Movie Review – Fantastic Four (2005)
The first half of the 2000s had a five year segment with some incredibly popular superhero films by Marvel Studios.
From the first two X-Men films to the Spider-Man franchise to other Marvel Comics films such as Daredevil and The Punisher, the film company was impressing the audiences and seemed to be hitting the high notes. The next major Marvel film was 2005′s Fantastic Four, a big-budget action / science-fiction film that pitted the elite team of superheroes against Doctor Doom.
Fantastic Four is another superhero origin story that shows the creation of the team of people with incredible powers. We see the five of them on board a space station when something goes wrong and they’re all exposed to cosmic radiation. They return to Earth to discover that they’ve all slowly mutated and become extraordinary people, though not everybody is pleased with this new version. Dr. Victor von Doom becomes the infamous Doctor Doom, and he wages war against the Fantastic Four.
Directed by Tim Story, Fantastic Four was written by Michael France and Mark Frost, and the film’s music was by John Ottman. The film stars Ioan Gruffudd as Dr. Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic, Jessica Alba as Sue Storm / Invisible Woman, Chris Evans (who would later portray Captain America in Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)) as Johnny Storm / The Human Torch, and Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm / The Thing. Julian McMahon has the honor of playing the film’s villain, Victor von Doom / Doctor Doom.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Fantastic Four begins with Dr. Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) and Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis) having a meeting with Dr. Victor von Doom (Julian McMahon) at von Doom’s headquarters. Reed has been working on some research and he’s convinced that life on Earth evolved after the planet was hit by a high-energy cosmic storm. A similar cosmic storm is once again approaching the Earth, and Reed would like to use von Doom’s orbiting space station as a research platform to conduct some experiments and analyze the cosmic event.
Victor von Doom is a business man and the CEO of Von Doom Industries. He won’t agree to let Reed use his space station unless von Doom receives a significantly large percentage of the financial returns from the experiments. Reed agrees to von Doom’s terms. Going along on the space mission is Susan “Sue” Storm (Jessica Alba), von Doom’s top genetics research. She also happens to be Reed’s ex-girlfriend.
After the meeting we meet Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), Susan’s sister. Johnny is a former hotshot NASA pilot who formerly served under Ben Grimm. He’s also a womanizer and a bit of a daredevil. Johnny loves standing in the spotlight and receiving attention and glory. It turns out that Susan has appointed her brother as the pilot for this upcoming mission, a move that greatly disturbs Ben Grimm. This really isn’t an issue in the film though as we see virtually nothing of the upcoming space flight.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
The mission begins as Dr. Richards, Ben Grimm, Susan Storm, Johnny Storm and for some reason Victor von Doom fly to the space station. Ben and Johnny banter back and forth until Ben is suited into a space suit and begins setting the experiments out in space. In another part of the space station von Doom spends some time with Susan. He tries to state his feelings towards her and gain her hand in marriage, but he’s interrupted when Reed suddenly warns them that the cosmic storm is much closer than originally known. It’s quickly bearing down on them and about to hit the space station.
Ben is alerted to the storm and he tries to fly back to the airlock as quickly as possible. Von Doom tries to close the space station’s shields and protect the crew, but that means locking Ben out in space and sacrificing him, a move that he’s willing to complete. Susan stops von Doom but it’s too late. Ben is still in space and fully exposed to the radiation from the cosmic storm while everybody else receives a partial dose of radiation.
The film cuts there and the next thing we know the crew members are back on Earth and recovering from their failed space mission. Everybody seems to be okay but there are some hints that the five of them may be going through some changes, possibly a mutation.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Johnny Storm isn’t about to sit in a hospital room for observation. While a nurse tries to take his temperature (it peaks at 209° F) he’s busy dressing in skiing gear. He asks the nurse to go skiing with him and the two of them hit the slopes. Johnny tries to impress her and at one point he’s literally on fire. He falls off a cliff and discovers that he can change his entire body to fire and fly through the air. He crash lands into a pile of snow and accidentally creates a hot tub there on the side of the mountain. The fire also burned off his clothes, but his date doesn’t seem to mind.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Reed, Susan and Ben have dinner together that evening. Ben starts to feel ill, so he retires to his bedroom to sleep off the sickness. As Reed and Susan continue to socialize, Reed discovers that he can stretch himself to unbelievable lengths. Susan discovers that she can turn herself invisible. They decide to check on Ben when Johnny arrives and shows them his ability to create fire. They can see that something is wrong in Ben’s room, but Ben doesn’t respond. Reed uses his super flexibility to slide his hand underneath the door and then reach up and unlock it. This works but by the time they enter his room Ben is gone. He jumped right through the wall and escaped.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Ben Grimm has mutated into a large rock creature with tremendous strength. He makes his way home and breaks into a clothing store for large men to cover himself. Ben calls his fiancée, Debbie McIlvane (Laurie Holden), and meets her outside of their home. Unfortunately, Debbie cannot handle seeing Ben’s new condition, and she turns and runs away from him.
Devastated, Ben climbs onto the Brooklyn Bridge and tries to wrestle with his mind and gain control of his emotions. While on top of the bridge a suicide jumper surprises him, but when Ben tries to stop the man from killing himself he only terrifies the guy. The guy backs up and falls into the oncoming traffic. Ben jumps down a level and saves the suicide jumper from an oncoming semi truck. He puts his shoulder into it and destroys the truck while saving the man. Traffic collides around them and quickly there’s a traffic jam on the bridge.
Somehow a line of police cars and ambulances has appeared between the crashed cars and oncoming traffic. They set up a barricade and try to stop the onlookers from approaching the scene of the accident. In an incredibly coincidence, Reed Richards, Susan Storm and Johnny Storm were riding in a taxi cab and they happened to get stuck in the gridlock on the Brooklyn Bridge. They leave the cab join the crowd. Somehow they know that their friend Ben Grimm is the result of the chaos on the bridge.
The problem is that they need to find a way past the police blockade. Reed convinces Susan to turn herself invisible and sneak around the police. She agrees to do so but discovers that her clothes were still visible. As people around them watched, the invisible Susan starts to strip herself naked. There’s a glitch though and she becomes visible again while only wearing her underwear. The people around them now are greatly amused (including the police) though nobody really seems to be concerned that a woman can make herself invisible. She turns invisible again and finishes stripping naked. The invisible Susan pushes her way through the crowd and nobody panics about the invisible woman. Meanwhile, Johnny and Reed grab her clothes and simply walk around the police barricade.
On the other side of the barricade the now visible Susan Storm finishes dressing. She, Reed and Johnny begin searching for Ben. Oddly enough, none of the police or rescue personnel seem to care that they’re on the other side of the barricade.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Ben pulls the semi truck driver out of his truck, but the police think that Ben is still a threat. He sets the man onto the bridge and Reed and Susan find Ben. He’s also relieved to find his friends. Just then a propane bottle is about to explode and kill a child. Johnny races over and somehow uses his flame power to save the child during the explosion. How the child or Johnny’s clothes weren’t burned wasn’t explained. Susan Storm is able to use her force shield to prevent the explosion from growing, but it’s already strong enough to wreck an approaching fire engine.
The fire engine crashes into the side of the bridge and a fireman dangles over the river. Ben Grimm uses his incredible strength to hold the fire engine in place while Reed Richards uses his elasticity to catch a fire man who falls to the river. The firemen are saved and the four super people are heroes. The cheering crowds prevent the police from arresting any of them.
In another amazing coincidence Debbie is also there on the Brooklyn Bridge. She removes her engagement ring, places it on the bridge, and then makes her way back through the crowd. Reed consoles his friend and helps Ben pick up the sacred ring.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
The media is there in force and they’ve labeled the foursome as the Fantastic Four. The fire chief encourages them to go out and speak to the reporters. Johnny Storm loves the attention but Susan and Reed remain calm to the reporters’ frantic questioning.
The four of them receive a hero’s welcome when they arrive at the Baxter Building, the home of Reed Richards’ laboratory. Stan Lee has a cameo role as a mail man when the group enters the building. All four of them head upstairs and make themselves at home in the laboratory. Reed plans on keeping them quarantined there until he can study their powers and find a way to reverse them. Von Doom arrives at the building and offers his assistance. As we can see he has a scar on his head from the explosion in the space station. Reed tries to apologize for everything but this only enrages von Doom. He blames Reed for the failure of the space mission as well as making himself look like a fool.
In the laboratory we see Reed testing Ben, Susan and Johnny, and learning about their powers and the limits in their skills. Johnny’s ego pushes himself too far and he burns at an incredibly high temperature just shy as the equivalent of a star exploding in a supernova.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Back at his home, von Doom is being analyzed by a doctor and notices that he has also mutated. Von Doom’s right hand has become metallic and he is partially magnetic and has some power over electrical fields. The doctor feels the need to report von Doom’s condition, but Doom refuses. He easily kills the doctor by throwing him into a wall.
Out on the streets, Susan Storm finds that she cannot go anywhere without being recognized by the public. She’s forced to become invisible and leave behind her clothes to flee from her fans.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Dr. Richards forms a plan of creating a machine that can recreate the cosmic storm that they were exposed to in space. He thinks that if he can find a way to reverse the radiation’s effects then he can turn everybody back to normal, something that Ben Grimm is desperately seeking.
At Von Doom Industries things have turned to the worse. The board of directors is furious with Victor von Doom’s actions with the failed space mission. His company’s IPO has fallen drastically and the stockholders are bailing. Von Doom is ruined. In the underground parking lot of his company, von Doom kills the chairman of the board of directors.
Just like after the failed space mission, Johnny Storm cannot just sit in Reed’s laboratory and wait for the next test. He’s watching the X-Games on ESPN and decides to go there and show off in front of the crowds. Johnny does so and during one of his tricks he ignites himself and does a brief flight in the arena. This time his clothes don’t burn as he’s wearing the same uniform as on the space mission. The uniforms were exposed to the radiation and can form with whatever powers the wearer is using, whether it’s flexibility, invisibility or fire. After his stunt show Johnny is interviewed by a reporter during which he assigns each person in the Fantastic Four with a new name. Reed Richards becomes Mr. Fantastic, Susan Storm is the Invisible Woman, Ben Grimm is The Thing, and Johnny names himself as The Human Torch. This arrogance infuriates his teammates and they meet with him outside of the arena.
Ben takes out his anger against Johnny’s sports car. He smashes it into a ball of metal and rubber. Johnny and Ben get into a fight (in front of a crowd on the sidewalk) until Reed and Susan can separate and talk some sense into each of them.
That night we see von Doom break into an armory at Von Doom Industries and steal some advanced weapons. This includes a heat-seeking missile and a hyper cooling unit.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Meanwhile, Ben Grimm heads to a bar in his hometown and tries to have a drink. There he meets a blind artist named Alicia Masters (Kerry Washington). Alicia uses her hands to feel Ben’s body and face, and she’s not terrified or repulsed by his appearance. Instead she feels his sadness and feels sorry for him.
Ben is dining by himself at a coffee shop when he’s joined by Victor von Doom. Von Doom convinces Ben that Reed is taking his time finding a cure for Ben’s condition, and it’s because of him spending too much time with Susan.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Reed and Susan return to the laboratory and discover Ben waiting for them. Ben is upset with Reed for taking his time and not trying to find a cure as quickly as he promised. They get into a minor fight until Reed uses his stretch ability to subdue Ben. This works but Ben leaves the laboratory to find a cure on his own. He’s not amused on the way out when Johnny shows Ben an action figure of himself.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Thinking about what Ben told him, Reed gets back to work immediately on his cosmic storm reversal machine. He knows that it needs more work before it’s ready for testing, but time is no longer a luxury. Reed activates the machine and tests it on himself. As he feared the machine actually accelerated the mutation from the radiation and Reed is more elastic than ever. He collapses onto the floor and Susan helps him to a clinic.
Von Doom watches Reed test the machine through the laboratory’s security cameras. After the place is deserted he has his assistant bring Ben Grimm to the laboratory. Von Doom convinces Ben that the machine works and that he can transform him back to human condition. Ben climbs into the cosmic storm reversal machine and von Doom starts the procedure.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
The procedure begins but a problem quickly arises. The power level drops and it’s not sufficient to complete the procedure. Von Doom opens the power source and uses his electromagnetic power to boost the machine’s power. This works and Ben is transformed back into a human, but while the power source was opened von Doom received even more radiation.
Relieved to be in human form again, Ben thanks von Doom and urges him to use the machine as well, claiming that it’ll work for everybody. Victor refuses and Ben realises that von Doom intended for Ben to use the machine. Now von Doom is more powerful than ever and Ben is without his superior strength. Victor beats Ben and sends him flying across the room, knocking him out. Reed arrives in the laboratory and confronts von Doom, but he’s still weakened from his time in the machine. Von Doom defeats and captures Reed. He then acquires a metal mask to complete his costume, finishing his transformation into Doctor Doom.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Doctor Doom uses his hyper cooling unit from Von Doom Industries to freeze Reed Richards. He tortures Reed and then makes him watch as he fires a heat-seeking missile across the city at Johnny Storm. Instead of Susan simply using her shield to block and/or contain the explosion from the incoming missile, Johnny decides to jump off the building and then ignite and fly away from their building, guiding the heat-seeking missile away from his friends. Johnny has a blast flying through the city as the missile chases him. He lights a barge on fire and the missile locks onto that heat source and harmlessly explodes on the water.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
Susan Storm arrives at von Doom’s house and confronts him. After she arrives Reed looks out the window and sees a massive power surge back at his laboratory. The Invisible Woman and Doctor Doom begin fighting. When it looks like Doom is about to win The Thing bursts through a wall and hits Doom, sending him flying into a massive steel wall. Susan and Ben free Reed from his restraints, but Doom attacks Ben, knocking them both out of a window and down to the streets of New York City.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
The two of them fall onto another building and ultimately land inside of a garbage truck. They fight their way out of the truck and onto the street. It’s Doctor Doom versus The Thing, and the two of them battle each other. As Doom gains the upper hand, Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman and The Human Torch arrive. Now it’s the Fantastic Four working as a team to fight against Doctor Doom. The four of them ultimately succeed. They win by having The Human Torch increase the temperature of Doctor Doom’s metal and then rapidly cooling the metal with water from a fire hydrant. This rapidly hardens the metal and Doctor Doom is frozen solid.
Fantastic Four (2005) – (c) 20th Century Fox
After the battle there’s a victory party on a private boat for the Fantastic Four. Ben Grimm has accepted his mutated condition and is still seeing Alicia Masters. Reed Richards makes a marriage proposal to Susan Storm, and she accepts it. Johnny Storm then flies into the sky and uses his flame to create a massive number four in the night sky. How the flame remains on fire is anybody’s guess.
Fantastic Four ends with a scene showing the still-frozen Doctor Doom being loaded into a Von Doom Industries crate. That crate is locked inside of a shipping container on board a cargo ship heading towards Latveria, Doom’s home country. One of the workers notices interference on his electronic manifest, suggesting that Doctor Doom is still alive.
So is the Fantastic Four a good movie?
2005′s Fantastic Four is one of those movies with a ton of potential, but it fails miserably when telling the story. The film is full of plot holes, there’s basically no villain until the ending, and most of the characters are unbelievable. It seems like most of the actors were miscast for the roles in this film.
The only decent characters in this film were Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm. We really feel sorry for Ben when he’s in the form of The Thing and everybody, including his former fiancée, are terrified of him. As we can see, despite being a person with incredibly strength the man is an outcast and unable to still be a part of society.
Johnny Storm’s character shows us that being a superhero can be a lot of fun and score you action with the women. They love him and this fuels him to show off even more, pushing himself to the limits. He’s a cool guy and he’s well aware of it. The unbelievable part of Johnny’s character is with him allegedly being an astronaut and pilot of spaceships. If that was true then he should have been much smarter when talking to his colleagues and with his actions in the film.
As far as Susan Storm, Dr. Reed Richards and Dr. Victor von Doom, none of those characters were anywhere close to being believable in Fantastic Four. First of all, it seems like all three of those actors were miscast for this film. It was as awkward as seeing them in the roles as it was watching their characters perform poorly on screen, making wacky decisions and battling their way through numerous plot holes. Had we not been told that von Doom attended MIT with Reed and also earned an advanced degree, we’d have no idea that either of them were actually scientists. Von Doom showed almost nothing of it in the film, and while Reed wore a lab coat and did some research, he still didn’t look or sound like an actual scientist.
Did Susan Storm do anything related to genetics in the film, or was she just around for eye candy?
Fantastic Four (2005) – movie trailer
It’s a shame that Fantastic Four is such a stupid movie. A film of that caliber had so much potential for being a great film, but thanks to really poor storytelling, numerous plot holes, basically no villain, and the wrong actors in the roles, the producers wasted a huge opportunity. At least the film is only 105 minutes. It won’t waste as much of your time as a two-hour long movie.
The legacy of Fantastic Four expands into Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure theme park. In the Marvel Super Hero Island section of the park you’ll find “Doctor Doom’s Fearfall,” a thrilling space shot ride that shoots you 150 feet into the air. You’ll also find “Cafe Four,” a counter-service restaurant themed to the Fantastic Four comic book heroes. Islands of Adventure opened in 1999, six years before Fantastic Four was released in the theaters.
[Ben Grimm (as The Thing) sees a man about to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge]
Ben Grimm – “Hey! You think you got problems, you take a good look, pal.”