Genre Action

Fantastic Four (2005)

Item: Fantastic Four
Rating: 2.5
Author: Ross McLaren

★★½ — Fantastic Four (2005)

There's a version of the Fantastic Four that crackles with wit, warmth, and genuine spectacle. This 2005 Tim Story adaptation is not quite that version. But here's the thing: it's not a disaster either, and in a genre that can fail so spectacularly, that mild defence actually counts for something.

What the film gets right, it gets right through sheer charm rather than craft. The dynamic between Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben feels lived-in. These four bicker and banter and look out for each other in a way that does feel like a family, or at least a convincing impression of one. And Chris Evans as Johnny Storm is easily the best thing here. He's cocky, funny, and self-aware in a way that the rest of the film frankly doesn't deserve. You can see the star he was about to become, even if the material keeps letting him down. The premise itself still holds some appeal too: ordinary people suddenly cursed and blessed with powers they didn't ask for, having to keep their lives together while their bodies betray them. That's inherently relatable stuff, and the film at least doesn't waste it entirely.

But competence isn't charisma, and that's the problem. The CGI has dated badly, particularly for The Thing, whose practical and digital elements never quite merge into something you fully believe in. Dr. Doom is a squandered opportunity. There's no real menace behind the metallic mask, no sense that he's a genuine threat rather than just an obstacle the plot requires. He's there because the story needs a villain, and he does villain things, and then it ends. The climax arrives not because the tension has built to breaking point, but simply because 106 minutes have elapsed and someone has to win.

The pacing is the other real issue. The film ambles. It meanders from origin to showdown with the unhurried confidence of something that assumes you're already invested, without doing enough work to earn that investment. The action sequences are serviceable without ever being exciting. The quieter moments between characters are warm but too slight to carry much emotional weight. Sitcom-lite banter is a fair description of the register it's pitching at, and there's nothing wrong with that as an approach, except a sitcom usually has sharper jokes.

I went back and revisited Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) around the same time, and the same qualities and problems carry over almost note for note. That consistency is either reassuring or damning, depending on your expectations going in.

Two and a half stars is where this lands for me, and that feels honest. It's not a rating I give reluctantly, it's the accurate one. There's genuine warmth in the performances, a likeable premise, and a few moments of real fun. But none of it adds up to something memorable. You'll finish it, put the remote down, and find it fading before you've even made the tea. Watchable, forgettable, and not a disaster. Sometimes "good enough" is precisely that, nothing more, and nothing less.

Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2005 | Watched: 2026-03-30

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Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus · fuboTV
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

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