Jason Statham's career isn't really going anywhere, as long as he keeps doing movies like this. Basically he's currently nothing more but the Steven Seagal of some slightly more expensive action movies. It comes down to it that he not only keeps showing up in the same type of movies but he also continues the same type of roles. Oh well, it's definitely something you could make a career out of but it's still a real shame, since Statham showed so much more potential, at the start of his career.

No, it's not like this movie is a bad one but it happens to be a very generic one and there's nothing special about it really. As a matter of fact, in some regards this is even a lesser movie than the average, modern, genre attempt.

As weird as it may sound, the movie is a bit overwritten. This movie had all the potential in it to become a very simplistic and straightforward revenge flick but the way the revenge plays out is far from interesting or exciting to watch really. It tries to take things a bit too serious, by adding pointless and distracting layers and developments to the story. instead of having some fun, the movie wants to be too serious and tries to be more clever with its story than it in fact truly is.

Also the Jennifer Lopez character for instance. When given the right sort of role, she is fine as an actress and she also is doing just fine in this movie but did the movie even needed to have her character in it? Seriously, she doesn't even show up until halfway through the movie and the movie so easily could had done without her plot line and character.

She gets in the way of a lot of things and for instance takes away the screen time from the movie its villains, who are truly hardly present in this movie at all. It's weird how the villains basically only show up in the beginning and end of the movie and it's even weirder to see Nick Nolte in a small, throwaway role. You expect him to play a bigger and more important role toward the end of the movie but no, as it turns out his role is nothing more but an extended cameo, that basically could had been played by just about everybody.

Yet it's not a terrible movie by any means. It remains perfectly watchable, mostly due to its pace and it of course still has some nice action moments, even though they are incredibly formulaic (really, how many more guys are we going to see hanging from a balcony in movies, after a fight?).

It's not terribly exciting, not terribly surprising and not terribly impressive but at least the movie itself isn't terrible to watch!

6/10

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A thief with a unique code of professional ethics is double-crossed by his crew and left for dead. Assuming a new disguise and forming an unlikely alliance with a woman on the inside, he looks to hijack the score of the crew's latest heist. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Taylor Hackford

Starring: Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis and others

Current release date: January 25, 2013

A thief lives by a code of honor that includes never stealing money from people who need it. From: IMDb.com

Directed by: Taylor Hackford

Starring: Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Michael Chiklis and others

Current release date: January 25, 2013

(Review originally written at 6 April 2008)

What I sometimes like about sequels is that they make seem that the film-makers have learned from their previous mistake during the last movie. This was previously for instance the case with the other superhero movies "X2", which was a better movie than "X-Men" and "Spider-Man 2", which was better than the first movie. This movie also learned from some of its mistakes it previous made in "Fantastic Four". Well, not all though.

What it definitely learned was that it needed some more fun in it. The movie is more entertaining to watch and there is some more comedy to enjoy as well this time.

Unfortunately the story is just as weak and gets also brought just as weak as was the case with the previous. The main plot just never gets developed good enough and the movie seems too much in love with its four main characters. The ending just also seems to come out of nowhere because of that, since how, when, why just never got explained good enough. Luckily it has the Silver Surfe in it this time, who still nice to spice up things.

There also is some more action but it also gives you the feeling it is not enough or it certainly isn't big enough.

The special effects have definitely been improved this time, which makes the movie more convincing to watch. Also the make-up for The Thing seemed to had been even more improved but Jessica Alba's chest on the other hand was still as distracting as ever, which is not a bad thing though.

Basically all the characters from the first movie return and then there are also some new additions to the cast this time. The Silver Surfer is a welcome addition and he is a good looking and also interesting character. But you can wonder if it was necessary for the movie to bring Dr. Doom back. You sort of feel that the only reason they included his character was because when was being hinted at a sequel, during the previous movie, it was hinted that his character had survived. But you can actually really wonder if his character for this movie really adds anything and was necessary at all.

Just basically some good simple fun, as long as your expectations for it aren't too high.

6/10

(Review originally written at 6 April 2008)

Even though this wasn't a real high quality movie, it was still one I enjoyed watching, despite the fact that it was lacking some fundamental needs for a good superhero/comic book movie.

"Fantastic Four" makes several mistakes. One is that it takes itself a bit too serious, which goes at the expense of the fun of the movie. It still entertains but it isn't halve the entertainment this movie potentially could had been. It also picks a too serious approach of being a superhero. The characters are all struggling with their powers and personal emotions but in this case we just couldn't care less for it. When you have a concept of having an human torch, an invisible girl, a rubber-man and a big massive thing, a serious and more emotional approach just doesn't work out.

But another real problem with this movie is its story. It's a terribly underwritten story in which basically very little interesting ever happens. At least not enough. You should expect some more fireworks from a superhero movie, especially from one with a main concept such as this one. Perhaps this movie got aimed too much toward young children? But if that was the case, then why wasn't there more fun included?

The build up also all seems wrong. For instance it seems to take forever for the transformation of Victor von Doom into Dr. Doom to take place, as if it's still a big surprising plot twist. You know from the start on; oh, that guy is going to be Dr. Doom and that guy The Thing and that girl Invisible Woman etcetera. As a direct result of this all, the ending also seems to come out of nowhere and the movie is over before things really start to take off. The movie could had done with some more in between action and an earlier introduction of the main villain and his evil scheme.

The special effects are passable but no way this, or the movie as a whole shows anywhere on screen that this movie got made with a $100,000,000. With that amount of movie you would had really expected some more fireworks and convincing looking effects.

Well good enough to watch but it suffers heavily from its weaknesses.

5/10