ROGER CORMAN PRESENTS 'THE FANTASTIC FOUR' REBECCA STAAB

Roger Corman Presented The Fantastic Four from 1994

The unaired Roger Corman FANTASTIC FOUR television-movie stars Alex Hyde-White as the brainy and ambitious Dr. Reed Richards, who, along with fellow collegiate Victor Von Doom, attempt an experiment scarring Victor while sparing Richards...

A decade later, scientist-astronaut Richards is joined by Johnny Storm, an over-the-top Jay Underwood, and the gorgeous Rebecca Staab as his sister, Susan, whose childhood crush on Richards becomes instantly mutual. Ben Grimm aka Thing is portrayed with brawny charm by Michael Baily Smith. And once in space they're pummeled with cosmic rays, crash land on earth, and have thus acquired superpowers: Richards is a human rubber band; Johnny flings fireballs; Susan can become invisible; and Grimm’s turned into that super-cool brick-layered Thing.

Rebecca Staab rocks FANTASTIC FOUR Rates: **1/2

Unfortunately, there are lame and intrusive side-characters like a band of thieving, freakish thugs resembling rejects from a Saturday Morning Krofft show, led by the now black-masked Dr. Doom, all given too much screen time while our titular leads, and their particular skills, are used less than sporadically until the rushed climax's action-packed cram session...

Since the entire movie feels like an extended first issue of a comic book, perhaps a sequel would've provided more of what, and who, this tale's all about. Either way, Reed Richards and Susan Storm have terrific chemistry: Rebecca Staab's as intense and assertive as she's beautiful, and Alex Hyde-White digs doing Shakespeare...

Meanwhile, fan-favorite Thing is a capable sympathetic hero. The Human Torch, eventually morphing into animation, looks neat enough as he battles a giant laser. But all this should have occurred less than halfway through to successfully live up to its title. It's hard to be truly FANTASTIC with so many distractions, making this enigmatic curio more mysteriously famous (or perhaps awesomely infamous) by the fact it was scrapped from being aired, therefore acquiring a martyred sense of blacklisted cult status. Call it THE FANTASTIC FOUR HOLIDAY SPECIAL and you wouldn't be far off... as far as legacy goes. For quality, it's of course much better. But either getting genuine DVD or Blu Ray treatment is far, far away.

Rebecca Staab as Cheryl in LOVE POTION NO. 9 with Tate Donovan

Rebecca Staab as Cheryl the Farfegnugen Girl from LOVE POTION NO. 9

Capture taken long ago for the Cult Film Freak Rebecca Staab Podcast Slideshow