Buy Fantastic Four (Widescreen Edition) (2005)

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First off, I am amused by all the people who try to dissect this film saying how thin the plot is, how cheesy the characters are, and how bad the special effects are. Its based on a comic book people! Not to mention a comic that is over 40 years old! I challenge anyone to read the '60s comics and say that they're NOT the cheesiest thing they've ever read. This comic was as generic as generic can be. Just look at the names of the characters: Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, The Thing, Dr. Doom. Not very creative.

Not very creative, but very fun. It captured the imagination of people back then and after 40 YEARS it has turned these characters into beloved icons. That's where I think people are being unfair to this movie. They're expecting all 40 years of character development into 1 hr. and 45 minutes worth of film. It's a beginning, an origin. We see how these characters know each other, how they attain their powers, and how they choose to deal with them at a very early stage. Do we see the intensity of their relationships, the bonds that unite them so strongly? Not so much. But they've just come together. They've just formed the team. They need time. Which is, again, what 40 years of comics give them that 1 movie can't.

I've always looked at The Fantastic Four as cheesy or goofy. From their names to their powers (Reed's stretching for example) to the situations they're put into. And yet, its still fun. From The Thing and Torch's banter, Reed and Sue as husband and wife, and the overall family atmosphere between all four of them.

So to me, this film lives up to all of that. Unlike recent comic book films (Batman, Spider-man, X-men, Hulk), it doens't take itself too seriously. It reminds us that comic books are fun and so is this movie. I've heard people say that this film doesn't live up to the "iconic" characters that are The Fantastic Four. Well, I say it took years for these characters to become "iconic" and that if you read the first 10 issues or so of the comic book, nobody would be praising it these days. So just let the movie be itself and entertain people, which I believe it does very well.

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I'll be honest...this movie doesn't need an "extended cut" version...sure it's a fine movie, but most of you already have an acceptable version of it, and an extra 20 minutes of footage is fine, but to most of us, not quite enough to justify buying an entire other DVD version of it...

So WHY am I reviewing this version of the DVD as a 5-star "MUST BUY" version? SOLELY because the "extras" DVD has a feature reflecting and honoring JACK "KING" KIRBY, the man/legend who co-created the entire Marvel universe (among other superheroes), with Stan Lee, but got almost NONE of the credit (or money) that Stan did...

KIRBY was a creative FORCE for both Marvel and DC comics over his lifetime career, and not only was he the world's greatest comic book creator and artist, but an amazingly warm, wonderful person, family man, and treated his fans as if they were close friends...never in the world was a man more deserving of a documentary than Kirby was, and while it should've been included in the original release, this feature alone is WELL worth watching and well worth as well the cost of buying this DVD...you will NOT be disappointed by watching the KIRBY documentary...he WELL deserves this honor, and it's VERY interesting for comic fans and non comic fans alike...

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I missed the Fantastic Four, aka FF in the theatres and as any self-respecting Marvel comic fan, had to watch the DVD in spite of the mixed reviews I'd heard.

The good news is: the movie is watchable. It's not perfect, and I still rate the X-men and the Incredibles ahead of this. The effects are well crafted, and much thought has been put into the visual approach.

What else is good about this: Great casting of Von Doom (Julian McMahon of Nip/Tuck) and Chris Evans as the Human Torch. Jessica Alba looks great too.

What could have been better: This entire film was more like an introduction to the Four rather than a complete movie experience. Sometimes feels like a TV show. Since a sequel is in the works, we'll just have to wait.

Weak Chink for me: Mr Fantastic is pretty average. And Dr Doom's origins are less compelling than the real comic book Dr Doom.

As some reviews say above, the Fantastic Four isn't about characterisations, and yet, one feels that the chemistry of the four could've been tweaked up a notch instead of falling back purely on the comic book landscape / approach of simple characters. After all, the Fantastic Four became "the world's greatest comic" simply BECAUSE the characterisations were complex and unique, and the characters each had strong identities. This is ignored a bit in favour of an Irwin Allen "Land of the Giants" TV feel. Meaning: these are not epic characters on the level of the X-men.

Dr Doom's development was somewhat of a disappointment. While I enjoyed how the new scriptwriters have incorporated him in a more contemporary and intelligent way I wish that the original character could've been respected. The mystery and dark foreboding of the original Dr Doom was on a level that inspired characters like Darth Vader. Doom's comic book legacy deserved better.

The Human Torch however, is excellent. Never my favourite character, he nonetheless comes alive in every way in the film. Flame on!

The DVD itself is chock full of extras which I'm still wading thru. 3.5 stars for the film; 4.5 for the DVD packaging.

There's more to come...a pretty good start.

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Films based on comic books are a bit of a mixed bag. While never my favorite genre, the stakes have been raised in recent years. With sophisticated outings such as "Batman Begins", "X-Men 2", and "Spiderman 2" and "Superman Returns", it seems that we've ushered in an age of comic book adaptations as art. These films surprised me and entertained me (as any movie should), but also utilized real drama, intelligence and adult sensibilities--often with great performances and smart, logical scripts. Even graphic novels have become a popular source for serious minded films.

So "The Fantastic Four" is a throwback. Far from sophisticated, it plays as a live action cartoon. That might be OK, but the more pressing problem is that it's not particularly fun either. I know a lot of people feel that "The Incredibles" borrowed heavily from "The Fantastic Four" concept, and maybe so. But at least on film "The Incredibles" was rousing entertainment. Maybe the film "Fantastic Four" should have taken that cue.

I won't blame the actors. I actually like many of them (in other roles). It's a lackluster, sloppy script. The filmmakers never really cared about this subject and it shows. First and foremost, they wanted a commercial film to play to a mass audience--kiddies included. And I can imagine small children getting a few chuckles from The Human Torch and The Thing. Their interactions, after all, are the equivalent of junior high taunting. But it's just not funny enough, the effects aren't original enough, and it sure lacks a brain. Put the small kids in front of it--it's harmless enough, but you probably don't want to invest your time with "The Fantastic Four". KGHarris, 10/06.

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I've been reading a lot of reviews of this movie (from pros & average joes), and a lot of people are crapping on it....I really don't get it.

Going in to see this movie I was expecting the worst...like Batman & Robin bad....however I was pleasantly surprised. It's not Spider-man 2 great, but it is on par with the first X-men (i.e. movie could have been longer and the ending "bigger", but the potential for a superior sequel is there)

FF is definitely more lighter & comedic than other super-hero movies...and it should be. The FF has never been dark & brooding...it's always been about a slightly disfunctional family with super-powers.

The one issue I had with this film was the editing...the transistion from some scenes seems very choppy...i get the sense that a lot was left on the cutting room floor to quicken the pace of the movie. Hopefully, a extended cut DVD version will be offered with those scenes placed back and the movie should flow better.