for kids. (Imagine that!) Once I was able to make this paradigm shift, suddenly, the movie didn’t seem all that bad.

Before any Fantastic Four purists jump all over me, let me say this: I feel your pain. I’ve never really been into the Fantastic Four, but if Batman had received the same sort of cinematic treatment as Ben Grimm and the gang, I would have been hopping mad. This film isn’t exactly a mockery of Marvel Comics’ flagship title, but it’s only one or two notches above camp. The acting is way over the top, the characters are painted with bold, bright colors, the script is overly didactic, and the entire production is about as subtle as Al Qaeda when making a point. (I'm thinking in particular about the wedding ring on the bridge scene here.) But what else would you expect from a movie for kids? Sure, I was hoping as much as anyone else that Fantastic Four would deliver two more hours of sophisticated fanboy bliss. But post-pubescent males with too much time and money on their hands aren’t the only target market in the world (although we are a very lucrative market, Mr. Winter). Kids need their share of summer viewing fun, too. And, as one of my companions said, “If I think about this movie from my six-year-old son’s point of view, he would absolutely love it.” I’m sorry, die-hard fans, but this movie just wasn’t made for you.

So, even though Fantastic Four was not what any of us expected, I don’t think it’s nearly as bad as most critics are making it out to be either. Sure, it doesn’t hold a candle to Batman Begins or the Spiderman films in terms of cultural significance or artistic merit, but, all Pixar films excluded, neither do most films aimed primarily at children. For me, the acerbic critical response to this film is a good reminder that a work of art—even blatantly commercial pieces like this film—should always be judged according to the creator’s original intentions, not our own thoughts about what the work should or could be. Unfortunately, that means I should probably stop complaining about Tim Burton’s take on Batman. Heck, it's only taken me sixteen years to learn that lesson...

In terms of spiritual significance, one of the main things I got from this film is how power reveals character. The relationship between power and character is a recurring theme throughout the work of Marvel pioneer Stan Lee (who had a hand in creating not only the Fantastic Four but also Spiderman, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men, and Daredevil, among others). As with most of Lee’s characters, when the people in Fantastic Four receive their special powers, personality traits that were already bubbling just beneath the surface suddenly become magnified, either for good or ill. Johnny Storm, for instance, was always hungry for attention. As the Human Torch, now he can gain the attention of the entire world. But will he find a more socially responsible use for his powers? Victor Von Doom, by way of contrast, has always harbored a murderous intent toward Reed Richards or anyone else who stood in his way. Once he is transformed by the cosmic storm, he can finally act on his murderous thoughts without consequence, and act he does. The question is, can he be stopped?

This isn’t much different from what happens to us when we gain some kind of new power, whether money, position or ability. When our capacity to fulfill our inner longings increases exponentially, we are forced to confront some tough questions, such as: Were we living according to the values we espoused simply because we couldn’t afford to act on our true desires, or do we really believe what we say we believe? Now that we have the power to do anything—or much more than we could before—what will we do? Who will we become? Will we use our power to help others? Or will we keep it to ourselves? Exactly what are our deepest desires anyway? As this movie illustrates, how we answer such questions will determine if our lives lead to something truly fantastic or if we wind up walking the road to doom. It also shows that we probably shouldn't wait until those "super" powers come along before we start asking them. Otherwise, we probably won't be too happy with the character our new powers reveal.

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“Being different isn’t always a bad thing.” Alicia Masters

However, they all have trouble seeing themselves. Johnny enjoys celebrity and the trappings of popularity, seeing himself through the adulation of others. Reed is not able to see himself for who he is, a hero, a leader. Ben sees himself as a monster, though a new acquaintance (Alicia Masters, portrayed by Kerry Washington) sees the man inside. Susan isn’t seen by the man that she loves.

“If there’s a God, he hates me.” Ben Grimm (The Thing)

It’s like they were all trapped by these false ideas of themselves. These false selves, these false ways that we see ourselves, start developing when we’re young. How our family shape us, how we let our friends define us. We derive our self-worth from what we do, we’re of value because of how we behave or what we have. And yet some part of us is miserable under this definition of who we are and longs to find a way out from under it.

“This is what a man looks like who embraces his destiny.” Victor Von Doom (Dr. Doom)

“I’m good as is.” Ben Grimm (The Thing)

So we need a better definition a new identity, one that we can find in God. A true self, coming as a result of loving and being loved by God. Once we have our identity in Him and in loving others, we can start building this true self. Understanding and living this truth is what brings true freedom. Once they refused to define themselves by what they had (or didn’t have) or what people said about them, they were on the road to being the heroes they were called to be.

Aimed at the PG-13 crowd, the Fantastic Four is a weak and wildly uneven movie at worst, a light hearted romp not meant to be taken too seriously, at best. You can see the diamond in the rough of something that could be great, which is essentially what we all are. But only if it, like us, pursues what it was created to be.

I will not post these comments. I welcome your spiritual concerns and prayer needs.  I will correspond with you, usually within two weeks.
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