Most Helpful Customer Reviews
31 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THIS version DESERVES to be watched because of the JACK "KING" KIRBY documentary bonus feature!!!!, March 20, 2007
I'll be honest...this movie doesn't need an "extended cut" version...sure it's a fine movie, but most of you already have an acceptable version of it, and an extra 20 minutes of footage is fine, but to most of us, not quite enough to justify buying an entire other DVD version of it...
So WHY am I reviewing this version of the DVD as a 5-star "MUST BUY" version? SOLELY because the "extras" DVD has a feature reflecting and honoring JACK "KING" KIRBY, the man/legend who co-created the entire Marvel universe (among other superheroes), with Stan Lee, but got almost NONE of the credit (or money) that Stan did...
KIRBY was a creative FORCE for both Marvel and DC comics over his lifetime career, and not only was he the world's greatest comic book creator and artist, but an amazingly warm, wonderful person, family man, and treated his fans as if they were close friends...never in the world was a man more deserving of a documentary than Kirby was, and while it should've been included in the original release, this feature alone is WELL worth watching and well worth as well the cost of buying this DVD...you will NOT be disappointed by watching the KIRBY documentary...he WELL deserves this honor, and it's VERY interesting for comic fans and non comic fans alike...
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cheese. But good cheese!, July 9, 2005
First off, I am amused by all the people who try to dissect this film saying how thin the plot is, how cheesy the characters are, and how bad the special effects are. Its based on a comic book people! Not to mention a comic that is over 40 years old! I challenge anyone to read the '60s comics and say that they're NOT the cheesiest thing they've ever read. This comic was as generic as generic can be. Just look at the names of the characters: Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, The Human Torch, The Thing, Dr. Doom. Not very creative.
Not very creative, but very fun. It captured the imagination of people back then and after 40 YEARS it has turned these characters into beloved icons. That's where I think people are being unfair to this movie. They're expecting all 40 years of character development into 1 hr. and 45 minutes worth of film. It's a beginning, an origin. We see how these characters know each other, how they attain their powers, and how they choose to deal with them at a very early stage. Do we see the intensity of their relationships, the bonds that unite them so strongly? Not so much. But they've just come together. They've just formed the team. They need time. Which is, again, what 40 years of comics give them that 1 movie can't.
I've always looked at The Fantastic Four as cheesy or goofy. From their names to their powers (Reed's stretching for example) to the situations they're put into. And yet, its still fun. From The Thing and Torch's banter, Reed and Sue as husband and wife, and the overall family atmosphere between all four of them.
So to me, this film lives up to all of that. Unlike recent comic book films (Batman, Spider-man, X-men, Hulk), it doens't take itself too seriously. It reminds us that comic books are fun and so is this movie. I've heard people say that this film doesn't live up to the "iconic" characters that are The Fantastic Four. Well, I say it took years for these characters to become "iconic" and that if you read the first 10 issues or so of the comic book, nobody would be praising it these days. So just let the movie be itself and entertain people, which I believe it does very well.
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20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining movie that may disappoint fans of the comic book, October 19, 2005
Fantastic Four, despite the negative buzz surrounding the shoot for months, turned out to be an entertaining movie, albeit one that serves primarily as the backstory for sequels to come. Like most backstory movies it moves slowly, but the action and finale bode well for future films.
Special effects were not as amazing as we have come to expect from CGI, but Invisible Girl's powers and the Human Torch CGI came off extremely well. Purists have also taken issue with many aspects of the film such as Dr.Doom's origins, Jessica Alba playing Sue Storm, the Thing played in costume rather than CGI, but these don't seem that bad onscreen. I felt that the actors as a whole were quite good, especially Chris Evans who made the perfect Johnny Storm, and Michael Chilkis as Ben Grimm/Thing. Doing the Thing as a costume brought a realness to the character that CGI wouldn't be able to. As for the romance, Iann Gryffud seemed way too old to be a suitable paramour for Jessica Alba, who potrayed Sue Storm as a young knockout, and the chemistry between the two didn't quite feel right. Julian McMahon did a fine job with Dr. Doom as it was written, and has the evil glare down pat.
This movie has its flaws, and purists will find many. The script took some liberties with the Fantastic Four backstory, and is not as true to the comic as Spiderman or X-Men were. But for me, this was a movie I walked out of the theater and I didn't feel cheated out of my money like I did with so many others this summer. Rent it first before buying, to make sure that it entertains you enough to spring for the DVD.
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