“Fantastic Four” is the story of four teenagers who get superpowers after an accident involving interdimensional travel and poor decision making. It’s based on the Marvel Comics series The Fantastic Four. The four are Reed Richards, the nerdy, funny, and adorable main character; Sue Storm, the emotionally distant and sarcastic love interest; Johnny Storm, the overly serious, not-reckless-enough bad boy; and Ben Grimm, the had-little-to-no-screen-time, was-totally-misrepresented best friend.

To start off, let me say that I think it’s too soon for a Fantastic Four reboot, because I loved the 2005 movie version. Most reboots from the past year or so have been pretty good (“The Amazing Spider-Man,” anyone?). But this didn’t live up to those standards.

First off, the plot is really wonky with its time distribution. The setup (introduction of characters and problem) takes about half the time, and the action (the part you’re paying to watch –  it is a superhero movie after all) takes about ten. The villain (Toby Kebbell, as Dr. Doom, who is overrated, really) isn’t introduced until three-quarters of the way through, and he’s poorly written and unbelievable.

The Fantastic Four are also misrepresented. Reed Richards (Miles Teller), who is supposed to be overtly nerdy, is really just cute, with everyone else seeming to be doing the work. Sue Storm (Kate Mara) is nothing more than the sister and the love interest, although she is supposed to be a strong heroine on whom the team relies. Here, though, she barely does any heroics. And then there’s Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan). The way he’s portrayed here is different from how I imagine most of us see him. Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm in the 2005 movie was a goofball and a womanizer, but in the new movie, he’s really just a second Reed Richards. Finally, Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell), the last hero, is just portrayed badly. He completely relies on Reed with no will of his own. Ben is supposed to go through an arc of accepting his new status, but that never happens, which is disappointing.

Marvel Manics have come to expect humor in Marvel movies. In “Fantastic Four,” there are attempts at jokes, but none are memorable. This is so dark it almost seems like a DC movie.

Overall, this movie is a disappointment. There are a few gems (I liked that Sue was adopted; it gave way for a possible subplot), but very few. If you still want to watch it, I would suggest Netflix and not wasting your money buying it.