Sometimes nostalgia can carry the vision of rose-colored glasses. Often times when one looks back on an older film, that film is better than they remembered it. In the case of Fantastic Four (2005), fans often remember this film as a disaster. However, when sitting down and reviewing the movie, there are many reasons why this film should be considered one of the best adaptations of Marvel’s first family. Here we are going to discuss reasons why this film doesn’t deserve the bad reputation it is often associated with. We’ll be covering key plot details, references to the source material, and comparisons to how later adaptations handled the team’s transition from comic pages to theater screens.
Close Adaptations to the Source Material
20th Century Studios
In the comics, the Fantastic Four gained their powers during a space trip gone wrong. With Reed Richards leading the scientific exposition, he would gain the ability to stretch his body beyond normal human limits, receiving the name of Mr. Fantastic. Sue Storm would gain the power to turn herself invisible and project force fields, becoming the Invisible Woman. Her brother Johnny would name himself the Human Torch due to his ability to set himself on fire at the snap of the fingers. Finally, Ben Grimm, having received the most exposure to the cosmic force, would turn into The Thing, becoming more monster than man in his appearance, with his skin turning into a rocky exterior.
The film would adhere to these origins with the addition that Victor Von Doom had also joined the team on their trip, as he was Sue’s boss, as well as the primary financial backing for the research expedition. While the main team left the safety of the ship’s main hold to save Ben, Doom stayed behind, though the shield wouldn’t fully protect him. This focus on keeping the team’s origins intact is an exceptional choice for the film’s direction.
Exploring Team Dynamics
There was a lot of time in this film dedicated to exploring how each member of the team interacted with each other. There are more apparent relationships, like the love shared between Reed and Sue and the familial love between siblings Sue and Johnny Storm. But there are also relationships that generally don’t receive proper screen time, but this film doesn’t make those mistakes.
There’s the long-term friendship between Reed and Ben, one that is challenged throughout the film. While Ben respects Reed, noting that the two have been there for each other since they met, there is still a level of resentment Ben feels towards the entire team, with all of their powers being something they can turn off while he is forced to walk the Earth as “The Thing” every minute of the day. This resentment is exacerbated when he is reminded that Reed is the one who miscalculated how quickly the space storm would materialize, leading to Ben receiving such heavy exposure. While Ben carries a soft spot for Sue, he tends to butt heads with Johnny, seeing the impulsiveness of the Human Torch as disrespectful. Reed also gets annoyed by Johnny, but to a lesser degree, seeing Johnny as a young man who still has a lot to learn.
A Better Focus on Dr. Doom
There is quite a considerable amount of screen time dedicated to building the villain, Victor Von Doom. After cutting himself off from the team during the cosmic storm, Doom is still exposed to the force giving him electrical powers and slowly deforming his body, often giving off a metallic sheen and durability to his skin. This leads to the man’s eventual spiral, as he also loses his company, his love interest, and his sanity as he becomes enamored with the power he has gained, looking to gain vengeance on Reed Richards and anyone who would dare stand in his way. Donning the iconic mask fans are so familiar with, this iteration of Doom would prove far more popular and accurate than the depiction featured in Fantastic Four (2015).
Excellent Casting
20th Century Fox
There are many films where fans look back and wonder what may have been if the casting team had gone in a different direction. The cast they managed to pull together for this film was incredibly excellent and provided a realistic look at the Fantastic Four team and their mythos. With Ioan Gruffudd leading the charge as Reed Richards, Gruffudd provides a remarkable calm and balanced demeanor for the others to bounce off of.
Jessica Alba plays Sue Storm, an intelligent and headstrong woman, taking cues from her time as femme fatale Nancy Callahan from Sin City (2005). Chris Evans would have his first taste of the Marvel universe. Before becoming Captain America, Evans would take on the role of the hot-headed Johnny Storm, with many clamoring for him to return to the role as an alternate universe Human Torch. Michael Chiklis plays Ben Grimm and is more capable of providing gravitas, with experience coming in his voice work from Spirited Away (2001) and The Adventures of Tom Thumb and Thumbelina (2002). Special credit should be lauded upon the casting of Doctor Doom, with Julian McMahon providing a perfect foil for the team. McMahon has plenty of work acting as the tortured villain, with his most notable role coming from Cole Turner in Charmed.
