Okay, I've never been a fan of the Fantastic Four. And I read Ebert's review. So my expectations were low. It's not a bad movie. I figure other people will chime in with reviews, so I just have some plot and casting observations.
"Fantastic Four" is true to the Silver Age comic book is respect: the characters squabble like the characters in the comics. They quit like the characters in the comic. The Thing angsts. Reed broods. Johnny acts out. Sue worries.
But something is off. It's Julian McMahon. He's a first class actor and he has genre street cred from "Charmed." And he's incredibly beautiful. He used to be a model. You can believe if this guy got one little scar, he'd get a mask.
Dr. Doom needs a certain kind of gravitas. He needs the gravitas of towering intellect. Julian McMahon has physical gravitas. He's got the arrogance for power, for command. He'd make a perfect Namor, for instance. He should have played Namor in this movie. He should have played the namor of the early FF. The Namor who was the genuine competition for Sue's affection. The Namor who resided in water and could take on the Thing physically and negated Johnny's powers.
I suppose you have to have Victor von Doom in the move, but they could both be in the movie. You'd have to rework it, but Julian McMahon would make a perfect Namor (and there aren't many peoiple who'd look good in green Speedos for 100 minutes.) Stellan Skarsgaard or Gary Oldman would have made a better Doom.
And with Namor in the flick, they wouldn't have need to give Doom powers.
It's also Jessica Alba. She's not strong enough to hang with Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon and the others. She's incredibly beautiful, but she teases us in the movie. And frankly it is distracting. They have been better off just letting us see Jessica Alba in her underwear because, well, anyone can see her anyway. Just do a Google image search, and you'll see what her doctor does. I think they should have used Alyssa Milano. She and McMahon have great chemistry together.
Posted by Mike Chary at July 10, 2005 10:48 PM