Film review: Fantastic Four (7 out of 10)

As the saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed try try again.
Fantastic FourFantastic Four
Fantastic Four

This certainly seems to be the policy adapting comic book heroes to the big and small screens.

And so we have a reboot, re-working or whatever it’s called these days of the Fantastic Four franchise.

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The previous attempt in 2005 and its follow-up two years later had plenty of critics, although at the time I thought the films weren’t that bad.

However, here we are with a far darker and plot driven version.

It’s an origin story, so the film starts with a young Reed Richards trying to create a teleporter in his parents’ garage.

Years later he and his friend Ben Grimm try to win a science fair contest with the telepoter and Reed is snapped up by the head of a research facility, Dr Franklim Storm, who has been working on a similar project.

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There Reed he meets Storm’s son and daughter, Johnny and Sue.

However, the teleporter opens up a new dimension which alters their bodies in weird and wonderful ways.

But another young scientist, Victor Von Doom, is also transformed and soon the Earth is facing a crisis (yet again) with only the Fantastic Four in the way.

Miles Teller is impressive as Richards and, in fact the whole cast is pretty sound, with Brits Jamie Bell (Grimm) and Toby Kebbell (Doom) particularly good.

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As you’d expect for a Marvel production, the special effects are amazing and director Josh Trank (who looked after the excellent 2012 movie Chronicle) tries to keep the plot and feel of the film from heading into complete fantasy.

Some fans of the superhero genre may find the movie a tad slow at times and there are some cliche moments with how the military treat these four youngsters.

But it’s a solid enough start (or re-start) for what will be a series of movies (the next one has already been announced).

Film details: Fantastic Four (12A) 100mins

Director: Josh Trank

Starring: Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell

Screening courtesy of Horsham Capitol