I watched this 1994 edition of "The Fantastic Four" last night in preparation for the new 2015 reboot. This was the first time I had ever seen this movie--a friend had burned me a copy on DVD some time ago. I knew it was going to be hokey and juvenile, and goodness knows it is just that. But all in all it's not that bad.I think that the biggest challenge that a person will have in enjoying this movie is to just get into the mood of appreciating an older movie that is goofy looking by today's standards. It doesn't help matters at all that you'll probably be watching it in a grainy standard definition format, which is always unfortunate if you've been spoiled by HD. But more important is the fact that this movie is a throwback to the days when anything "superhero" was treated as hokey. Think more along the lines of the Adam West Batman than the Tim Burton Batman films.Still, if you can get over the cheesy feel of this film and get to a point where you have an appreciation for it being a product of its time, then you may find yourself appreciating this movie. (Okay, to be honest, it feels even more dated than 1994--more along the lines of something from the late 70's/early 80's Bill Bixby Hulk era than a 1994 big screen production). The storyline tells the familiar story of the FF's origin, and I have to say that it actually did so in a way that I found to be quite enjoyable. In fact, I'm not the biggest FF fan on the planet and so I had either forgotten or never knew about one element of the characters that the film does a neat job of explaining--that their powers are extensions of their personalities. The scene where that is explained was pretty neat.That said, is this film a cheese fest? Yes. But it's an enjoyable cheese fest. I've sat through many movies with much more up to date cinematic processes that just weren't as fun as this film was. Thus my 6/10 stars.And a quick heads up--you can watch this movie on Youtube for free.

Reed Richards (Alex Hyde-White) and Victor Von Doom (Joseph Culp) are University friends who decide, with the arrival of comet Colossus imminent, it is the perfect time to try their long-planned experiment. Naturally, things go wrong and it appears that Von Doom is killed in the accident. Years later, Richards and his friend Ben Grimm (Michael Bailey Smith) venture into space as the same comet passes again, this time with their old friends Sue (Rebecca Staab) and Johnny Storm (Jay Underwood). Again, things go wrong, as the diamond that was going to be used in the experiment has been stolen and swapped by a thief, and the four crash back to Earth with new superpowers.Well, where to start? The fact that this film is still unavailable practically anywhere (it was even ignored in the obligatory cash-in release when the big-budget 2005 version hit the theatres) speaks volumes about its quality. Stan Lee admitted that the film was never intended for release, and that the film was only made due to the fact that their rights to make a film were running out. And so we have this colossally and diabolically awful s**t-stain of an excuse of a movie, utterly amateurish in every imaginable way. It's a film that the Sci-Fi (sorry, Sy Fy) channel would be proud of (or not).The main distraction is the ridiculous sub-plot, which has The Jeweller (Ian Trigger), the thief of the diamond (which he just walks in and picks it up, by the way), kidnap a blind sculptor who after a 10-second meeting with a pre-Thing Grimm, falls in love with him. It's one of those what-the-f**k moments that causes you to wonder where the script- writers got the crack they've obviously been smoking from. It constantly takes the action away from the Four and makes the film all the more tedious. And it's the most laughable use of a blind female sculptor since Lionel Ritchie's music video for Hello.The film is full of these moments, really. One that stuck with me the most was how Reed and Grimm, preparing for their trip into space, simply drop by the Storm's to ask them if they'd like to, y'know, come up into space. Not that it needs any training or anything. The Four themselves (with the exception of The Thing), once transformed are really quite awful. If you've ever seen Master of the Flying Guillotine (1976) and the guy with the extendible arms in that, then you'll have an idea about Reed's power. If you've not, then I'll tell you, it looks s**t. The Human Torch actually turns into a strange cartoon-computer effect hybrid at one point as if the film-makers just couldn't be a***d anymore, and the invisible one (whatever she's called), well, can't be seen, so they get away with it. The effects guys must have put all their money into the Thing's costume as it's actually quite good.Apart from the Thing's costume, I fail to think of anything remotely good or even average about this film. It's just awful. Dr. Doom's costume is so amateurish, he looks like an S&M-loving, gay Robin Hood hybrid. And you can't tell what he's saying half the time. Shame on you, Roger Corman. But saying that, the 1994 film is no less heartless or emotionless as the 2005 version, which was only slightly rescued by a big budget and a good performance by Chris Evans. Apart from that, also very s**t.

There's something good within this Roger Corman made-for-TV movie, but it's overshadowed by side-characters and situations more befitting to the Krofft brother's universe. Not a bad thing in itself, but the actors playing this famous comic-book team-up had a lot of potential for a much cooler outing than this. Alex-Hyde White plays the assertively brainy Dr. Reed Richards, who, along with fellow college genius Victor Von Doom (with that last name, he's bound to be a villain), attempt an experiment that fails miserably, "killing" Victor and sparing Richards.We then cut ten years later: Richards is joined by Johnny Storm, an over-the-top Jay Underwood, and one of the prettiest women this side of life, Rebecca Staab as Johnny's sister Susan, whose childhood crush on Richards has carried over – and it's mutual. And not forgetting Ben Grimm, portrayed with brawny charm by Michael Baily Smith.Long story short, once in space they're pummeled with mysterious cosmic rays, crash land on earth and while unaffected by that, they've acquired powers: Richards is a human rubber band, Johnny can make fireballs with his hand, Susan turns invisible, and Grimm's turned into a Thing made of rocks. The side-characters include a band of thieving freaks, resembling rejects from the H.R. Puffenstuff set; two vapid thugs; and the black-masked Dr. Doom himself – way too much screen time's spent on these while the titular superheroes, and their particular skills, are used less than sporadically until the very end: which rushes to a quick conclusion.Perhaps if there was a part two, we'd get more of what, and who, this movie's all about. Either way, Reed Richards and Susan Storm have great chemistry. The Thing, although resembling a costume, works fine as a sympathetic hero. And The Human Torch, eventually morphing into animation, looks neat as he battles a giant laser.But all this should have occurred less than halfway through for THE FANTASTIC FOUR to successfully live up to its title.For More Reviews: http://cultfilmfreakreviews.blogspot.com

This film reminded me highly of a late 70s or early 80s superhero adaptation. Special effects were cheap for the time it was filmed, but seemed perfectly fine for a direct to TV or direct to video release. I don't even know if it would have done that bad at the box office, if you were looking for a fair adaptation and weren't concerned about special effects and big budges the movie was otherwise perfectly fine. Wouldn't have pulled in $200 million but would surely have earned more than it cost to make. Actors acted their parts fairly well and were fairly believable. There are moments of comic relief. I watched this in its entirety last night expecting to turn it off, and about halfway through I realized it really wasn't bad. It was interesting enough to keep me watching. The added cheapness of some of its aspects had a certain charm about it. If it weren't for the cheapness of the special effects it was otherwise filmed well enough to suggest it would have cost more than its budget. I let my 11 year old stepson watch it this morning and he didn't thing it was bad either. At least worthy of a DVD release, its not bad enough to hide away in a vault somewhere. The musical score isn't bad either.