Fantastic Four

Looking for some good cheese? You can always come visit Wisconsin, famous for its Cheeseheads, or you can simply go see "Fantastic Four", one of the cheesiest superhero movies to date. While "Spider-Man" combines solid dialog with great storytelling, and "Batman Begins" introduces a darker, troubled hero, "Fantastic Four" avoids any and all of that.

Four scientists (Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans) go into space to gather research on an approaching cosmic storm which could provide information on the beginnings of human DNA. Along for the ride is Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), the billionaire providing the financial funding for their trip. Things quickly go awry as the storm hits sooner than expected, eventually causing "fantastic" changes to their own DNA.

The remainder of the movie focuses on each character's unique change and ability, and basically introduces the formation of the Fantastic Four to the audience. Gruffudd becomes Mr. Fantastic with the ability to stretch like no other. Alba is the Invisible Woman, Chiklis becomes The Thing, while Evans, the funniest character in a breakout role, is the Human Torch. The only protagonist, besides their individual struggle with dealing with their change, is Von Doom, who soon becomes Dr. Doom, perhaps the least interesting villain in recent memory.

The dialog is remedial and the effects are less than special, but the actors do at least come across as interesting people and salvage the film somewhat. Overall, "Fantastic Four" is certainly rentable, but not fantastic enough to justify seeing it in the theater. I give it a C.

"Fantastic Four" is rated PG-13 with a running time of 104 minutes.