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 FANTASTIC
FOUR
by Jane Louise
Boursaw
Rated PG-13 (for sequences of
intense action and some suggestive content). 105 minutes. Directed by
Tim Story. Released in theaters July 8, 2005.
After an accident in space, a team
of scientists finds that their DNA has been forever altered. The result?
Superpowers, of course.
The leader of the group, Reed
Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) transforms into Mr. Fantastic, a man who can
stretch his body. Susan Storm (Jessica Alba) becomes the Invisible
Woman, while her brother, Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), learns that he can
set himself ablaze, thus becoming the Human Torch. Finally, Ben Grimm
(Michael Chiklis) turns into the Thing, a creature made of rocks.
Together, dubbed the Fantastic Four, they take on the evil Dr. Doom,
who, of course, is out to DESTROY THE WORLD!!
THE WRAP-UP: Unlike
Batman Begins, also showing in theaters now, this movie is truly
a comic-book movie. The characters are all pretty surfacey, the evil
people truly bad seeds (no guessing there), and the plot almost put me
to sleep, despite lots of extra caffeine that day. Even when the Thing
saved an 18-wheeler from plummeting over a bridge, all I could think
was, oh, *that* old story-line? Wake me when he pulls the truck to
safety and the film crews arrive. On second thought, wake me when the
movie's over.
In
the movie's defense, however, it does have some fun moments, like when
Johnny Storm shows off by setting his thumb on fire. And the cool
special effects when the characters exhibit their super-powers. And even
though its rated PG-13, this is the kind of movie you could take an
8-year-old to see because it's pretty mild. But if you're going for a
more intense superhero movie with a good plot and well-developed
characters, see Batman Begins instead.
SCORE: 2 out of 4 Reels.
Jane's Reel Rating
System:
One Reel Pathetic.
Even The Force cant save it.
Two Reels
Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.
Three Reels
Pleasant. Something to talk about.
Four Reels Wow! The
stuff dreams are made of.
E-chat with me
at
jane@reellifewithjane.com - I
LOVE to talk about movies!
 Read my other reviews
here.
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