Fantastic Four

The hype for this movie has been so intense and pervasive that even I was beginning to accept that Fantastic Four was already an established pop-cultural landmark before the film was even released, despite the glaringly iffy look and vibe of the trailer. Predictably enough, the general consensus among critics and user comments on the web is that this film is pretty damn awful, especially if you’ve read the comics. So when I finally got around to seeing the movie myself, I was expecting just that.

And yes, Fantastic Four is no X-Men, which it superficially resembles. Or Spider-Man. Or Batman. These were all films that strove for a little depth, character, and compelling story, and generally succeeded. Fantastic Four, on the other hand, never presumes to reach as high as these other films; it strives mostly for camp and comedy. The end result may be vapid, hokey, and generally underwhelming (even the special effects, the main reason to see a movie like this), but there were enough funny scenes and entertaining (if not particularly impressive) action sequences to keep me from getting bored — which is more than I can say for most of this summer’s offerings so far.

(Better still, there is some occasional cleavage from Jessica Alba, and a very brief shot of her in her underwear when she accidentally becomes visible while stripping off her clothes.)

Jessica Alba

So while Fantastic Four doesn’t reach very high, it gets what it’s reaching for often enough to warrant seeing it. Just remember to keep your expectations low and you’ll be fine.