I Fantastici 4 - Gli Inizi

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.

Visually, this film was a standout with stunning cinematography, impressive CGI, and a unique retro aesthetic that felt refreshingly different from the usual superhero fare. The story was fairly basic and the short runtime didn't allow enough depth to fully explore the villain's motivations. The casting was nearly perfect, with every actor bringing their character to life in a way that made you love the team not just as a whole but as individuals. Overall, I'd rate it a solid 7.2 out of 10. It's a fun, visually rich ride and I'm genuinely excited to see where the story goes next. The post-credit scene was a 9 out of 10, one of the most dramatic and thrilling I've seen in years.

The movie was bland. Story and action both were meh.. As a fan of the superhero genre I was hugely disappointed both by the movie and by the critics hyping it up.

You hardly see anything "heroic" being done that gets your heart pumping nor are you invested in any of the Fantastic Four. The power scaling makes zero sense at different parts of the movie, Galactus is nerfed to the max (to the point of being silly) and this universe has the stupidest / most gullible NPCs ever. This is exactly how the conversation goes with them, NPCs - "oh no the world is going to end, you can't save us" F4 - "we will save you don't worry" NPCs - (panic over and tears in their eyes) "ok"

Save the money, buy something on the Steam sale. I left before end credits.

The movie is set in the 1960s, and I really liked the retro vibe. The visuals, costumes, and music all felt fresh and different from other Marvel movies. Pedro Pascal did a solid job as Reed Richards, and Vanessa Kirby was great as Sue Storm.

The story was okay, nothing too deep. It felt more like an introduction to the characters than a full, exciting story. There wasn't a strong villain presence either-Galactus didn't feel dangerous at all, and Silver Surfer barely had any screen time.

There were a few fun moments and some nice character scenes, but the pacing was off sometimes. Parts of the film felt slow or a bit disconnected. Not much tension or emotion overall.

In short: it's a decent movie to kick off the new Fantastic Four era, but nothing special. I'm curious to see what comes next, but this one didn't blow me away.

Fantastic Four has always been a big lift. The characters, by design, are a real eclectic cast of archetypes. They finally felt like living, breathing humans and the underlying themes of raising a child in uncertain times struck all the right chords. They're finally making comic book movies for grown ups with mature writing & character sensibilities. I would have loved to see a little slower of a pace and got to spend more time with these characters, but was happy to see a bit of multi-dimensionality for each of them. I also found them very inspiring characterizations. They didn't always have the answers, but they kept trying and fighting. I really loved it and it's my favorite Marvel movie I've seen in a while.