Show Fantastic script fizzles screen on-screen Kevin Crust Los Angeles Times Fantastic is a tough adjective to live up to and Fantastic Four takes its best shot but it fails to be anything anything any any- thing more than a mild summertime diversion Based on on the Marvel comic book its it's a prototypical air conditioner movie its it's probably only worth 10 bucks if your apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment is really really hot or if youre you're a Jessica Alba More superhero sitcom than comic book adventure the movie lacks a strong dramatic through Its It's a series of connected ridden angst-ridden subplots that dont don't add up to a feature fea- fea feature feature fea fea- ture film Director Tim Story ably moves things along but never succeeds succeeds succeeds suc suc- in making the sum greater than its parts Although their powers may be super these characters s are way too self-involved self to be heroic Fantastic Four dives quickly into the story of scientist Reed Richards loan TVs TV's Horatio Hornblower and his astronaut s side astronaut de- de kick Ben Grimm The Shields Michael Chiklis as they warily approach their billionaire industrialist Victor Von Doom Julian McMahon of Tuck Nip to fund a space mission in which they plan to unlock secrets of human genetics Once a deal is is struck they're quickly joined on the interstellar interstellar interstellar inter inter- stellar flight by Von Dooms Doom's director of genetic research Sue Storm Alba and her hotshot NASA I I I j 7 t ci nta s S r 1 1 f I. 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I I I i x o I I I I I Mm n H H r r il TIlE r w JT FR f j TJ IOli r N Nr CM dropout brother Johnny Chris Evans The cosmic storm Reed sought to explore for his research arrives early causing an accident that exposes the crew to dangerous amounts of radia radia- tion Back on Earth they quickly recover from their injuries but begin to display what might be referred to as side effects Johnny exhibits a tendency to burst into flames Sue becomes invisible when emotionally engaged and Reed develops the elasticity of silly putty Although these gifts come and go Ben is saddled with a more permanent affliction His body has mutated into a mass of solid rocklike rock- rock rocklike rocklike like material that gives him super- super strength but makes him a little hard to look at Director Story and screenwriters Mark Frost and Michael France nimbly present presen the symptoms following the accident and then wittily demonstrate the relationship to each characters character's per per- The audience is always a astep astep astep step ahead of the jokes but the recognition is part of its fun Rock star celebrity follows as the Human Torch the Invisible Girl Mr Fantastic and the Thing as they are soon tagged by Johnny are Fantastic Continued on Page 10 Fantastic Continued from Page 7 forced to face size paparazzi and fan attention attention attention atten atten- tion as well as the threat of Von Doom who undergoes a startling physical transformation transformation transformation mation of his own The filmmakers filmmakers filmmakers film film- makers have some fun spoofing spoofing spoofing spoof spoof- ing the drawbacks of unwanted fame but that thread tends to exemplify the problem the film has in deciding whether it wants to tobe tobe tobe be or X Men These arent aren't necessarily warring sensibilities and a amore amore amore more skillful execution would have elevated Fantastic Four to another level of comic-book comic movie The filmmakers seem to have been straining for a more complex hybrid genre one in which the humor and action serve the story equally than they were able to deliver As is often the case with big budget action movies the central story is simply not strong enough to support the ambition The mishmash of stories is isas isas isas as miss hit-and-miss as the films film's many gags Johnny embraces his new powers even trying to expand upon them by learning to fly and Evans leaps into the part with bravado and gets most of the scripts script's best lines Chiklis projects a big hunk of humanity through layers of prosthetics as the Thing and nd McMahon is suitably despicable despicable despi espi- cable as the preening villain The chemistry between and Alba however as the supposed love interests interests inter interests ests recalls a DC Comics character Mr Freeze Fantastic Four works best during its first half establishing establishing establishing establish establish- ing the alliterative quartets quartet's super powers after the accident accident accident acci acci- dent transforms their DNA Once that's established the movie loses its way and it becomes watching clock-watching time Story who directed Barbershop is surprisingly adept at handling the action sequences and special effects most of which are excellent The Fantastic Four were originally created in the early as dysfunctional in contrast to the themore themore themore more idealized heroes previously previously seen in comics and pop culture in general The filmmakers filmmakers filmmakers film film- makers have picked up on that continuing the infighting fight in ing and tendencies to screw up Ultimately they arent aren't trying to save the world they're merely trying to save sav themselves Its It's a lesson in self self acceptance acceptance and a metaphor worthy of Dr Phil but it isn't all that entertain entertain- ing mg |