Fantastic Four

A reckless trip to another dimension transforms four friends into mutations who can stretch (Miles Teller), turn invisible (Kate Mara), burst into flame (Michael B. Jordan) and be indestructibly strong (Jamie Bell). Marvel Entertainment takes another stab at screening its first big comic-book success; the last one got off to a bad start in 2005 and flamed out (pun intended) after one sequel. This one starts off better (not hard), with a reasonably intelligent script (by Simon Kinberg, Jeremy Slater and Josh Trank), sprightly direction by Trank, a great comic-book noir look, and pleasant rapport among the stars (especially Teller and Bell). A 2017 sequel is already afoot; after that, we'll see if it catches on. The quartet's nemesis Dr. Doom (Toby Kebbell) is dispatched here, but he'll surely return. J.L.