Fantastic Four (DVD, 2009, Widescreen; Movie Cash)

I guess the problem I have with the movie is that while the characters of Ben Grimm/Thing and Johnny Storm/Human Torch are developed pretty well according to the comic books, Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic and Sue Storm/Invisible Girl are thinner than they are in the comics, which is already less three-dimensional than the first two characters. However, the comics always made up for this lack of character development by the sheer magnitude of the plot. Just the size of the machinery in Richards' inner sanctum in the comics was not matched in the movie. What Richards lacked in character depth he made up for with the conspicuous genius of his daily operation. You would forgive him for being impersonal because that's what's expected of such a brilliant mind. Richards in the movie just doesn't exemplify the brilliant stature of the Richards in the comics. He comes off as a nerd who can't get funding. Jessica Alba is a good actress, but playing off of Ioan Gruffudd's paper thin Richards holds her character development back. Lastly, there is Dr. Doom. While Julian McMahon plays the character with the coldness we need to see from the character, his conversion into the villain goes awry because in the comics he was not part of the space mission and did not become who he is because of cosmic rays. Therefore, instead of a megalomaniac bent on world domination, he is a tragic character that loses his mind and goes bad because he's not only power-hungry but a narcissist. Going crazy because he's losing his good looks may be ironic since McMahon is a lead in Nip/Tuck, but it doesn't do justice for the character of Victor Von Doom. Where is Latveria?

In the end, yes, it's a good family movie and pretty good if you're not a comic fan and aware of the plot deviations and character weaknesses. In the end, the first movie of a comic book franchise is always a little rough due to the origins of the superheroes. But Spiderman proved it can be done well, as did Batman Begins. X-men was a much stronger ensemble movie. I hope they do better on a FF sequel.