Friday, July 29, 2005

Averagely Fantastic

Last night, I went to see Fantastic Four in the cinema with Goz (who complained why I never mention him), and Sibz (occasional commenter - why we have to end our names in 'z' I have no idea, but there you go). It would be fair to say that I was kind of looking forward to seeing this movie, as I loved the Marvel Action Hour every Saturday (which featured The Fantastic Four), and occasionally read the comics. I won't spoil too much of the film, but here's what I think of it.

First off, it's nothing like Batman which I saw a few weeks ago. That was almost an epic, and was thoroughly worth watching. This was more your run-of-the-mill style film, enjoyable, but not great. A lot of stick was given by critics saying that it isn't "dark and moody enough". That's complete an utter bollocks. In my opinon (and this is from somebody who has read the comic books), that it was too moody. The film shows them become superheroes and how they are thrust into the media spotlight. This is true. However, in the comic books the heroes actually embrace their newfound celebrity status where as in the film (except for Johnny Storm), they shun it. Sure, it would probably make a weaker film if you saw The Thing on Ready Steady Cook, but surely you could fit it in somehow.

The second failing point for the film is Victor Von Doom or, his alter-ego, Dr. Doom. Dr. Doom, especially if you've played the Marvel vs. Capcom series, is a evil-supervillan with ultra-strong powers. Even if you don't know anything about comic books, you'll know that for a film like this you'll need a super strong bad guy, especially with 4 heroes. Alas, this is not the case, as Dr. Doom comes off a little weak. Sure, he can throw lightning about, and he's completely metallic, but that's about it. Throw in no real beatings (though a divide and conquor mechanism which is snuffed out before starting), and very little threats (he kills a bank manager for goodness sakes, half the cinema was cheering), and the big baddy looks a little pathetic, and is beaten all too quickly (though they have left it open for a sequel).

However, apart from those two things, the film is pretty good watch if you don't want a serious headfuck. It's one of those trashy, throwaway films (such as Charlie Angels and the Home Alone films) with no real storylines. As such, it's pretty average, except for the fact I'm a sucker for these sorts of films and there are a few special effects. If you want a no brainer and want to stare at Ioan Griffudd (a fellow Welshman. What's with all these Welshie's being the lady's favourite)/Jessica Alba (or both, if you so desire) for two hours, with a fairly easy to understand storyline and cool special effects, go and see it.