Parents' Guide to

Fantastic Four

Movie PG-13 2005 105 minutes
Fantastic Four Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

By Cynthia Fuchs , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 12+

Campy but often violent comic book movie.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 12+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Fantastic Four Movie: Scene #1
  • Fantastic Four Movie: Scene #2
  • Fantastic Four Movie: Scene #3

Parent and Kid Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 12 parent reviews

Alex A.
Alex A. Adult
February 23, 2024
age 8+

P T.
P T. Parent of 11-year-old
March 3, 2023
age 10+

"Susan wears cleavage-revealing outfits". This is an understatement. About 80% of Susan's character is her cleavage. However, to balance that out we have shirtless Chris Evans, which is equally about 80% of his character. However, even weirder than that, Ben's fiance appears on the street inexplicably wearing somewhat saucy nightwear. It is bizarre. It's all fairly harmless but it's a little jarring by today's standards. There is also some innuendo, which kids may or may not get. It's pretty crass but hardly offensive. Apart from that it's quite fun. There's certainly nothing here (beyond the above) that'll bother a child that's seen any Star Wars movies.
See all 12 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In this film version of the Marvel comic FANTASTIC FOUR, egotistical Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon) finances a mission into outer space in which four of his employees are zapped by a radioactive cloud that alters their DNA according to their sense of self. Romantically wishy-washy Reed (Ioan Gruffudd) turns elastic, his feeling-ignored girlfriend Susan (Jessica Alba) turns invisible, her hotheaded brother Johnny (Chris Evans) becomes the "human torch," and Reed's best friend and enforcer, Ben (Michael Chiklis), gets stony. Von Doom is also zapped, and his body slowly changes to a human-metallic alloy. When he loses control of his billion-dollar corporation, he decides to take his revenge on The Fantastic Four. He sets out to eliminate them one by one, beginning, so he thinks, with the emotionally insecure and physically unstoppable Ben.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (12 ):
Kids say (23 ):

This unevenly paced, disjointed comic book movie, lacks emotional focus, but then again, maybe that's the point -- it's a campy comic book movie. Fantastic Four offers a series of "origin story" scenes, in which the four heroes' individual interests and anxieties are established, with much attention to movie and product franchising.

While it should be accelerating with spiffy action and smart repartee, Tim Story's movie becomes increasingly incoherent. The Four fight amongst themselves and take off for separate adventures, occasionally coming together for unbelievably convenient collisions. Ben's story is the most compelling, while the others' issues become repetitive. The film also includes its share of logical inconsistencies, as well as overly familiar and underdeveloped themes.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how superpowers change the characters' lives in Fantastic Four, as they must decide how to use them, for public good, for personal gain, or to settle personal grudges. How are anxieties, competitions, and quarrels exacerbated by these changes?

  • How is Susan's situation different from the men's, as she feels the need to mediate their arguments?

  • How do the four friends learn to appreciate their differences as well as their similar situations, as "freaks," celebrities, and heroes?

  • What is the appeal of superhero movies? How does this one compare?

Movie Details

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