The Fantastic Four: First Steps
There is a lot of good things happening in the Fantastic Four: First Steps. Between Thunderbolts, Superman, and this, superhero fans are eating good this summer. Fantastic Four is the worst of those three movies, though, and as Jord and E mention, it’s that so much got stuffed into this two hour movie that some Things got neglected. There is shockingly little downtime spent with the Human Torch or the Thing, and even Invisible Woman or Mr. Fantastic to a degree that it feels like we barely get to know them, and the Thing’s case, his capabilities are barely depicted. That said, the larger story here is fun, and I think they nailed the casting. It’s kind of a rare treat that this story doesn’t directly have larger MCU implications, since it’s in a separate universe, but since we know the Fantastic Four will be in Avengers: Doomsday, it will be interesting to see if the characters can get further developed in a movie that will have a million characters. Galactus and Silver Surfer are awesome in all their screen time, and they did a good job of making Galactus feel like a real threat. If Marvel’s not back, they’re definitely cooking. Let ‘em.
-Z
I definitely enjoyed the vibe of this movie more than Superman, but, all things considered, they were similar enough in quality to earn the same score. This was very fun! I loved the retro futuristic world they built and the chance to meet some characters I was only ever familiar with through playing Marvel Snap. There were times where it felt like maybe this movie had been edited down too much - we really don’t get to know The Thing or Human Torch much as characters, which felt a little off here. I’m excited to see these characters return though!
-E
“I'm not sacrificing my son for this planet, but I won't sacrifice this planet for my son.” -Sue Storm
Marvel is back? Depending on who you talk to, you may get different answers. I do think it is moving in the right direction with this and Thunderbolts, but this was my 3rd favorite superhero film this year after Thunderbolts and Superman. I had a hard time at first putting my finger on what the issue was for me, but I think I landed on it. It seemed very choppy and despite having a lot to say, I feel like it said nothing. We didn't get to spend enough time with any of the characters, despite me loving the entire cast. The world was great also along with some visuals that finally looked good! Overall it is a good film, but it was just that: good.
-J
