Fantastic Four (DVD REVIEW)
Fantastic Four
DVD
Review
by Kam Williams
Marvel
Comics Adaptation Comes to Home Video
Marvel
Comics' first brought the Fantastic Four to the big screen a decade
ago, and followed it up with a sequel a couple years later. Since
neither generated much in the way of audience enthusiasm, 20th
Century Fox has now seen fit to relaunch the flagging franchise
rather than release a third installment.
The
reboot was directed by Josh Trank, whose services were ostensibly
retained on the strength of his impressive debut offering, the sci-fi
thriller Chronicle. This picture stars Michael B. Jordan and Kate
Mara as siblings Johnny and Sue Storm, and Jamie Bell and Miles
Teller as childhood friends Ben Grimm and Reed Richards,
respectively.
Fantastic
Four unfolds like a typical origins tale, developing a humanizing
back story about each member of the tight-knit, title quartet and the
freak accident which imbued them with superpowers, before the movie
makes its inexorable march to an exciting finale featuring a special
effects-driven battle royal. The point of departure is Oyster Bay,
New York in 2007, which is where we find precocious Reed informing
his very skeptical, 5th
grade teacher of his plans to teleport himself someday.
Not
to worry. By the time he's a senior in high school, Reed's built a
prototype with the help of his BFF Ben. And despite his Cymatic
Matter Shuttle's being disqualified from the science fair, the gifted
egghead is recruited by Dr. Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey), the
director of the Baxter Foundation, a research institute for science
and technology prodigies.
There,
he's befriended by Johnny and Sue. Along with Ben, the kids
eventually attempt an unsanctioned trip to another dimension via the
Quantum Gate, a contraption invented by Dr. Storm's protege, Victor
(Toby Kebbell). However, something goes horribly wrong, and they
inadvertently rip a hole in the fabric of the time/space continuum.
The
calamity suddenly enables Reed (aka Mr. Fantastic) to stretch and
contort his body, Johnny to fly and shoot fireballs, Sue to be
invisible and create force fields, and badly disfigured Ben (aka The
Thing) to exhibit invincibility and extraordinary strength.
Meanwhile, Victor has developed telekinetic abilities and morphed
into the diabolical Dr. Doom, a villain more powerful than any of the
Fantastic Four individually, but not collectively.
That
leaves them little choice but to join forces in defense of the
planet. The anticlimactic showdown that takes forever to arrive
proves to be riveting, although it's almost an afterthought, since it
basically serves as a perfunctory setup for the obligatory sequel.
Very Good
(2.5 stars)
Rated PG-13
for action, violence and profanity
In English and Spanish
with subtitles
Running time: 106 minutes
Distributor: 20th
Century
Fox Home Entertainment
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