Drakkenmensch
9th July 2005, 03:00 AM
I've been to the movie theater today and saw the fantastic four movie (as the title of my post implies)
Here is my spoiler free review
Acting: B
This is, after all, a superhero movie. That they managed to pull off cheesy battle banter without coming off badly is a very good sign. Casting was overall well handled, with props going to both Michael Chiklis and Chris Evans.
Ben Grimm's casting was vital to the movie, as a bad choice would have killed it just as fast as giving Wolverine's role to anyone else than Hugh Jackman in X-Men. He portrays a believable man who is suddenly stuck in the "skin" of a monstrous being - or are WE the monsters for thinking him the beast?
Chris Evans brings a much needed light-hearted tongue-in-cheek humor as the fiery (*snickers*) Johnny Storm, wisecracking his way through this adventure and seducing pretty girls left and right. A definite highlight of the movie, he steals every scene he's in and is the direct reason for several rounds of open laughter across the audience.
You most definitely come to care for these people, and that's what counts. Julian McMahon definitely comes across as creepy and manipulative, though in my taste he seems to somewhat lack a bit of the grandiose and majestic luster that MAKES Von Doom who he is.
Jessica Alba was a good choice as Susan Storm, bringing both the sexy charm of her previous roles as well as the "big sister knows best" bossiness that Johnny Storm needs to keep his ADHD teenager personality in check.
Finally, Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards threw me a bit for a loop at first - he seemed to be much like Egon Spengler, utterly brilliant and totally clueless the instant human emotion comes into play, but isn't that PRECISELY the Richards we know and love? ;)
Script and faithfulness to the source: B
Once upon a time, Reed Richards took his three friends in space for a three hour tri... wait, that ain't right. Anyhoo, cosmic rays bombard our foursome and when they return to earth, they manifest bizarre powers while Ben Grimm turns into a golemlike creature made of cap'n crunch cereal.
Differences that prevent the movie from receiving a higher grade - Von Doom was aboard the station and got zapped as well, instead of blowing himself up on an experiment that Reeds warned him would fail and then retreating to a tibetan temple for a few years. Reeds and Susan Storm broke up a few years before instead of being lovebirds uninterrupted from the moment Susan was old enough to start noticing that Reeds has interesting boy parts (in the comics, she met him as a friend of her older brother Johnny when she was 12)
Special Effects: A
Flawless for my taste. Some may argue that you can tell how it was done, but my scale for CGI effectiveness goes in favor of measuring if I can enjoy the movie without stopping to consider that CGI is used. Mission accomplished! I loved the battle sequences, especially the big fight at the end. Susan's invisibility and force fields - two invisible effects - are done in a way that is quite pleasing to the eye and serve to further the movie plot and not just showcase the processing power of the CGI group's rendering computers.
Enjoyment and Fun: A
Cool powers, check.
Ben Grimm tossing cars, check.
Funny jokes, check.
"It's clobbering time!", check.
Vic Von D in full armor, check.
Jessica Alba undressing onscreen, CHECK!!!
Presence of Stan Lee: A+
He's there, he even has a line!
Overall Rating: A
This movie is bound to be a huge hit, and has billion dollar franchise written all over it - much to the benefit of all of us movie viewers, as the comic book adaptation movie style has truly achieved maturity ever since Bryan Singer directed X-Men.
Marvel won't be shelling out millions to pull THIS version off the screens!!!
Of course, this is just *my* opinion, but I really enjoyed this movie. Looking forward for a DVD loaded with extras :)
Here is my spoiler free review
Acting: B
This is, after all, a superhero movie. That they managed to pull off cheesy battle banter without coming off badly is a very good sign. Casting was overall well handled, with props going to both Michael Chiklis and Chris Evans.
Ben Grimm's casting was vital to the movie, as a bad choice would have killed it just as fast as giving Wolverine's role to anyone else than Hugh Jackman in X-Men. He portrays a believable man who is suddenly stuck in the "skin" of a monstrous being - or are WE the monsters for thinking him the beast?
Chris Evans brings a much needed light-hearted tongue-in-cheek humor as the fiery (*snickers*) Johnny Storm, wisecracking his way through this adventure and seducing pretty girls left and right. A definite highlight of the movie, he steals every scene he's in and is the direct reason for several rounds of open laughter across the audience.
You most definitely come to care for these people, and that's what counts. Julian McMahon definitely comes across as creepy and manipulative, though in my taste he seems to somewhat lack a bit of the grandiose and majestic luster that MAKES Von Doom who he is.
Jessica Alba was a good choice as Susan Storm, bringing both the sexy charm of her previous roles as well as the "big sister knows best" bossiness that Johnny Storm needs to keep his ADHD teenager personality in check.
Finally, Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards threw me a bit for a loop at first - he seemed to be much like Egon Spengler, utterly brilliant and totally clueless the instant human emotion comes into play, but isn't that PRECISELY the Richards we know and love? ;)
Script and faithfulness to the source: B
Once upon a time, Reed Richards took his three friends in space for a three hour tri... wait, that ain't right. Anyhoo, cosmic rays bombard our foursome and when they return to earth, they manifest bizarre powers while Ben Grimm turns into a golemlike creature made of cap'n crunch cereal.
Differences that prevent the movie from receiving a higher grade - Von Doom was aboard the station and got zapped as well, instead of blowing himself up on an experiment that Reeds warned him would fail and then retreating to a tibetan temple for a few years. Reeds and Susan Storm broke up a few years before instead of being lovebirds uninterrupted from the moment Susan was old enough to start noticing that Reeds has interesting boy parts (in the comics, she met him as a friend of her older brother Johnny when she was 12)
Special Effects: A
Flawless for my taste. Some may argue that you can tell how it was done, but my scale for CGI effectiveness goes in favor of measuring if I can enjoy the movie without stopping to consider that CGI is used. Mission accomplished! I loved the battle sequences, especially the big fight at the end. Susan's invisibility and force fields - two invisible effects - are done in a way that is quite pleasing to the eye and serve to further the movie plot and not just showcase the processing power of the CGI group's rendering computers.
Enjoyment and Fun: A
Cool powers, check.
Ben Grimm tossing cars, check.
Funny jokes, check.
"It's clobbering time!", check.
Vic Von D in full armor, check.
Jessica Alba undressing onscreen, CHECK!!!
Presence of Stan Lee: A+
He's there, he even has a line!
Overall Rating: A
This movie is bound to be a huge hit, and has billion dollar franchise written all over it - much to the benefit of all of us movie viewers, as the comic book adaptation movie style has truly achieved maturity ever since Bryan Singer directed X-Men.
Marvel won't be shelling out millions to pull THIS version off the screens!!!
Of course, this is just *my* opinion, but I really enjoyed this movie. Looking forward for a DVD loaded with extras :)