I just got in from seeing the Fantastic 4 out here in Iowa. First off, what a great movie theatre. The theatre was brand new and huge. There were very few people seeing the 4:45 show so it was not packed at all.

Trailers. Okay, so I can’t wait to see the The Transporter 2. I never saw The Transporter but the trailer for The Transporter 2 is incredible. The actions, the stuff blowing up, the fight scenes so well choreographed. The movie is going to be awesome. It is coming out in theatres on September 2, 2005. There was also a trailer for King Kong and The New World but neither was as good as the transporter. You know, edge of your seat leaning forward getting all into the action good.

So, the movie I went to see, Fantastic 4. A very good origin movie that establishes the characters, their motivations and their inner demons. There is even the obligatory cameo by Stan Lee. I love those. There are also some jabs at other super hero movies and that is fun too. What I didn’t like was that they tried to pass off Vancouver BC as New York. It is not and will not be New York. For one thing the Lions Gate Bridge is in a pivotal part of the movie, there is no bridge like that in New York. But hey, the comic takes place in New York so why change it. Because they changed many other things, why not the location. For one thing, Johnny Storm goes for a helicopter ride to a mountain to ski, a big mountain, not one that we would have on the east coast. So I found that distracting. Not to mention that I was in Vancouver when they were filming the movie, so I’m going to be thinking Vancouver the whole time anyways.

But I digress. The actors who played the various roles were very well cast. Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm, the Thing, was perfect. He really captured the angst of the character and his lament at being so out of place and his torment for his extreme change. Chris Evans as Johnny Storm was also good, he had that perfect cocky attitude about him and carried it well. Jessica Alba as Sue Storm was also a good choice. She was not only beautiful but played the part very well. Ioan Gruffudd who plays Reed Richards looked the part and also gave a good performance. It is no wonder that the movie did well despite the rantings of the extreme fanboys. I was not expecting a great movie when I went but there really is a good story there and a perfect set up for a sequel.

Keep those comic book movies coming.