Fantastic Four (2005)

Fantastic Four (sometimes stylized as Fantastic 4) is a 2005 superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. It was directed by Tim Story and written by Mark Frost and Michael France. The film stars Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon, and Kerry Washington. The film follows the origins of the titular team as they learn to come to terms with their newfound abilities following their exposure to cosmic rays.

This was the second live-action Fantastic Four film to be produced. A previous attempt, titled The Fantastic Four, was a B movie produced by Roger Corman that ultimately went unreleased. Fantastic Four was released in the United States on July 8, 2005, by 20th Century Fox. The film received generally negative reviews from critics (though Evans and Chiklis's performances were praised), but has gone through some re-evaluation over the years after its release. The film grossed $333.5 million worldwide and was a box office success. A sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, was released in 2007. A reboot was released in 2015, while another, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), was released in 2025. Evans, who would portray Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), later reprised his role as Johnny Storm / Human Torch in the MCU film Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).