I must admit that 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)' left me a little underwhelmed. Despite taking place in a retro-futuristic pocket universe separate to the rest of the MCU, the theoretically bright and colourful picture just lacks a genuine sense of wonder and is oddly dull considering how delightfully odd some parts of its world are. It doesn't really have any pep, any zip or zeal. It's a very paint-by-numbers effort that may be the first truly insular Marvel movie since 'Iron Man (2008)', but is still undeniably a generic superhero blockbuster. It feels very small and insignificant in some ways, despite its literally world-ending stakes and a powerful potential personal loss hovering over the eponymous four, and a lot of it just feels like highly produced fan fiction to me. Much of that feeling comes from the fact that, despite individually being confident and charismatic actors, the cast never quite gel together, their chemistry constantly seeming performative rather than natural. Pedro Pascal isn't quite what I think of when I think of Reed Richards, for example, and he's strangely flat here given how magnetically charming he is in real life. Vanessa Kirby gives her character more depth and dignity than we're used to (it's ironic that The Invisible Woman is arguably the most visible female character in any of Marvel's ensembles, although Yelena is also strong and complex lead), but she doesn't get anything meaty to chew on despite there being quite an emotionally draining central conflict she's directly involved in. Joseph Quinn isn't quite as quippy and delightfully jerk-ish as I'd expect, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach isn't afforded any opportunity of an arc thanks to the story's post-accident setting. Really, two of the four eponymous teammates feel like they're just there for decoration, and the two that get more focus mostly come across as lifeless and uninteresting. That's perhaps not entirely fair, but I can't deny that the flick fails to move me in any real way and that its underlying themes are so subtle they barley register. It isn't really about anything, nor do its characters go on any meaningful arcs, and it doesn't live up to the campy potential of its setting or source material. We could really do with something that isn't so self-serious from Marvel, something with a notably different tone and comedy that isn't based around meek quips you can see coming a mile away. This isn't that, though. For all its promises of being its own thing, it's devastatingly homogeneous. The thing is, though, that the movie isn't as bad as I've made it seem. It doesn't really get going until an exciting sequence set in space shakes the dust off and acts as the highlight of the entire affair, showcasing the formidable prowess of Julia Garner's Shalla-Bal (who makes Ralph Ineson's sedentary Galactus seem even less interesting than he already does) and easily putting you on the edge of your seat. The finale is also entertaining in its own generic way, essentially staying just one step ahead of the customary 'giant beam in the sky' ending by having said beam be a big bloke with a booming voice. It presents the a compelling use of its characters' powers, combining them in enjoyable ways and really seeming to push their relatively restrained abilities to the limit. Most of the fantastic four's crime fighting is restricted to an opening montage that features snippets of showdowns far more interesting, albeit less 'important', than the one they're involved with for the duration of the plot, but the midsection of the movie is fairly fun in its depiction of its alternative-world science bringing every nation on the planet together. So, like I said, this isn't a bad film. It's just much a more middle-of-the-road experience than I'd like it to be, and that saps all the excitement out of both it and the thought that this team is going to be a major player in the MCU going forwards. It certainly isn't fantastic, let's put it like that. It's fun enough for what it is, though, and I'd probably say it's better than 'Captain America: Brave New World (2025)' now that I've had a bit of time to reflect on that film (it's nowhere near as strong an effort as 'Thunderbolts* (2025)', however). At this point, I don't quite know if "good enough" is good enough, especially considering that Marvel have been sort of floundering post 'Avengers: Endgame (2019)' and need to get back on track in time for their next big crossover event (which is unlikely now). For example, this pales in comparison to the sheer fun and emotional resonance of 'Superman (2025)', which is perhaps the first time in over ten years that DC have genuinely bested Marvel. As its own thing, it's a perfectly fine and often fairly fun superhero movie that conforms to its genre but is comfortable because of it. As Marvel's Hail Mary to get people back on board in time for 'Avengers: Doomsday (2026)', it doesn't cut the mustard.
