'Fantastic Four' has pallid plotting and cheesy effects

( PG-13 ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

The new superhero movie stars Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell as a group of young adults who achieve superpowers through a teleportation mishap and face off with Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell).

|
Ben Rothstein/20th Century Fox/AP
'Fantastic Four' stars Miles Teller (l.) and Michael B. Jordan (r.).

I’ve seen some dull superhero movies in my day, but “Fantastic Four,” written and directed by Josh Trank, gets the booby prize. Just because it’s derived from Marvel Comics doesn’t mean it’s marvelous.

Miles Teller, in a real gimme-the-paycheck performance, is Reed Richards, who gets backing from a covert science foundation to build a teleporter. One thing leads ploddingly to another until we are presented with the far-from-fantastical four, including Johnny (Michael B. Jordan), Sue (Kate Mara), and Ben (Jamie Bell), who along with Reed have achieved Marvel-style powers through a teleportation mishap. Requisite bad seed Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell) might have made it the Fantastic Five if he weren’t so doomy.

The special effects are cheesy, the acting perfunctory, the plotting pallid. If this film spawns a sequel, anything goes. Grade: D (Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and language.)

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
The Christian Science Monitor was founded in 1908 to lift the standard of journalism and uplift humanity. We aim to “speak the truth in love.” Our goal is not to tell you what to think, but to give you the essential knowledge and understanding to come to your own intelligent conclusions. Join us in this mission by subscribing.
QR Code to 'Fantastic Four' has pallid plotting and cheesy effects
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Movies/2015/0807/Fantastic-Four-has-pallid-plotting-and-cheesy-effects
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe