Went to See...

...Fantastic Four this morning, at 9:05 am. Short version: I enjoyed it. Or rather: I found things about it to enjoy.


Plot holes? Oh, you betcha. Bad science? Up the wazoo. Formulaic plot? Yuppers. Contrived Reed/Sue/Doom love triangle? Sadly, yes.

Michael Chiklis totally stealing the show as the Thing? Oh, hell yeah!

As the movie started, I remember thinking how unnecessary it was to go through the entire origin story. Audiences today are pretty sophisticated. The movie could have conveyed "cosmic rays induce super powers in four astronauts" in the first five minutes, using flashbacks and news clips. Then you could get down to the important business of of the Fantastic Four being, well, fantastic. But then we would have missed some pretty good "OMGWTFBBQ" discovery-of-powers scenes.

And it did bother me that Reed and Sue had a rocky, "When Harry Met Sally" relationship, nothing at all like the loving and respectful marriage that's portrayed in the comics. Now, I'm no purist. I'm all for changing things that will make for a better movie. This, however, was not a change for the better. It would have made for a much better movie, I think, to explore Reed and Sue's marriage, rather than to cram yet another formulaic Hollywood love story down our throats.

If plot holes and bad science really bug you, give this one a miss. (Why does there seem to be gravity on their space station? Why is the CEO of a multibillion dollar corporation going on a hazardous space mission? Why are some of these people still alive after the things that are done to them? Why is Doom suddenly acting like a comic book supervillian?) If you're willing to overlook these flaws, then it's worth seeing. Some good characterization, some good (not brilliant, just good) special effects. And, hey, the Thing. :)

I do hope that there's a sequel. Like I said, I would love to see a good Fantastic Four story that isn't burdened with the obligitory re-telling of the origin.


Pjack