TheCinemaRoom24

If at first you don't succeed, try again from scratch. That seemed to be the moniker of James Gunn with him at the helm of the new and improved DC Universe. The former universe had its ups but mostly its downs. With this new world ready to be unleashed, so are the floodgates of the comic book fans who are looking for a triumph and the Snyder crybabies that cannot accept that the Snyderverse is dead and buried.

While the original Superman movies didn't resonate with me entirely, I respect them for the time they were released. The same could not be said for The Quest for Peace which I admittedly and thankfully slept through. Man of Steel was a rock solid film even if I wasn't fully behind the overall execution.

With that being said, James Gunn seemed to finally crack the code of what makes Superman, well super. A film with a glowing beaming ray of hope. This is a faithful pitch perfect comic book film to a tee and a wonderful start to a hopefully successful universal endeavor.

David Cornswet elevates himself into lead role status as Clark Kent/ Superman and his essence of the character was practically spot on. His chemistry with Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane felt very genuine especially during a well written interview scene where Lois interviews Superman about legal and ethical issues in her apartment. She also doesn't just report on the sidelines waiting to be captured by the main villain, she actually does things in an effort to help which also felt refreshing.

Nicholas Hoult's spin on Lex Luthor is relentlessly evil and the low dark depths this character sinks to make Superman the enemy in all of this was great. While he has quite a few motivations that you can pinpoint, the one they ended up with in the turning point actually made me more invested than I would have been.

Gunn has also been doing a great job of inserting lesser known heroes into his films that would later go on to be beloved characters (Guardians of the Galaxy, and Peacemaker), and I'm hoping the same is going to go the same way with Mister Terrific. He has the best action sequence of the whole film. And I was also happy to find out that James Gunn decided to sidestep Superman's origin story and just throw us right into this new universe. This could be a detriment to some as they feel like they are running to catch up. But I didn't feel like that at all.

When it comes to adapting The Fantastic Four for the big screen, there have been 4 previous failed attempts (including the unreleased 1994 rights retaining film). So with the bar already pretty low, the MCU had a big challenge not only in these characters' interpretation but also the step off entry for Phase 6. Because if even Marvel Studios couldn't faithfully adapt this family for the silver screen, then no one honestly can. And I'm happy to report that I really enjoyed First Steps.

What's really refreshing about the film is that you can jump into this movie without prior MCU knowledge as this film stands on its own in Earth 828 (numbers used as an homage to Jack Kirby's DOB). Even with the aesthetics of the 1960's, director Matt Shakman throws us into an intrepid and exciting universe with little time spent on the Fantastic Four's origin story. The origin story still gets the exposition hand out there but within the confines of a news montage celebrating the team's heroics early on.

The Fantastic Four here, feel very fleshed out and realized with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss Bachrach's portrayals all uniformly coexisting with excellent banter that the other films tried but skipped out on. Their family dynamics are also on full display in the both quieter moments and the action sequences.

Galactus was the character I was the most worried about. Because thai could have easily been another MODOK situation. Thankfully that's not the case as Ralph Ineson's iteration as the planet harvester. For one, he's not a damn cloud, and two he is very menacing and can cause some serious damage. His herald Silver Surfer is also great and has the best action sequence in the whole film.

The music from Michael Giacchino is great as well as another great superhero score. Alongside the brooding tune for The Batman, his cheery tune for the Fantastic Four is instantly synonymous with them and recognizable.

With Thunderbolts, Superman and now Fantastic Four First Steps, I feel more hopeful than ever before for superhero flicks especially with Marvel back on their winning streak and DC starting their fresh new universe.

Damn, this movie still bangs even more so on a second watch. The trio of Rumi, Mira and Zoey make for fun and zany characters with great energetic expressions for all of them. The characters designs for these singers and even their outfits are also impressive. The songs are slowly starting to get drilled into my head. Been thinking about the awesome songs especially How Its Done, Golden, and Takedown. Would love to see another film or perhaps maybe a series with the same effort. Love that this once is making the waves and getting the attention and love it rightfully deserves.