Fantastic Four

This comic-book adaptation tries hard, but Fantastic Four fails on too many levels to compete with the likes of Spider-Man. The uninspired storyline sees the members of a space expedition - Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Julian McMahon - travel through a strange cosmic storm that gives them all different superpowers (stretchiness, brute strength, invisibility, flammable tendencies, the ability to manipulate electricity). As McMahon turns evil (not to mention camp) and the remaining foursome try to stop him, what should be colourful fun turns rather inert and lifeless. Evans and Chiklis lend some life to the team's adventures as rock-like "the Thing" and fire-boy "the Human Torch", and there is at least one decent sustained action scene. But The Incredibles did the whole family of superheroes thing with much more wit, grace and pizzazz.