I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

While I am not particularly a fan of superhero films, I decided to see this after I saw the documentary about this picture, "Doomed: The Untold Story of Roger Corman's the Fantastic Four". This film has gained legendary status, as it was completed...yet never officially released in any way. So how did I get to see it? Somehow a bootleg copy escaped and the film has been sold at comic book festivals. There also is currently a copy on YouTube...though if Twentieth Century-Fox wanted to, they could enforce their copyright and have it removed. So far...they've allowed it to stay posted.Before I get to the review, I want to put this very low budget film in context. While technically speaking it looks like crap compared to superhero films today, back in the early 1990s superhero films were NOT the technical marvels they are today. Part of it is because CGI has grown by leaps and bounds since then. Part of it is that superhero films to that time (with the exception of "Batman" from 1989) looked really cheap and crappy. And, part of it is because the film only cost $1,000,000 to make...a pittance even back then. In this light, it's actually amazing that the film looks as good as it does! But be prepared...some of the special effects are far from being special!!Here's the story in a nutshell. Some scientists create a space craft but its diamond cluster drive (?) is sabotaged and it causes the ship to crash. Somehow this crash causes the four astronauts to become the Fantastic Four and imbued them with superhero powers. Following this, the baddie who caused the wreck, Dr. Doom, tries his best to kill the Four.Style-wise, this is much more like a comic book or kids film than the next generation of superhero pictures. It's far less serious and slight. This simply is how most such films at that time were made. Now I am not saying this is a great thing...but it's hard to expect a cheap film to somehow recreate the genre. Overall, it's watchable and entertaining...albeit a bit silly and slight as well. I cut this one a lot of slack for what it is...and I hope you do as well.By the way, this film was shelved in a deal that gave the rights to the franchise to Twentieth Century-Fox. And, since that studio did NOT want two "Fantastic Four" films, they chose to shelve this cheap Roger Corman film. Incidentally, the Fox film cost about 100 times more...and reviews for that film are generally terrible! So, even if the Corman film isn't great, at least it wasn't that much worse and cost practically nothing!!

I enjoyed spotting all the things in this movie that were stolen from popular contemporaries: The soundtrack here is ostensibly just the Jurassic Park them with some sad violins added in. The sequence where the heroes receive their Fantastic Four powers is lifted out of 2001: A Space Odyssey (when Dave Bowman encounters the monolith,) Only this time, it's less dazzling. The ending of FANTASTIC FOUR is just Batman & The Joker all over again. I liked the Thing's storyline. In the movie, the Thing falls in love with this artist named Alicia. And though Alicia and The Thing have never spoken a full sentence to one another, they would gladly go the grave defending their love for one another! You can appreciate the passion. Alicia says maybe two lines in the whole movie, which makes it even more baffling when she abruptly bleats out "I LOVE YOU!"The Thing's motivation was clearly defined. Motivation is important. Its what makes us care about a character, and want to see how the character fares in the story. Reed and Doom's motivations seem to be basically identical: scientific supremacy. As for the two blond kids, I'm not really sure why they are even there. Apparently Sally has been DTF her entire life. Johnny is just there to be the Deus Ex Machina.AND NOW... LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... The Oscar for most over the top acting goes to... D O C T O R D O O M! OMG! WHY ARE WE SHOUTING? LOUD NOISES! AUUUGGHGHHHHHH!!!! WHAT IS GOING ON WITH DR DOOMS HANDS IN THIS MOVIE? He touches everybody on the face like he has never seen another human being before. When he is explaining his master plan, he goes into full Ricky Bobby mode! "I don't know what to do with my hands!"The movie's pacing is lop-sided. Starts off moderate, then takes a sudden ninety-degree turn into the stratosphere. We are introduced to the characters, their relationships, etc. We are given lots of interesting information, and we are left to decide for ourselves how to feel about it.Is Reed a good guy or bad guy for testing the limits of science? After all, it nearly got his best friend killed! Should the heroes even use their powers? Interesting questions pop up but dissipate as soon as they appear. When Dr. Doom reveals his intent to nuke the entire city of New York into oblivion (because, f$#@ New York) it becomes absolutely necessary for the heroes to use their powers regardless of morality.The ending, then, gives no closure. We are still unsure if Reed is a good guy or bad guy. He saved New York from a disaster which he himself created... Ah, who cares... Having powers is pretty awesome! Cue the classy shot of Reed riding away in a limo, his rubbery hand outstretched through the moon-roof, waving goodbye, just like Arnold at the end of Last-Action-Hero... *JURASSIC PARK THEME PLAYS amid a SAD VIOLINS*

In light of what's come since, this low budget effort is absolutely brilliant by virtue of a single virtue: it's true to the SPIRIT of the comic book, something that not one of the three subsequent Big Budget knockoffs managed to achieve. Had THESE guys had the kind of money the lesser filmmakers had, we'd no doubt be talking Classic. (This version boasts by FAR the best Ben Grimm we've seen to date, and the articulation of his mask alone makes it worth seeing.) The first 30 minutes or so could've benefited from some reworking, but, otherwise, this one's the one to see if you want to see THE FANTASTIC FOUR. (Many scenes are shot in semi-darkness, for obvious- budgetary- reasons, but, again, these guys weren't working with hundreds of millions of dollars.) It's not all smooth sailing, to be sure, but until somebody comes along with something better, this one'll do.

There's something good within this Roger Corman made-for-TV movie, but it's overshadowed by side-characters and situations more befitting to the Krofft brother's universe. Not a bad thing in itself, but the actors playing this famous comic-book team-up had a lot of potential for a much cooler outing than this. Alex-Hyde White plays the assertively brainy Dr. Reed Richards, who, along with fellow college genius Victor Von Doom (with that last name, he's bound to be a villain), attempt an experiment that fails miserably, "killing" Victor and sparing Richards.We then cut ten years later: Richards is joined by Johnny Storm, an over-the-top Jay Underwood, and one of the prettiest women this side of life, Rebecca Staab as Johnny's sister Susan, whose childhood crush on Richards has carried over – and it's mutual. And not forgetting Ben Grimm, portrayed with brawny charm by Michael Baily Smith.Long story short, once in space they're pummeled with mysterious cosmic rays, crash land on earth and while unaffected by that, they've acquired powers: Richards is a human rubber band, Johnny can make fireballs with his hand, Susan turns invisible, and Grimm's turned into a Thing made of rocks. The side-characters include a band of thieving freaks, resembling rejects from the H.R. Puffenstuff set; two vapid thugs; and the black-masked Dr. Doom himself – way too much screen time's spent on these while the titular superheroes, and their particular skills, are used less than sporadically until the very end: which rushes to a quick conclusion.Perhaps if there was a part two, we'd get more of what, and who, this movie's all about. Either way, Reed Richards and Susan Storm have great chemistry. The Thing, although resembling a costume, works fine as a sympathetic hero. And The Human Torch, eventually morphing into animation, looks neat as he battles a giant laser.But all this should have occurred less than halfway through for THE FANTASTIC FOUR to successfully live up to its title.For More Reviews: http://cultfilmfreakreviews.blogspot.com