Saw it last night with my wife. I never read the comics, but it liked the movie. I have a simple scale for rating movies.
Entertaining or Not entertaining.
This was good enough to entertain me!
I saw it last night aswell...as a fan of the comic I was pleased....they changed a few things...but overall it was pretty true to the core story.
The Thing and the Human Torch stole the show.
I've been a fan of the "Fantastic Four" since it became the cornerstone for Marvel Comics. So, I know that if Michael Chiklis and "The Thing" don't work on film, it's a wasted exercise.
I'll see it, either this weekend or next. Even if "Rottentomatoes" has given it a 28%.
Jack.
bump
Sorry Joe, but the Fantastic Four was terrible.
I haven't seen it. Heard it was awful, though. Ebert gave it 1 star, and he's my most trusted critic.
I thought they took a HUGE liberty with FF "canon" by having Dr. Doom (1)accompany them on their flight, and (2) get powers of his own. In addition, I was also disappointed that Doom didn't have a slavic accent.
All in all, I found it enjoyable though.
And I'm not the only one...
'Fantastic Four' Heats Up the Summer Box Office
by Brandon Gray
July 10, 2005
Clobbering modest expectations and bad buzz with a healthy dose of fun in a summer of darkness, Fantastic Four may have spelled doom for the year-to-year down streak, stretching overall weekend business past the comparable frame in 2004, if estimates hold.
Released by 20th Century Fox, Marvel Comics' superhero team blazed into the top spot with an estimated $56 million at 3,602 theaters, the fifth highest-grossing start ever for a comic book movie
I saw it on opening night with three friends. I thought it was Fantastic. Two of my friends thought it was pretty good and one thought it was ok. I plan to see it again and definitely will buy it when it comes out on dvd. Go see it.
I saw it this past Sunday at an afternoon matinee. To be blunt, it didn't suck. That's not to say it's a great comic book movie ala Batman Begins or the Spiderman and Xmen franchises, but it is an entertaining comic book movie. Whereas the aforementioned really took their source material seriously and strove to make an engaging action adventure, this one didn't go for that same character depth. It's pretty lighthearted in comparison, and more of a popcorn flick as a result. It's also lacking the budget of the aformentioned, so there's not as much super hero battle action as I would have liked, however there is a lot of super heroes using their powers during down time, which also provides for some comedic moments. To be honest, the more I think of it, the more of a family movie this seems.
Character-wise, the Thing and Human Torch are pretty much spot on from the comic with the Thing essentially being the best thing about the movie. The interaction between those two provides most of the comedy, pre and post cosmic radiation. Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl are so so, and go through the required movie plot love schtick. Dr. Doom is the weakest of all the characterizations. His motivations are provided, but they seem quick and reckless for the character you're initially introduced too.
I wasn't bored, and I wasn't cringing at any changes they made from the comic. I'm planning to buy the dvd, if that says anything. I'm hoping they have some cut scenes interspliced back into the movie. There's an obvious cut scene after they're hit with the cosmic radiation. They're on the space station, cosmic radiation hits, black out, they're back on earth with no explanation as to how they got back, especially since there's an inference that some of them had lost consciousness.
Hope this helps.
It received a 25% and a rating of "rotten" on Rottentomatoes.com
25% is a really low rating for any feature film, especially a supposed summer blockbuster like this. Hit the link to read the reviews.