Fantastic Four

I recently watched the 2005 version of "The Fantastic Four" in preparation for the reboot that is in theaters now. This movie and its sequel, "Rise of the Silver Surfer" are 20th Century Fox productions. The Fantastic Four and X-Men franchises were both leased out to Fox prior to Marvel getting its own film production studios, and like other Marvel properties from before the MCU, this film is often bashed by comic book fans.

I personally don't see what's not to like here. Indeed, I think that this film does a great job portraying the FF's origin story. Sure, The Thing looks a bit hokey in what is clearly a rubberized suit of some sort, and I think they surely could have found an actor that looked more like Reed Richards from the comics than Ioan Gruffudd (that's quite the name, by the way!). But all in all, this is a.....fantastic....film. lol

I give it 8/10 stars. Jessica Alba does great as Sue Storm, and Julian McMahon is a superb Dr. Doom. The plot and the acting are well done, and the pace of the storytelling is good as well. To me, there's much more to like in this movie than to dislike.

Language note, though: There is one "GD" in this movie, which I wasn't expecting (it's when Ben Grimm is in the hospital bed after returning from space). I guess it just goes to show that Marvel movies were not always kid-friendly even before the recent trend in the MCU line. So heads up for that.