Fantastic Four

6.5/10. Watched this Saturday evening on DVD.

Most people consider it a trifle (Box Office Prophets consider it the second-worst movie of 2005, after Alone in the Dark) but Fantastic Four is a refreshing respite from the trend toward serious, epic superhero movies that started with Tim Burton's Batman, and I recommend it to anyone with fond memories of Superman II.

The script is focused and lean -- the movie follows five victims of a space accident as they react to its gene-altering effects -- and while Ioan Gruffudd and Jessica Alba fail to elevate their colorless roles, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis are, um, fantastic. (Kudos to the latter for insisting his Thing be a man in a suit and not a computer creation.)