Spoilers The Fantastic Four: First Steps grade and discussion thread

[Corran Horn]

Initially coming out the theater I liked it, but as I was thinking about it some more I didn't love it. There was strong chemistry between the fantastic four so that was a huge plus and I really liked the Silver Surfer character. Also, the 60s aesthetic was probably the best part of the film, not to mention a great score that gave it a classic feel.

The reason I didn't love it I will put in spoiler code. I'm coming at this from a non-comic reader so what I'm about to say is probably not what the filmmakers are going for or not what is in the comics.

Spoiler

I wonder if Marvel is coming down with Cliffhanger syndrome. What I mean is a pet peeve that I've had in the past is you have a cliffhanger and then when the show comes back from hiatus, that cliffhanger is solved in the first minute or 2. As someone who has watched a lot of Marvel properties in the last two months, I'm starting to get a little frustrated that none of these end credit scenes will pay off. When I came out of Thunderbolts*, that end credit scene got me excited for Fantastic 4. Coming out of Fantastic Four, I wish we had a scene that was the Thunderbolts* sequence from the other side. The New Avengers sees the Fantasic 4 ship, but how about a hit of the Fantastic 4 ship seeing the New Avengers. I'm assuming they put Galactus and Silver Surfer into our universe setting up Doomsday, but I worry that all the end credit scenes I've seen won't really amount to much. I guess that was Doom at the end, but I have no idea who that is so it didn't really mean that much to me. I just wanted to be as excited as I was coming into this movie and feel a little let down that I wasn't. It didn't ruin the movie for me, but thinking about it in the car, there wasn't much to this movie that was mysterious or really progressing forward. It was meeting the fantastic family, whetting the appitite for Galactus and finding what what the Baby can do. I guess I expected a little more whetting?

I'll be fair and give this movie a B.

I think movies must be able to live without staying after the credits at all and I feel this one did. They're certainly moving away from "you must see X to get Y."

Spoiler: spoilers for end of FF

I came away from it as you say thinking that there's a lot of Heavy Lifting to get the FF into the 616 universe and that will all have to be plowed into the next Avengers movie which seems like a lot of burden without it being an FF movie overall.

 

[Saul]

Came back from the theater a few hours ago. I liked it but honestly I feel like it needed something more. There is so much expectation on how Marvel would do Fantastic 4 and I think I fell into the idea that they would have this nailed and it would blow everything else away. I love Matt Shakman's Wanda Vision so I guess I was expecting a bit more family drama. I feel the movie is fighting with itself, trying to be a big marvel summer movie and trying to be dramatic film making. But I don't think it really succeeds at either because it's trying to be both. The cast chemistry was just alright. They definitely don't have the same intensity as the Superman cast did.

Ultimately, I think they played it too safe as marvel is inclined to do.

I'm at the theater. When they gave me my choice of seat, I noticed that seat F4 was available, and you better believe that that's the one that I took.

Nerd!

Also, why didn't I think of that?

. Also, the 60s aesthetic was probably the best part of the film, not to mention a great score that gave it a classic feel.

That's also my favorite aspect of the movie. It's like the 60's vision of the future brought to life.

 

[tomalak301]

I think movies must be able to live without staying after the credits at all and I feel this one did. They're certainly moving away from "you must see X to get Y."

Spoiler: spoilers for end of FF

I came away from it as you say thinking that there's a lot of Heavy Lifting to get the FF into the 616 universe and that will all have to be plowed into the next Avengers movie which seems like a lot of burden without it being an FF movie overall.

Spoiler

I would welcome that change because I do think the MCU has spread itself too thin. It's just in the moment after seeing Thunderbolts and that scene, I expected Fantastic 4 to connect to that scene somehow and it didn't. I also agree with you that it feels like the first half of Avengers Doomsday will be a lot of set up. They don't have many Marvel things coming up (I think the biggest is the new Spiderman movie) but having some kind of bridge to connect FF/Thunderbolts/Brave New World to directly set up Doomsday might have been beneficial.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I don't see how it's any different from phase 1 where every single movie had a post credit scene that connected to Avengers but none of them connected to each other.

 

[Noname Given]

Big FF fan myself. It's the group that got me into reading Marvel Comics as a kid in the late 60s early 70s.

I honestly thought the two FOX FF films were okay - and hell even Roger Cormans take had some decent moments but I've NEVER been able to actually fully sit thorough the 2015 disaster.

Been waiting for the MCU take on the Fantastic Four ever since Disney announced they had the film rights from FOX.

Seeing it tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon at 3:30 PM and have been avoiding any spoilers as much as possible (Hell, the Thunderbolts post credit bit pissed me off as even though it was somewhat known/rumored - I wanted to see it as part of the MCU FF film first, dammit! )

Cautiously optimistic from the non-spoiler comments that I've seem - BUT:

They BETTER have some musical cue from the 1967 HB FF cartoon series SOMEWHERE in that film:

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Or yeah, I'll be both annoyed and a bit disappointed...

 

[Saul]

So many of you are seeing the movie on Saturday. What's going on here? Is there a party happening Friday night?

 

[Turtletrekker]

Box Office: ‘Fantastic Four: First Steps’ Makes $24.4 Million in Previews, Beating ‘Superman’ for Biggest of 2025

'Fantastic Four: First Steps' makes $24.4 million at the box office in previews.

variety.com

 

[Mage]

So many of you are seeing the movie on Saturday. What's going on here? Is there a party happening Friday night?

Work. Friends that work. Like..... life. I'm saying on Sunday, because my movie buddy also has all of the above and she can't make it till then either.

 

[Caretaker]

I give it a B. I hope to rewatch it again at some point (I saw it Thursday night in IMAX) soon. Maybe I'll change my ranking now knowing how things play out. I actually enjoyed all the character development and talking elements more than the final battle. I did enjoy the whole trip into space sequence - and seeing the Timely Comics office in the background near the end of the film.

One thing: No matter what you do, Reed's powers will always look goofy or unnatural in live action. People just need to accept it. Vanessa Kirby really knocked it out of the park. And now we have the wild card element of Franklin Richards - I just hope they don't power him up too quickly (something I felt the MCU did with The Scarlet Witch).

After spending a few weeks burning through Poker Face it was nice to see Natasha Lyonne in a quite different role.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I just got out. Not sure how to say it, I love the retro look which is right up my alley. But there is this a feeling of flat emotional detachment through most of the movie. Not sure if it’s the direction and acting. Other than a huge emotional outburst in major moment towards the end, there is coldness to whole thing. Like watching a long video game. As great as the retro style is, the fantastical nature of everything makes it all feel fake. It’s not the 60s or now… it’s artificial.

 

[JD]

I saw it this morning and I enjoyed it. It wasn't a mind blowing masterpiece, but it was good. I thought the whole cast did a great job, and as a FF fan I thought the movie did a fantastic job of bringing the capturing the characters personalities and everything. It didn't have quite as much action as I was expecting, but it really didn't need it, and what action was in it was pretty cool. I loved the whole retro-futuristic '60 aesthetic to the whole thing. Oh and I was actually wrong about who Natasha Lyone was playing, I've never heard of her character.
I gave it an A

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Overall, The Fantastic Four: First Steps easily transformed all previous live-action versions into more glaring failures of source perception, casting, and understanding the purpose of the original concept and its place in comic book culture. The MCU FF was by no means a perfect adaptation, as it was clear it had to take some present-day approaches to adapting this concept while setting it in that frankly beautiful retro world (more on that in a moment). Above the impact on audience of a certain threat, the interplay of the FF was a winner--they actually felt like they had been around each other in life, which made their reactions in their struggle feel like that of consequence, particularly during the final act. Granted, some may view the fate of Galactus as a cheat, as is quite certain he will be granted a second round, so to speak.

Yes, the credits scene was known, thus the FF will be mainlined into two future films, but to be honest, I would've preferred a second FF movie as I felt the concept requires it to give audiences another look at the the way this team operates against some of the most dangerous of their rogues' gallery, and of course, exploring / buidling more of the family side which was one of the key hallmarks of the comic book's greatest period (roughly 1961 - 1975). Apparently, that's not going to happen, since the next time the FF will be seen in in Avengers: Doomsday set for a December, 2026 release.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps was a strong entry, whether one judges it on its own merits, or compares it to the other 2025 superhero movies, which ranged from underwhelming to awful / misguided.

GRADE: B.

Cautiously optimistic from the non-spoiler comments that I've seem - BUT:

They BETTER have some musical cue from the 1967 HB FF cartoon series SOMEWHERE in that film:

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Or yeah, I'll be both annoyed and a bit disappointed...

Now, that you mentioned it, I will add that the 1967 Hanna-Barbera animated series remains the most faithful adaptation to date, yet The Fantastic Four: First Steps still made an effortless leap to second place on the list of FF adaptations.

 

[Mudd]

Saw it in IMAX and 3D.

It was pretty good. It wasn't much like other Marvel movies, which is good in this case. The effects were much better than one expects from a superhero movie.

Outstanding trailer for the new Avatar before the movie.

 

[Saul]

Other than a huge emotional outburst in major moment towards the end, there is coldness to whole thing.

I agree. But I don't know the comics well enough to know if that's how the characters are supposed to be. Reed in particular has never felt like a fun character to have around.

Granted, some may view the fate of Galactus as a cheat, as is quite certain he will be granted a second round, so to speak.

Which I'm glad about. I'd hate for Galactus to be a one and done villain. He's more of an Avengers level baddie.

 

[DarthTimon]

Hot on the heels of DC’s critically acclaimed Superman comes Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps. Having had a string of inconsistent movies and hit-n-miss TV shows, Marvel will have noted the strength of Superman. They know they need to rediscover their A game. Thunderbolts* was a strong step in that direction, but First Steps represents the first time the MCU has gone head-to-head with the DCU. Have Marvel raised their game?

The answer, at least to this meerkat, is more or less yes. First Steps folds Marvel’s First Family into the MCU in an organic fashion, with tremendous strength found in character moments, and it doesn’t fall into the familiar trap of subverting emotional moments with too much brevity. Despite this, the film also manages to be fun, never taking itself tooseriously, whilst building some potent stakes.

The special effects – something Marvel have suffered criticism over in recent years – are as crisp and detailed as any prior MCU effort. In particular, Ben Grimm (the Thing), the Silver Surfer, and of course Galactus all look incredible. Whereas Marvel have rushed out certain films (Quantumania, I’m looking at you in particular), the time spent focusing on building the characters, setting and story of First Steps has clearly paid off.

My only real criticism is that I would have liked more of Galactus. He is an inescapable presence whenever he is on screen, casting a huge literal and figurative shadow. Other than that, I was engrossed from start to finish.

As I alluded to before, the character moments are what define this movie. The small details, such as the playful needling that Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm (the Human Torch) indulge in with one another, and the the warm friendship between Reed Richards (Mr Fantastic) and Ben, remind us throughout the film that this movie is centred around family. Nowhere is this more evident than in the desire of Reed and Sue (the Invisible Woman) to protect their son, and that protective love is also found in Ben and Johnny. In fact, in all the interactions between the Fantastic Four, it is clear they have strong bonds to one another, a factor that is perhaps their greatest strength.

Swinging back to Galactus, he’s a fascinating villain, not least because he is not motivated by greed, or anger, but rather by an insatiable hunger. His need to consume worlds is what drives him, along with a wish to rid himself of his curse. I hope we see more of him in the future. His herald, the Silver Surfer, is a formidable weapon, driven by her guilt, and desire to protect those whom she loves.

Everyone knocks it out of the park performance-wise. I was not initially convinced about Pedro Pascal as Reed, but I’m sold now. If Marvel can keep up this level of production, and take this level of care with all their projects, then we can expect to feast on some epic, glorious films.

10/10

 

[John Clark]

Work. Friends that work. Like..... life. I'm saying on Sunday, because my movie buddy also has all of the above and she can't make it till then either.

Same for me. All booked in for the first showing tomorrow

 

[Guy Gardener]

I'm used to more friction between Ben and Johnny.

I suppose Ben needed a non-Alicia love interest on the wrong Earth, or is he just going to chase this interchangeable woman's doppelganger once they get to 616?

 

[Dick Whitman]

I just got out. Not sure how to say it, I love the retro look which is right up my alley. But there is this a feeling of flat emotional detachment through most of the movie. Not sure if it’s the direction and acting. Other than a huge emotional outburst in major moment towards the end, there is coldness to whole thing. Like watching a long video game. As great as the retro style is, the fantastical nature of everything makes it all feel fake. It’s not the 60s or now… it’s artificial.

To follow to on this I am not sure how I felt about otherwise. I only have cliffnotes knowledge of the characters. Seen very little of this cast in anything else. Being lazy use character names. Sue is fantastic! Reed sorry but he seems hard to place opinion on him. As cool as Ben should be seems too average. Honestly Johnny the whole time felt fake. Accent and hair. Like he stepped out of modern world.

 

[Mudd]

The early storyline with Alicia was that she didn't judge Ben by his appearance because she couldn't see (but did like the "strength" of his face when she used her hands to examine it) and could therefore be attracted to him. I imagine the writers just thought the conceit was a little parochial now.

One thing I liked about the characterization was that they were comfortable with playing many aspects as subtext. Ben's deep loneliness and discomfort with what's happened to him, for instance, is suggested but not spoken of. The writers show trust in the audience.

 

[Guy Gardener]

The early storyline with Alicia was that she didn't judge Ben by his appearance because she couldn't see (but did like the "strength" of his face when she used her hands to examine it) and could therefore be attracted to him. I imagine the writers just thought the conceit was a little parochial now.

One thing I liked about the characterization was that they were comfortable with playing many aspects as subtext. Ben's deep loneliness and discomfort with what's happened to him, for instance, is suggested but not spoken of. The writers show trust in the audience.

Alicia marries Johnny Storm in the comics.

Two guys and a girl is a true and tested cornerstone to literature.

People Magazine has named Michael B Jordan and Chris Evans "The most sexiest man in the world." I guess the ball is in Joseph Quinn's court next.