Two college students, Reed Richards and Victor von Doom attempt to harness the power of Colossus, an energy-based phenomenon that visits the Earth every ten years. When errors in their calculations lead to an overload, Victor is killed. Years later, as Colossus once again approaches the Earth, Reed puts together a team to rocket into space to meet it. The team consists of Reed, his best friend Ben Grimm and Sue and Johnny Storm. But unbeknownst to the crew, the mission has been sabotaged and goes terribly wrong. The crew is subjected to cosmic rays and, although they survive the crash of their ship, they find that their close encounter with Colossus has altered their DNA giving them each powers beyond those of normal men. Meanwhile, a mysterious dictator of a far away country has taken a personal interest in the four even as they try to come to grips with the changes they have undergone.

The story of the genesis of the 1994 film The Fantastic Four is a fascinating one. In the 1990s, the film rights to the FF were held by Constantin films, a German company perhaps now best known for action flicks like Resident Evil. The rights were set to expire in 1995, causing them to revert to Marvel, if a film wasn't produced. The only problem was, Constantin had virtually nothing to show for the years of pre-production (and the money) they had put into the project. The only way they could retain the rights was to actually get a film made (basically from the ground up) in less than two years. Famed director Chris Columbus was interested in directing an FF film, but he wouldn't want to be involved in a quickie cheapo production. Nor would he be happy if such a production was released, overshadowing his hoped-for film. The solution: produce a film fast and cheap, but shelve it. Constantin turned to B-movie legend Roger Corman. Corman and his team cranked out a film in a few months and for under two million dollars. None of the production cast or crew was aware that they were working for nothing more than a glorified accounting scheme. They were quite surprised when Constantin announced that the film would not see a theatrical release. Or a video release. Or any kind of release at all. Its job done, the film went on the shelf never to be seen again.

Except, of course, that just doesn't happen in this day and age. Nothing can be kept from the public eye if there is enough interest. The Fantastic Four had gotten quite a build-up during production, including cover articles in magazines like Comics Scene, so the fans knew it was out there. Eventually, it found its way to the convention circuit and the public could finally view the results for themselves. Was it any good at all, or just a pile of nonsense?

The answer, as it so often is with this kind of thing, is a mixed bag. If you have the ability to enjoy low-budget sci-fi films, there is much to enjoy in The Fantastic Four. If, however, you have very high standards and just can't take a poor special effect, you need to stay away.

The story basically re-tells the FF's origins, with relatively minor adjustments. The strengthening of Reed's ties to Victor von Doom are well thought out, making their connection to each other stronger than in the comics and helping justify Doom's hatred of Reed. Reed and Sue's romance is fairly traditional (with no real heart-wrenching), but believable. The portrayal of Ben's isolation is also handled nicely. Taking its cue from the classic FF comic "This Man, This Monster!", Ben's loneliness and desire to get away from the others comes through quite well, as does his eventual relationship with Alicia Masters.

The actual plot, once it gets going, is not very original, but gets the job done. The explanation for the group's trip to space and subsequent discovery of their powers is handled in a way not unlike the original comic. If anything, the film tries to cover too much ground. The screenwriters seem to be trying to cram in as much FF history as they can, perhaps knowing this might be their only shot at it. This apparent attitude makes the inclusion of the Jeweler and his cohorts all the more puzzling. He seems to be some sort of Mole Man equivalent, but without the trappings. Perhaps the budget didn't allow for a proper visualization of the Mole Man, so the Jeweler (an easier character to realize) was created in his place. Either way, he adds little to the plot, merely being someone on which to hang any necessary plot device.

The production values on The Fantastic Four are surprisingly high, given the budget. The most money was obviously spent on the Thing suit, as it is quite detailed and the mask is articulate. Unfortunately, it also has a tendency to bunch up in odd places, removing any chance of believing that Ben is actually made of stone. The Doctor Doom suit is more impressive. It is extremely accurate, capturing the look of Jack Kirby's original design without making it look cheesy. The same cannot be said for the FF costumes, however. The design is a perfect replica of the FF comic book costumes of the era (the John Byrne design that replaced Kirby's for awhile), proving that what works on the comics page doesn't necessarily translate well to live action. If they had used the darker color scheme of the original Kirby, it would have probably worked better.

The effects are just what you'd expect from Corman: they are mostly pretty bad. Unable to afford a lot of CGI shots, we get to see very little of the FF actually using their powers. Mostly, it's just an occasional leg stretch from Reed, Johnny making a little fire, etc. The one really big effect is when Johnny finally "flames on" in order to chase down a laser beam. Unfortunately, the Human Torch is obviously computer generated, neither looking nor moving like an actual person. Still, by keeping the effects to a minimum, director Sassone at least prevents us from being jarred too often by their failings.

The cast is uneven. While Alex Hyde-White does a respectable Reed Richards and Jay Underwood is a decent Johnny Storm (if a bit over the top), Rebecca Staab is overwhelmed by even the little she has to do as Sue. She is even overshadowed by Mercedes McNab, who plays Sue as a young girl. The bi-polar nature of the cast is also evident in the two costume laden characters. Joseph Culp plays Victor von Doom with a good deal of subtlety, setting him up well as a tragic figure. Once transformed into Doctor Doom, however, Culp begins chewing up scenery at an alarming rate. (He isn't helped by the fact that his Dr. Doom dialogue was recorded on-site, meaning everything he says is muffled behind his mask. Overdubbing would have fixed a lot of Doom's problems.) Ben Grimm and the Thing suffer from a very different problem: they are played by two different actors. While Michael Bailey Smith portrays a very genial and trustworthy Ben, making him a well-rounded character, Carl Ciarfalio is unable to express the slightest viable emotion through the costume. To make matters worse, Ciarfalio (who was cast first) appears to be several inches shorter than Smith and they have completely different body types. There's simply no connection between the two "characters". They never come together as one. This is underscored by the fact that Smith plays very well opposite Kat Green, who portrays Alicia Masters. There seems to be real chemistry between them. With Ciarfalio, there's nothing.

The rest of the cast is also hit and miss. Characters like the Jeweler seem superfluous and a distraction that could have been justified if they were made more interesting. The only "name" in the film, George Gaynes (of Punky Brewster fame), shows that even the most banal dialogue can come to life in the hands of a competent actor. Unfortunately, there aren't enough in The Fantastic Four to make the world around the heroes come fully to life.

Ultimately, The Fantastic Four is a decent slice of B-Movie fun. Sure, there are plenty of negatives, but they are counterbalanced by the better aspects of the film. Given its low-budget nature, this was never going to be the next Batman (the gold standard of the day), but it stands up well for what it is. The filmmakers got a lot of mileage out of their limited time and budget and have nothing to be ashamed of. On the whole, The Fantastic Four works.

• screenplay by Craig J. Nevius and Kevin Rock
  The Fantastic Four created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
• directed by Oley Sassone
• music by David & Eric Wurst
• Cast: Alex Hyde-White (Reed Richards / Mr. Fantastic), Jay Underwood (Johnny Storm / The Human Torch), Rebecca Staab (Sue Storm / Invisible Girl), Michael Bailey Smith (Ben Grimm), Carl Ciarfalio (The Thing), Joseph Culp (Victor von Doom / Dr. Doom), Ian Trigger (The Jeweler), Kat Green (Alicia Masters), Mercedes McNab (Young Susan 'Sue' Storm), Phillip Van Dyke (Young Jonathan 'Johnny' Storm), George Gaynes (The Professor)