Twentieth Century Fox Computer graphic technology gives a whole new meaning to "hotshot" as the Human Torch (Chris Evans) "flames on" above the streets of New York City. Click photo for larger image. "Fantastic Four" Rating: PG-13 for intense action, implied nudity and suggestive language. Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Julian McMahon. Directed by: Tim Story. Family Film Guide: 'Fantastic Four'

In a way, it's unfair to compare a movie adaptation of the four-decade-old comic book series "The Fantastic Four" to the classic Stan Lee/Jack Kirby books that constitute its first 102 issues. Along with the breakup of the Beatles in 1970, the end of the Lee/Kirby partnership at Marvel Comics earlier that year was a bummer of major proportions.

For years, the banner above the book's title said it all: "The World's Greatest Comic Magazine!" Though arguable in 1970, it wasn't debatable between 1965 and 1968. As fate would have it, Lee and Kirby's best years coincided with the Beatles' best years, too.

Fast-forward many decades to a big-budget movie about four people transformed into super beings by an accident in space. Gone is the Cold War-era context that made their comic book origin so compelling. This time out, Reed Richards, Ben Grimm and siblings Sue and Johnny Storm aren't hapless astronauts buffeted by cosmic rays while trying to beat the Russians into space with a stolen American rocket.

Fans of the comic book will be aghast to see the story recast with the brilliant scientist and inventor Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd) bankrupt and begging favors from billionaire industrialist Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), an old college rival and fellow genius.

Von Doom's corporation owns a space station Richards needs immediate access to. A rare cosmic storm is imminent, but Richards believes the conditions are ripe for doing genetic research in Earth's orbit. Don't ask! This kind of logic wouldn't even work in a comic book.

	Twentieth Century Fox Sue Storm (Jessica Alba) deflects a powerful blast. Click photo for larger image.

Richards believes his experiments will unlock the secrets of the human genome and cure every disease. All Doom asks in return for his philanthropic spirit is 75 percent of the profits from the patents, a deal Richards readily agrees to. Some genius, eh?

Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), Richards' best friend is a blue-collar astronaut who wants to pilot the mission, but he has to take a backseat to hot shot pilot Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), the arrogant brother of Reed's ex-girlfriend, Sue Storm (Jessica Alba). Sue is Von Doom's director of genetic research and his part-time squeeze, so the mission is fraught with uncomfortable personal and sexual politics all around. Just to keep things fresh, Doom also tags along with the four to the space station.

Obviously, this is a "bizarro world" version of the Fantastic Four, not the characters Lee and Kirby created. But, so what! Movies based on comic books are obliged to follow the sweet heresy of cinema, not the dogma of fanboys. For the sake of a good story, deviations from the comic book gospel are inevitable and expected.

The problem with "Fantastic Four" is that very few of the deviations add up to a good story. The film's very impressive special effects shrink the plot and the characters to less-than-fantastic proportions.

	Twentieth Century Fox Sue (Jessica Alba), Reed (Ioan Gruffudd), Ben (Michael Chiklis) and Johnny (Chris Evans) contemplate their new-found powers. Click photo for larger image.

Again, the CGI technology doesn't exist that can capture the sheer dynamism and conceptual daring of the Lee/Kirby years. Kirby's drawing style will forever define what made the comic great for so long. That's why it was imperative that the writing be especially strong to span the gap between our imaginations and what we see on screen.

There's very little about the characters' motives in this film that resonate as well as they did in the comic book. Dr. Doom's over-the-top malignancy in particular manifests itself long before his board of directors tries to take his company from him. Screenwriter Mark Frost leaves too many balls of logical continuity in the air, so the film feels choppy despite its visual slickness.

That isn't to say that the movie is devoid of the fun and sense of adventure director Tim Story was striving mightily to achieve. While disappointing overall, "Fantastic Four" has stand-out performances by Evans as the Human Torch and Chiklis as his rock-skinned foil, the ever lovin' blue-eyed Thing. Their frequent scrapes and arguments are true to the spirit and the letter of the comics.

Story does a good job directing the action sequences, particularly those involving Dr. Doom, but he drops the ball completely when it comes to coaxing believable performances out of Alba as the Invisible Woman and Gruffudd as the elastic Mr. Fantastic. When the ex-lovers tussle over what went wrong in their relationship, it's nothing short of embarrassing.

	Twentieth Century Fox Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards) hangs in there with his super-flexibility during a battle against the evil Dr. Doom. Click photo for larger image.

Grwuffudd plays Mr. Fantastic as a cross between a dithering Phil Donahue and Plastic Man. At one point, Richards, who appears devoid of healthy levels of common sense and testosterone, tells the former love of his life that he thinks she and Doom make a great couple. The movie should've had less of this nonsense and more spectacle rooted in the use of their fantastic powers.

It's a bad sign when the first time we hear the Thing's signature catch phrase, "It's clobberin' time," it's coming out of the mouth of a prototype toy Johnny Storm wants to market for profit. Some of the double-entendres, especially those involving Mr. Fantastic's ability to "stretch any part of his body," are dumb enough to make true fans want to hide out in the Negative Zone for the rest of the movie.

On the positive side, Chiklis easily captures Ben Grimm's growling pathos, even under layers of latex rock, but he doesn't have enough opportunity to strut his stuff. The Thing's predicament should've been the heart of this movie, not a subplot.

"Fantastic Four" doesn't come together until well into the last act, when the team battles Dr. Doom on the streets of New York. There's almost enough well-choreographed chaos and drama in the last 20 minutes to make a hard-core fan forget most of what came before.

"Fantastic Four" isn't half as good as it could have been, but it is entertaining enough to make me want to check out the inevitable sequel. Fanboys can be overly critical when our heroes hit the big screen, but we're fanboys, nonetheless.