The beginning is solid; it actually does a pretty good job of setting up the superhero foursome. But then it face plants…hard. You realize the movie has been nothing but a set-up, and when things finally get going, the end credits roll.
The first third of “Fantastic Four” is spent focusing on our heroes before they acquire their superpowers. As a kid, genius Reed Richards (Miles Teller) cracks the secret of inter-dimensional teleportation. He’s recruited by Dr. Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey) to work with his children Johnny (Michael B. Jordan) and Sue (Kate Mara) Storm, as well as fellow scientist Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell), on a machine capable of transporting humans to another dimension.
I appreciate that Trank (and screenwriters Simon Kinberg and Jeremy Slater) take time to set up the dynamic between the characters. The pacing can be sluggish and there are a few dumb scenes, but at least we get to know the junior scientists before their transformations.
Reed is the charming bumbling nerd, while Johnny is the troublemaker. Sue is the ambitious, independent-minded, token female, and Victor is the brooding outsider. The only one who doesn’t quite fit in is Ben Grimm. Unlike the others, Ben isn’t a scientist and even though it’s established that he and Reed are childhood friends, the way he’s brought into the later action is clunky.
Yet, I can excuse this hiccup because Jamie Bell is strong in the part; in fact, every one is in their respective roles. Each actor brings much-needed charm and wit to their roles, and their group chemistry feels organic and cohesive. Even Cathey is affective as the grizzled old scientist/ mentor.
Unfortunately, during the first 40 minutes, the picture plays more like a lengthy prelude to a superhero movie than actually being one. The main conflict doesn’t arrive until about halfway through. It’s as if Trank and Co. spent too much time writing the set-up and then shoehorned the rest of the story in at the last second. In short, the movie takes too long to get started, and then it turns into a rushed, sloppy waste of time.
Reed, Johnny and Ben return from a trip to the other dimension, wherein Victor is left behind. Their physical forms (along with Sue, via collateral damage) have been altered. (For those unfamiliar with the characters powers: Reed can stretch his arms and legs, Sue can create and manipulate force fields, Johnny is a human torch and Ben is a rock-encrusted Incredible Hulk-like being called The Thing.)
Cut to one year later: Sue, Johnny, Ben and Reed are trying to figure out how to reverse the effects. Meanwhile, a government team extracts Victor from the other dimension.
Then, “Fantastic Four” proceeds to jump off a figurative cliff. Victor is suddenly evil and now goes by Dr. Doom, wanting to destroy the earth because it’s weak. Early on, it’s established that Victor is jealous of Reed for discovering the key to inter-dimensional travel before he did, but that doesn’t explain why he suddenly wants to destroy the world.
On top of that, while the central foursome’s powers are clearly established, Doom’s powers are vague. But he inexplicably creates a black hole, and the earth is soon in danger of being sucked off into space.
The climactic battle between the Fantastic Four and Dr. Doom is ludicrous and haphazardly constructed (the film’s CGI budget looks to be about $10). In the midst of the chaos, the four decide they should be a superhero squad. This decision somehow gives them the upperhand in battle and makes them spout dumb comic-book catchphrases (“It’s clobbering time!” “Flame on!”).
The movie becomes a nonsensical mess; any internal movie logic set up beforehand is thrown out the window. “Fantastic Four” contains perhaps the most incoherent, inconsequential, carelessly put-together last act of any superhero film.
In the end, “Fantastic Four” inspires bafflement more than hatred. You’re baffled at how it wastes great actors and our time. At 90 minutes, it’s way too short. By the time our heroes get their superpowers, the movie is already approaching the homestretch and, therefore, has to cram all of the Dr. Doom, earth-is-in–trouble nonsense into the last 30 minutes. The movie could have easily benefited from another half-hour.
As much as I liked those opening minutes, the film overall is 98-percent set-up, with the rising action, climax and resolution shoved into that last 2 percent.
(Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence, and language.)