Fantastic Four

An above-average comic-book adaptation, Fantastic Four follows Miles Teller’s Reed Richards, Michael B. Jordan’s Johnny Storm, Kate Mara’s Sue Storm, and Jamie Bell’s Ben Grimm as they’re infected with otherworldly powers after a science experiment goes awry. The movie, which offers a full origin story for the protagonists, possesses a far more low-key vibe than one has come to expect from stories of this ilk, as director Josh Trank employs a lackadaisical pace that’s clearly been designed to favor character development over action – with the subdued execution paving the way for a grounded atmosphere that fares relatively well (especially in comparison to the relentlessly over-the-top nature of most comic-book movies). The sporadic inclusion of engrossing sequences – eg the central foursome painfully acquire their powers – initially compensates for the erratic execution, although it’s increasingly difficult not to wish Trank had infused the narrative with bursts of levity (ie where the 2005 movie was painfully lighthearted, this one is often dark to the point of distraction; is there no middle-ground to be had?) It’s obvious, then, that Fantastic Four‘s unevenness becomes less problematic as it progresses into its third act, with the arrival of Toby Kebbell’s Dr. Doom on the scene certainly providing the picture with a bolt of much-needed energy (ie the sequence in which Dr. Doom walks down a hallway exploding heads with his mind alone justifies the film’s very existence). And although the movie concludes on exactly the kind of overblown note one might’ve feared, Fantastic Four is nevertheless, in the end, a decent introduction to a group of impressively appealing superheroes.

**1/2 out of ****