Give Tim Story's "Fantastic Four" credit for putting the "comic" back into comic book movies. It's not as inventive or entertaining as, say, Brad Bird's "The Incredibles" (which was basically a Fantastic Four movie in disguise), but it offers the sort of high-octane fun that Hollywood tries and fails to crank out by the square yard every summer. Read the full review
The Marvel comic book superheroes — Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and The Thing — blast onto the big screen to battle the evil Doctor Doom.
Director: Tim Story
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, Julian McMahon
Run time: 123 minutes
Release date: July 8, 2005
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense action, and some suggestive content.
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On the web
Official movie site
View the trailer
Trailers require
Quicktime
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: B
"Take the movie on its own lighthearted terms and, chances are, you'll be taken in. "
Austin American-Statesman: 3 of 5 stars
"The only thing it takes seriously is its mission to entertain."
Cox News Service: B
"It has a lot of action. You'll like the heroes. And the electric bad guy is cool."
Dayton Daily News: B
"... funny, without being corny, thanks to some clever lines and snarky banter. It's also visually impressive, with a highly appealing cast."
The Palm Beach Post: C-
"Do not go expecting the thematic subtexts of X-Men. This is just four geeks melting stuff, blowing stuff up, smacking through walls and positioning themselves for a sequel."
The Palm Beach Post "Flick Chick"
"There is some heavy suspension of disbelief here — mostly in accepting that human Barbie doll 24-year-old Jessica Alba is somebody's top scientist, rather than America's Next Top Model. Then again... as much fun as Fantastic Four is, I'm willing to forgive pretty much anything."
