Entertainment

11:20 AM CST on Tuesday, December 6, 2005

Fantastic Four
Grade: C+
Directed by Tim Story. Starring Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon, Ioan Gruffudd and Chris Evans. PG-13 (violence). 106 min. $29.98.

COMIC INSPIRATION: Yet another comic-book-based action movie, this one centered on a group of space explorers who are transformed into freaks-superheroes by a radiation storm.

TECHNOLOGY AS STAR: This is a digital special-effects movie, and the attention to nontricky elements – such as story, characters, script or casting – reflects that. The movie is basically all back story, presumably setting up an industry of sequels. The actor hired to play the leader of comicdom's most famous superhero family is named Ioan Gruffudd; the appropriate response is, "Who?" And what's the sense of casting super-hot Jessica Alba in a role where she spends a lot of her time invisible?

COOL SIGHTS: On the plus side, when she isn't invisible, Ms. Alba walks around in a spandex suit. Michael Chiklis manages, heroically, to convey emotion with nothing more than his eyes, sealed inside that orange-rock costume as "The Thing."

BEST EXTRA: The usual behind-the-scenes filler.

BOTTOM LINE: A not-very-good movie that makes an OK DVD. The special effects are junk, but the movie is just fun enough.

Tom Maurstad