I have to admit to not being a huge fan of The Fantastic Four growing up. Heck, I wasn't a fan of any of the traditional superheroes, though I did like comics in general well enough. I just didn't want to be reading the same ones as everyone else. So while I was acquainted with the basic premise, I didn't have too much attachment to it. I completely understand that someone who was in love with the story may have ideas that are completely shattered if the movie wasn't faithful to the original story.
When the four primary characters travel to the space station to research cosmic rays, they find that their calculations were off, and the rays are both more powerful than expected and closer. So they are bombarded by radiation that is unknown in origin and in power. This in turn gives them new powers, and they return to Earth with these powers, which transforms them into the superhero team that is known as The Fantastic Four.
Michael Chiklis especially as Ben Grimm (The Thing) was really impressive.
The other characters actually seemed a bit on the young side. Of course they have to be to attract a certain crowd, and I can live with that. But when they're talking about their time at NASA and they've already moved onto the private sector and everything, it's just a bit of a stretch.
Take that out of the picture and it's not bad.
The action is good and the storyline isn't bad at all - it gives you a good introduction to the characters and also a good backdrop for their interaction with Victor von Doom (who was on the station too, since he owned it), as well as lays the groundwork for a sequel (which I understand is in production already). It's not the best superhero flick out there, but it's far from the worst.
Rated PG-13 for intense action and suggestive content. The action isn't bad - most kids can handle it. But the content is perhaps where you'll want to keep an eye on your kids and make sure you know that they'll be okay with what's happening on-screen (and how they will handle it).
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