It's just one guy's opinion, but these latest Marvel superheroes to hit the big screen seem to be arriving a few years too late and a few dollars too short. With sophisticated family fare like The Incredibles already effectively spoofing the whole dysfunctional super-family concept, it's unlikely that many will be able to take a super-stretchable father figure too seriously, not to mention his invisible spouse, flaming teen brother-in-law and an angst-ridden pal who resembles a pile of orange boulders. And while I've yet to see this one, those cheap-looking trailers indicate that this won't be one of Marvel's mega-hits a la Spider-Man, but will probably wind up lumped with misses like Daredevil and The Hulk. We'll see soon enough.
FANTASTIC FOUR (PG-13) opens July 8 at local theaters. This film was screened too late to review by press time (never a good sign).
This article appears in Jul 6-12, 2005.