The Fantastic Four: First Steps 2025
The previews for this didn't look great, but the movie got pretty decent reviews and had a big first weekend at the box office, so why not? Like Superman, given that this is a reboot of a series, they skip the origin story and we catch the Fantastic 4 just as a new catastrophe from space sets itself upon the earth. They miss out on a lot of the fun of having an origin story and experimenting with newfound superpowers, but it isn't replaced with much. These characters are just bland. Other than the lead 2 of the 4, played by Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby, there is minimal character development. Even with that couple, the focus is on their kind of mundane personal lives as they prepare for the arrival of a baby, which offers limited character development. The other two are primarily sidekicks, plus an obnoxious robot. It feels very tired and worn out. The 1960s era sci-fi production design is neat but can't carry a movie. Soon they are up against aliens that they should have no chance of defeating. The whole thing seemed extremely implausible. I will say that all of this probably stays true to the comic book series, but it only goes to show how comic books can't directly translate into good movies. There is a mid-credit scene worth staying for, but the bitter end scene is just some stuff from the Fantastic 4 cartoon that is shown in the movie and adds very little.
Written: 29 Jul 2025