The Fantastic Four

Could this notoriously unreleased movie actually be the most faithful F4 adaptation to date? Maybe! I'm not going to pretend that this isn't a bad movie, but I've seen far, far worse. The writers and actors are at least TRYING, and that sincerity helps the movie stand out from lazier, more cynical productions. That being said, it's still not worth the effort to find.

Surprisingly well done for a movie that was never intended to be released - both the script, some of the special effects and even a few of the action scenes and (intentional) jokes work quite well in a Cormanesque way. If this movie had been made in the early 70s (and it looks like it was), it'd be a cult classic. And whatever its faults, it doesn't have Jessica Alba in a blonde wig, which is really all you can ask of any movie.

not very good ... went to see this, half at the insistence of my son, and half bc i'm a geek who loves comic book movies. still, it was overall worse than i expected going in. one-dimensional characters, and an extremely boring villain do not make for a good time. michael chiklis as the thing was probably the one redeeming thing is this film. yes, alba is hot, but she's boring as anything, and the ultra-egotistical human torch has been done so many times in other films, and much better too.

MUCH better than the new FF movies, and truer to the comic book. The cast actually play the parts with heart, as if they believe in them. Rebecca Staab especially is the perfect embodiment of Sue Storm, and Hyde-White is quite credible as Reed. Of course it has lousy effects; it's an unfinished "B" movie, made for under a million bucks as a cynical attempt by the film company to hold on to the rights. It was never intended to be released.Whaddaya want for nuthin?

Despite a minuscule budget and terrible direction, this film actually ends up being the best of all the Fantastic Four films, with great (read: better) acting, a plot that's not too moronic, and a convincing version of Doctor Doom. Roger Corman, you are a mastermind.

Flat, uninvolving superhero movie was basically an act of desperation by the production company in order to hold on to the rights to these characters - and boy does it show; laughably bad special effects compete with appallingly wooden performances; a sadly overdone opening cameo from Gaynes sets the tone for the rest of the film. Feels like a rejected episode from a low-budget 90s sci-fi TV series.

A movie that was never intended to be released and it shows. Plagued by terrible CGI, D-list acting, cringe-worthy dialogue, and horrendous character development. None of the characters were even remotely interesting. It's saving grace is that were it a product of the 60's instead of the 90's, the movie would sit well next to Adam West's Batman. There are worse movies, but they are few and far between.

The best Fantastic Four movie, with a great (and gay) Victor/Reed dynamic and the "why haven't I seen this before" idea of Ben being adopted by shadow people. Plus, it's more willing than most superhero movies to actually do the things that make comics fun. The broad theatrical acting is delightful, there are intentional jokes that actually land, and the whole thing is fun in a completely unserious way, without having to be above it all. It's a travesty that this hasn't been officially released.

This movie sucks but it still might be the best Fantastic Four movie ever made.

God I hated this, despite chiklis, whose performance in "The shield" is sheer genius

Twice as good as the new version, but that's not saying much at all.

Everything here blows. The acting, dialogue, effects, the costumes, all of it. The thing that pissed me off the most though was the horrible, generic, repetitive soundtrack. The scene with a heartbroken Thing wandering through the streets while the tender music plays is classic. I just don't think Fantastic Four is a comic that will ever transition to live action well.

The film's got an unfair rep bc it's biggest problem by far is its lack of a budget: the cgi required to credibly pull off superpowers like these wouldve cost waaay more than they had. Story wise, it's only real sin is trying very hard to stay faithful to the comic on a shoestring. Is it preposterous that unqualified civilians tag along for a pioneering space ride? Yes, blame the comic. Overall, this is still a lot of people doing their best to bring the impossible onscreen for relative pennies.

I have a friend who I used to talk to about this movie with before either of us saw it. We both knew the score on how it was never released due to Marvel Comics' financial problems. We both wanted to see it, because we saw a trailer in which The Thing looked really cool, so eventually, the elusive film was found. Upon viewing, we discovered that it was a very good thing it was never released. In all movie quality respects, it's like watching an Ed Wood movie. Crap!

The Thing looks like a giant walking scrotum. 7 stars out of ten ;)

This movie is slow, and boring. Doom really overacts, and the other characters are completely uninteresting. Add in a stupid story and useless plots like The Jewler kidnaping a woman Ben grimm has barely met, and you get a bad attempt at an FF movie.

Doom was very....."theatrical"

This movie is very bad. The production value is horrible and the writing and direction is that of an old 1970's cheesy television series. However, few people are able to find this flick, much less experience it. It's practically a black market purchase. It's like the long lost Star Wars Christmas Special.

Never destined to see the light of day, and perhaps with good reason, "The Fantastic Four" is an excercise in squandered potential, a run-of-the-mill superhero story with less heart, less creative passion, and less care than any that came before.

This is an elusive beast, but I managed to track it down online last year and could only stomach about half an hour of it. I scanned the whole thing to get an idea of what I would be 'missing out' on, and I'm glad I stopped before wasting anymore time. Sad that the no-name idiot might be a better Sue Storm than Alba, but other than that, this wretched disaster has nothing going for it. It's not even fun to watch in the car accident kind of way. The FX work is brutal, and the movie is even worse.

One of those it's so bad it's actually good movies.You just have to see it,if only for the "special effects".Hilarious!

Just a blip in the radar screen of horrendous comic book movies of yesterday

So hard to find and yet so satisfyingly awful. The story = crap. The acting = more crap. The effects and make-up = craptastic! I think they blew the whole budget on the Torch flaming on.....once. If you like movies that are so bad that they are unintentionally funny, this is the film for you.

An abortion of a film that makes its modern remake look like the Godfather. Not even watchable as a TV movie. Everyone involved should have been flogged.

The cast really do their utmost, in a way that shames every big-name actor who came onto a set and just phoned in a part. And it does on occasion hit that sweet spot of "so helpless it's charming". If only they had been able to afford more that one theme from the music library to accompany the emotional scenes...

Charming.

I could write a book about everything that's so hilariously wrong with this movie. Can't decide which is my favorite scene: the doctor examining the 4 and getting steadily more scared, or the final battle when what little logic the film had gets tossed out the window.

It almost lives up to the hype. The climax is thrilling! The writing is special! The Dr Doom suit was big in to the over acting. Fire beats laser.

You guys know that this movie was only made so the film company could retain the rights to the Fantastic Four, right? It was never intended for release.