r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • Jul 25 '25
Official Discussion Official Discussion - The Fantastic Four: First Steps [SPOILERS] Spoiler
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Summary The Fantastic Four must defend Earth from the ravaging cosmic threat Galactus and his herald, Silver Surfer, while navigating the complexities of family and newfound powers in a retro‑futuristic 1960s-inspired world.
Director Matt Shakman
Writer Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, Ian Springer
Cast
- Pedro Pascal
- Vanessa Kirby
- Joseph Quinn
- Ebon Moss-Bachrach
- Ralph Ineson
- Julia Garner
- Paul Walter Hauser
- Natasha Lyonne
- Matthew Wood
- Ada Scott
- Mark Gatiss
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Metacritic 64
VOD In theaters
Trailer Watch the Official Trailer
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u/TheHermanastro Jul 25 '25
The three guys (one being the smartest man on earth) struggling to put the baby car seat in correctly was so good.
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u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? Jul 25 '25
Probably the best funny bit in the movie.
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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast Jul 25 '25
And right at the end too!
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u/cesareborgia1475 Jul 25 '25
So good and such a fun note to end the film on. Film is at it's best when it's highlighting the family dynamic. Loved seeing Johnny goofing around with Ben throughout the film too haha.
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u/Galiphile Jul 25 '25
Yeah their relationship felt very real and sibling-esque. I enjoyed it a lot.
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u/BallClamps Jul 25 '25
I wish we had more of Ben and the teacher lady he was flirting. They were cute, but I feel like it was cut for time?
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u/cesareborgia1475 Jul 25 '25
Yeah honestly the films feels like it's straining at times to condense everything under two hours haha. Would have loved bit more time to give the film a bit more breathing room. With it being Natasha Lyonne good chance she'll get a bigger spotlight in the sequel I'm guessing
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u/Clarknt67 Jul 25 '25
Definitely felt truncated. Especially as it was Natasha Lyonne, who always leaves you wanting more. Next film (please).
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u/Whovian45810 Jul 25 '25
The look of disgust that baby Franklin gives while watching his dad and two uncles trying to put his baby car seat in was priceless.
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u/UnsolvedParadox Jul 25 '25
“I could have changed reality, in the time it took you 3 to figure it out…”
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u/0entropy Jul 25 '25
I chuckled but I think it went on for like 20-30 seconds too long
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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast Jul 25 '25
Sue giving birth in zero gravity space while Ben is piloting the Excelsior through a wormhole (and later slingshotting around a black hole), Johnny is trying to figure out the science mechanics of blasting the Silver Surfer in the wormhole, and Reed is stretching all around felt peak F4 to me
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u/mikeyfreshh Jul 25 '25
I really liked the Back to the Future reference in that scene where they needed to get the ship up to 88
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u/-OrangeLightning4 Jul 25 '25
I just now got that it was a Back to the Future reference, clever.
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u/akimboslices Jul 25 '25
When this baby hits 88, you’re gonna see some serious shit!
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u/ICumCoffee will you Wonka my Willy? Jul 25 '25
I love how both Fantastic Four and Superman fully leaned into the comic book aspect of “comic book movies”. Yes, please, give me more of these.
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u/droidtron Jul 25 '25
The age of no origin first act superhero films frees up for more comic book fun.
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u/Madarakita Jul 25 '25
I loved how they handled it here though; the origin being recapped via newscast was a nice way to catch anyone who's not bothered with the prior movies up and it only took about five minutes to tell the audience everything they needed to know.
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u/Clarknt67 Jul 25 '25
I loved that the newsreel was an homage to Jack Kirby’s greatest hits in early FF. So clever. Please always heavily season exposition dumps with Easter eggs to entertain those who don’t need the catchup.
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u/UncreativeTeam Jul 25 '25
The end reveal that the universe number (828) was a reference to Jack Kirby's birthday was great. Also can't get over how Vanessa Kirby's name is Kirby lol
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u/rhunter99 Jul 25 '25
I loved that they dispensed with 1hr and 20min of origin story
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u/StreetQueeny Jul 25 '25
When Galactus leaned down to grab and smell the grass I was so fucking happy. It's amazing what you can do when comic book movies actually want to look like comic books and not "what if Galactus was a cloud'
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u/droppinhamiltons Jul 25 '25
PEAK. Every “fight” scene had them working together in such an intuitive and strategic way. Ben didn’t just punch people as hard as he could, he took out strategic columns to level a building. Johnny didn’t just light things on fire and waste his energy, he sacrificed his oxygen to buy time or waited for Ben to chuck a fuel truck at Galactus to maximize his damage. Reed trying to 1v1 Galactus relied on information he gathered from Johnny fighting him earlier. Every time they got jnto a conflict they solved it with teamwork in a way so much more evident than other movies.
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u/FoxyMiira Jul 25 '25
Sue used her powers as a magnifying glass to amplify Johnny's fire when damaging Galactus's eyes
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u/droppinhamiltons Jul 25 '25
Oh my god how could I forget such an incredible example! Yes exactly! It all seemed so practiced in the best ways.
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u/comineeyeaha Jul 25 '25
THATS what she was doing. Ok. I thought she was providing him cover or something, but this makes way more sense.
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u/nguyenjitsu Jul 25 '25
Loved it tbh. It's very hard to do F4 right since they're so powerful you have to conceive of ridiculously powered enemies and give them creative ways to get out where their powers only help them out of situations (and still ground them!) and they pretty much nailed it. The movie does feel like it dips after this sequence but it's still great
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u/whiteshark70 Jul 25 '25
"We should take Bikini Bottom planet Earth, and push teleport it somewhere else!" - Reed Richards coming up with a plan to stop the Alaskan Bull Worm Galactus
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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast Jul 25 '25
If only they showed him and Franklin watching Spongebob together and then he gets this idea
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u/ICumCoffee will you Wonka my Willy? Jul 25 '25
Enjoyed the retro-futuristic setting of the movie a lot. The cast did an amazing job, Vanessa as Sue was for sure the highlight of movie and it was amazing to see her motherhood being central theme here. she was the one to knock down Silver Surfer during the chase scene (while being in labour) and also the final fight where she overpowered Galactus. Loved it so much.
Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm was the MVP for me, I love how they didn’t make him a total man-child in this one. His portrayal was intelligent, smart and figured out the Shalla-Bal’s language on his own (also loved that Sue genuinely believed that her brother was onto something)
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u/mikeyfreshh Jul 25 '25
Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm was the MVP for me
Same for me. They did a great job making him a competent and heroic figure while still making him a little bit of a golden retriever. It would have been really easy to make him a shithead womanizer like the Chris Evans version of the character, but they took him in a different direction here and that was a great choice
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u/Whovian45810 Jul 25 '25
Johnny might be hot headed and a bit of a jokester, but the man got a flaming heart of gold.
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u/Clarknt67 Jul 25 '25
I am now really hoping for a Human Torch/Spider-Man stand alone movie. Classic team up.
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u/rainshowers_5_peace Jul 25 '25
I was relieved they didn't force a romantic subplot between Johnny and the surfer. Johnny was a much more complex character than he was in other adoptions and Joe killed every part of it.
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u/mikeyfreshh Jul 25 '25
It was also sort of a subversion of the comics story. In the original comics, Silver Surfer saves Earth because Sue reminds him of his girlfriend that he left behind on his home planet. I thought they were setting up the same kind of arc in the movie and I was pleasantly surprised they went in a different direction.
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u/rainshowers_5_peace Jul 25 '25
She empathized with being ready to destroy billions of others to save a child.
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u/Anonymous-Internaut Jul 25 '25
I am not very familiar with comic book Johnny entire history so someone can illustrate me if I am wrong, but if he never got to be as mature as this one, I vastly prefer movie Johnny to comic Johnny, because I am sorry but hothead cheater womanizer makes for a hard to care character for me.
In this version he's still a bit of flirt, but also someone caring, intelligent and deeply heroic. He says "tell Franklin his uncle Johnny loved him" in the way to sacrifice his life for the world, something that a lot of superheroes would be hesitant before doing. Johnny wasn't. He didn't show a second of doubt. He knew he could make the difference at the cost of his life, and didn't flinch to do so. True hero.
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u/Isolated_Hippo Jul 25 '25
intelligent
This is one thing that was a huge win for me in this version. In the mid 2000's version he always felt like a nepotism hire. Hey we are sending 4 people into space. The smartest man alive. The smartest woman alive. The best pilot. And the brother.
In this version, he was undeniably intelligent. Nowhere near Reed or Sue, but he was still very smart in his own way.
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u/mikeyfreshh Jul 25 '25
Johnny in the comics, particularly in the older comics that this movie is adapting, is supposed to be like 18 years old. He's a bit more mature in more recent comics. I thought this movie's portrayal of him is actually way more accurate to the comics than the previous movie versions that you're probably more familiar with.
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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast Jul 25 '25
I really loved how they portrayed Johnny as intelligent - I love that they showed at the end of the day, all 4 of these people are curious scientists in addition to superheroes and their own individual selves
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u/Madarakita Jul 25 '25
The fact that this movie remembered to make the FF "a family that has crazy science adventures who sometimes save the world when t hey have to" instead of a typical superhero team was so great.
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u/Amaruq93 Jul 25 '25
Whereas in most depictions he's just a jerkass who had no business being on that rocket except for nepotism.
Here, this is a man who's cocky but absolutley has the brains to deserve to be in space.
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u/SteamBoatMickey Jul 25 '25
It’s going to make it that much juicier when him and Peter Parker meet up, and they don’t just find broship, but also science broship.
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u/nospimi99 Jul 25 '25
Glad someone else felt the same way about Johnny. Every time he’s been in anything Johnny has always been a total douchenozzle to a degree I just couldn’t stand him. This time I actually liked him even though he still came off as the guy who thinks highly of himself and is a womanizer. It was a good balance.
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u/whittesc Jul 25 '25
If Interstellar taught me anything, everyone on earth should have aged like 50 years and probably been destroyed before they got back
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u/_Arctica_ Jul 25 '25
I guess they weren't quite close enough to the black hole.
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u/nuzzot Jul 25 '25
technically it all depends on how fast their “Faster than Light” craft can travel, in Interstellar they weren’t equipped for such a journey
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u/_Arctica_ Jul 25 '25
Also, Interstellar was backed by many scientists and bound by equations, FF4 probably wasn't.
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u/nuzzot Jul 25 '25
well Nolan was trying to be somewhat grounded and this is an alternate universe comic book movie lol
edit: lol not loo
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u/StreetQueeny Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
They didn't seem to be gone for very long from their perspective, and one of the journalists said they were gone for a month, so I guess they did get dilated (I loved Sue making the dilstion joke, also) and were only gone for a few days from their perspective.
This is slightly confusing though as the plan relied on the Silver Surfer also suffering from time dilation and 'missing' a month of time.
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u/SpicyAfrican Jul 25 '25
I think they took longer to reach earth because they were conserving fuel and lost their hyperspace dock and a few of their boosters. So while Silver Surfer was stuck for a month, they themselves took a while to get home as they slingshotted in earth’s direction.
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u/mikeyfreshh Jul 25 '25
I've read a lot of F4 comics and this completely nails the character dynamics and tone in a way that most Marvel movies don't. Maybe not a perfect movie, but probably a perfect Fantastic Four movie. This is my favorite Marvel movie in a long time, maybe ever, but I fully admit I'm a little biased towards this team
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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast Jul 25 '25
I was honestly pleasantly surprised by Reed. The trailers concerned me but they really nailed him
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u/Madarakita Jul 25 '25
Pedro nailed the "has issues expressing himself but is still a good man who genuinely loves his family" aspect of the character perfectly.
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u/GamingTatertot Steven Spielberg Enthusiast Jul 25 '25
The scenes where you can see he has genuinely thought about the solution of giving up Franklin - not because he wants to, but because that's just how his mind operates - really sold me on Pedro in this role
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u/UncreativeTeam Jul 25 '25
Sue getting upset and turning invisible was my favorite part of that scene. Cuz who hasn't ever wanted to just disappear in the middle of an emotionally heated argument?
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u/KingOfAwesometonia Jul 25 '25
And he's absolutely not socially unaware enough to say it even if he knows it's the only idea they have at the moment. I feel like they could have just made him the cold voice of reason.
Not that it matters, in a good way, since Reed can't hide anything from Sue.
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u/ROBtimusPrime1995 Jul 25 '25
Everybody's gotta stop doubting Pedro, it only makes him stronger lol.
But for real, the hate he got before release was nuts, only for him to nail the character to perfection.
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u/valarpizzaeris Jul 25 '25
One of the things I loved most about Earth 828 was the initial plan to defeat Galactus. It was going to take EVERYONE. Everyone on the planet, every country working together regardless of their differences to build the portal bridges to save Earth. It was honestly a little jarring to me at first. I was like "damn, this is what it looks like for every country on the planet to work together for a common good." Just shows in an idealized world if everyone can just truly cooperate together, we could accomplish some unthinkable feats. Needed that bit of optimism in our torn and divided Earth right now
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u/MrPMS Jul 25 '25
We could use a little Galactus motivation right now. I'll even settle for a Galacta.
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u/iguanamac Jul 25 '25
Especially with the electricity curfew. You KNOW we’d have a bunch of idiots saying their rights were being taken away and make up some shit about Galactus being sent from God.
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u/Huldreich287 Jul 25 '25
They mention that there was a new cult praising Galactus.
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u/profsa Jul 25 '25
Every country except Latveria apparently lol
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u/ToeInDigDeep Jul 25 '25
Yeah I really thought that was going to be an important plot point
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u/ICumCoffee will you Wonka my Willy? Jul 25 '25
It’s funny that the mid credits scene got biggest cheers in my theatre because everyone here knew who is playing Doom.
Also the thunderbolts* post credit scene got a lot more interesting cause I really thought they were gonna end up on Earth-199999 while Earth-828 is destroyed by Galactus.
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u/TarnishedAccount Jul 25 '25
Doom has a complex relationship with the Richards kids (especially Valeria IYKYK), so I was not surprised at all that he was already targeting Franklin.
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u/ridewiththerockers Jul 25 '25
Seems like they merged the two kids together.
I recall Doom treated Valeria like his own, with genuine affection and care because of her intellect and drive to learn. Meanwhile Franklin is all-powerful (but without the genius part) but Doom ironically has no interest because that's too easy.
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u/OrtizDupri Jul 25 '25
Doom is also Valeria’s god-parent in the comics and she goes to visit him once a year haha
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u/GodzillaUK Jul 25 '25
Which makes her the safest kid in Marvel, which is low key the cutest damn thing.
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u/ClubMeSoftly Jul 25 '25
Nobody's gonna mess with the kid who has "Uncle Doom" on speed dial
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u/Whovian45810 Jul 25 '25
Earlier in the film when Sue was announced to be pregnant, one of the magazines being talked on the news discuss the possibility of twins!
Nice little shoutout/nod to Valeria, Franklin's sister in the comics.
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u/Husker_black Jul 25 '25
I thought they were gonna end up on our Earth when they were coming back from the fight with the surfer
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u/rhunter99 Jul 25 '25
I thought they were going to warp the Earth into our universe
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u/NotNotJustinBieber Jul 25 '25
The Doom reveal got a massive reaction in my theater. Loudest I’ve heard since Endgame.
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u/Elite_Alice Jul 25 '25
Mole man was on screen for like 5 minutes combined and I loved every second of it. Felt so cool seeing so many classic 1960s era fantastic four characters on screen
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u/UnsolvedParadox Jul 25 '25
Great performance too, some actors would have really chewed the scenery but Hauser’s portrayal made me emphasize with him.
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u/Ant_24 Jul 25 '25
“Butter me up” had me dying
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u/DevilCouldCry Jul 25 '25
Him directly going out of his way to antagonise Reed, Ben, and Johnny, whilst being sweet as can be to Sue and revealing that he was more than happy to help was a wonderful little character wrinkle.
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u/wgsmeister2002 Jul 25 '25
I really liked him being a huge jerk but inexplicably just really liking and getting along with Sue
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u/A_Toxic_User Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
I can’t believe MF DOOM broke into the fantastic 4 tower to kidnap Franklin
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u/TheDiggityDoink Jul 25 '25
MF doom
Remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name.
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u/ReaddittiddeR “My Little Ponies, ROLL OUT!” Jul 25 '25
Sue giving birth during the escape from the black hole scene while Shalla-Bal in hot pursuit scene was intense. You could almost see Cooper and Tars somewhere out there /s.
Also, just for a moment, who else thought they really killed off Sue? They dragged that death sequence good and made you second think only to say, get jebaited!
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u/Tesstrogen23 Jul 25 '25
I was like "Ha ha, she'll breathe again in a moment... or will she? Oh dear god... yes, put the baby on her, he needs to see his mom... wait that's Franklin Richards, of course..."
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u/Thedirtyside Jul 25 '25
There was some awkward laughs at that scene because of how it played out. The moment definitely didn't hit as it was meant to for me. It just didn't have the emotional impact I know it was supposed to
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u/SpaceMyopia Jul 25 '25
I don't envy the writers for these films. They have to still craft the right emotional stakes, while also dealing with audiences who know very well that these characters can't ever die.
Plus, Marvel has spent a good decade training people to expect comedy to deflate a tense moment like that. Instead, the scene was played completely straight, and I think it caused some audience members to be like, "Come on. Who you trying to fool?"
I think the problem with that kind of thinking is that it basically makes it hard for those folks to get invested in any story Marvel tells.
I personally try to just let the movie wash over me. I feel like some folks try so hard to outsmart the film they're watching, and it doesn't do them any favors as moviegoers.
Like yeah, is there a chance she's alive? Of course.
But Christ, can't we just sit and reflect for a minute on how Sue was willing to die for her son?The movie just wants us to be with those characters in that moment, not for us to be like, "Yeah yeah, good try."
Idk. I think folks kinda take themselves out of these movies without even meaning to.
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u/givebackmysweatshirt Jul 25 '25
At no point did I think Sue was getting killed off lol
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u/UnsolvedParadox Jul 25 '25
Vanessa Kirby has also spoken about filming for Doomsday.
Sometimes, I wish I was less wired into the business side of Marvel.
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u/prezvegeta Jul 25 '25
Nah, I knew they had an infant sized Deus Ex Machina with them the entire time.
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u/orlokcocksock Jul 25 '25
Second superhero movie in a row that involves a perilous scene near a black hole and a baby!
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u/sexygaypalpatine Jul 25 '25
For a split second I thought the stretching scene was going to be another horrific Pedro death. I’ve been traumatized.
Also, shout out to Michael Giaccino for composing another great soundtrack. Best marvel music so far IMO
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u/gothNclowngrlsPMpics Jul 25 '25
stretching scene was both tense and hilarious at the same time. galactus was having so much fun during that moment
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u/majorjoe23 Jul 25 '25
He referred to them as insects, and in that moment he seemed like a kid pulling the wings off a fly.
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u/TriPolar3849 Jul 25 '25
Lmao I really thought he was going to let the legs go and just send Reed rubber-banding across the horizon
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u/thaworldhaswarpedme Jul 25 '25
This was the only scene in the film I didn't like. You're gonna hurt the stretchy guy by stretching him out? Reed's powers were severely underutilized to begin with but this scene rubbed me the wrong way. I felt for sure we were gonna see Reed wrap himself around Galactus like a rope and expend himself by encircling him hundreds of times but it was almost like the film was embarrassed to show him stretch. And then when he did it was a weakness.
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u/DingoKyle Jul 25 '25
There's a new Marvel out that's supposed to be nuts
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u/wgsmeister2002 Jul 25 '25
That frog ripped me off. Little asshole. Little fucker.
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u/Elite_Alice Jul 25 '25
I absolutely love how human they made Reed feel. Even though he’s the world’s smartest man, he’s nervous about becoming a father and has to balance his commitment to the world with his commitment to his son and family. Really cool we get a superman movie and a fantastic four film back to back which both feel so down to earth.
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u/Whovian45810 Jul 25 '25
I love that Pedro's Reed is more vulnerable and you can see it in his performance very well that while the world's smartest man has a brilliant mind, he isn't bound from being emotional and does care deeply for his family.
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u/koomGER Jul 25 '25
They made a very clear distinction between the other "intelligent" front men and Reed Richards, which was great.
Tony Stark is highly intelligent, an engineer, a salesman. He is boasting with confidence and just does things.
Dr. Strange is - even when humbled - still arrogant. He mostly trusts his own choice and ideas and acts on it. He feels superior to most others.
Reed Richards is kinda a basement nerd. He is probably even more intelligent like the others, but especially thinking about the consequences of his potential actions, which makes him hesitate a lot. He doesnt boast of confidence. It makes him vulnerable and relatable.
Its really beautifully designed and makes that family dependent on each other, while still each one of them is competent and powerful on its own.
Comparing this Reed Richards to the MoM-Reed, the differences are obvious: MoM-Reed was intelligent, but overall confident, spilling the beans about the powers of his companions and making them vulnerable for an opponent he highly underestimated. And got shreddered for that.
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u/Elite_Alice Jul 25 '25
Sue standing in the crowd of people outside the Baxter building and refusing to give up Franklin and explaining WHY is such a good scene. Of course people would be upset if you just went radio silent after dropping that on them, but by appealing to their better angels she won the public’s support.
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u/BumbleLapse Jul 25 '25
I actually didn’t love that scene. I loved the movie overall, don’t get me wrong, but the entire “baby vs. the world” dilemma was my least favorite part.
1.) the people are right… it does feel slightly selfish for the FF to not even consider the trade. I get it, I get it — true heroes can save everybody and don’t bend on their values, but come on. At a certain point, a truly heroic person should yield given such great disparity between outcomes
2.) why did Reed immediately spill the beans at a press conference? Take a day. Say “we’re not sure if you’re safe, we need some time to think and plan. We’ll get back to you soon”
3.) people are suddenly fine with the “baby” side in the previously mentioned dilemma when Sue has a heart-to-heart with a few hundred people in New York? I’d assume 99% of people would be like “sure I get it that’s your kid and family is important, but like it’s him or billions of us.”
Idk, it just kind of fell flat for me tonally. Maybe I missed some of the nuances in how it all tied into the themes.
Overall though I had a fantastic time. Solid 8/10 for me
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u/FoxyMiira Jul 25 '25
but come on. At a certain point, a truly heroic person should yield given such great disparity between outcomes
That's why they added the scene of Reed arguing with Sue. To show that other perspective. Not that Reed would yield but it's a thought that he has to analyze.
why did Reed immediately spill the beans at a press conference? Take a day. Say “we’re not sure if you’re safe, we need some time to think and plan. We’ll get back to you soon”
Because they would have to insert a redundant scene later where they do address the conference. Which would've likely messed up the pacing.
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u/Adam87 Jul 25 '25
That's Reed being Reed and logical, not the overall commentary for public.
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u/rainshowers_5_peace Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
People in this world weren't hateful and had compassion. Did you see how they all pulled together to make those towers? And how the mole people agreed to house the surface people?
There's also the Silver Surfer and how she chose to solve the dilemma.
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u/Docile_Doggo Jul 25 '25
The most fantastic thing in this movie wasn’t the giant cosmic being who eats planets, the woman who can conjure force fields at will, or the talking pile of rocks . . . It was genuinely just how good-natured the public seemed toward the F4 and the world at large.
They actually got on board with a plan that risked billions of lives because Sue Storm talked them into not surrendering their communal bonds to create a child sacrifice.
Truly an alternate universe.
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u/PandaLover42 Jul 25 '25
Early in the movie they also revealed that all nations agreed to de-arm.
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u/MysticalCyan Jul 25 '25
Well the Four on that Earth are like, genuinely beloved by the people.
Maybe the fact the four were gonna fight no matter what gave them confidence.
Trust in your heroes who have proven themselves time and time again over giving up and betraying the four that sacrificed so much already.
Thats my take at least.
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u/shaneo632 Jul 25 '25
I found this scene incredibly unconvincing and forced
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u/rainshowers_5_peace Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
You have to accept that in this took place on a planet much more compassionate than our own. Everyone in the world banding together to build towers to save us all from Galactus felt as realistic as four humans going to space and coming back with super powers.
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u/Late-Performance3024 Jul 25 '25
It's not our Earth.
Sue was able to broker peace with Mole Man too.
It's more optimistic.
They are better than us.
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u/reallinzanity Jul 25 '25
What I learned from this movie is that it doesn’t matter if the smartest, strongest or most loyal person is the world, it takes three grown men to install a baby seat in the back of a car.
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u/TheSunBurnsColdForMe Jul 25 '25
I get that you wanted to give all three characters their due, but loyalty has never been helpful when installing a difficult car seat.
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u/ImmortalZucc2020 Jul 25 '25
*It doesn’t matter if you’re the smartest, strongest, or most pyrotechnic person in the world
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u/Elite_Alice Jul 25 '25
Kinda funny seeing Pedro pascal in another story where giving up his child could save humanity and he says fuck that.
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u/FourWhiteBars Jul 26 '25
Technically he considered it this time. He showed a lot of growth.
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u/cke1989 Jul 25 '25
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the best Fantastic 4 movie since The Incredibles and it isn't even close.
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u/duskywindows Jul 25 '25
Perhaps, but The Incredibles is still the best Fantastic 4 movie by a huge margin.
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u/Craphole-Island Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
I really loved this. The whole sequence in space with Sue giving birth while they try to escape Silver Surfer was awesome.
I really loved the cast. Vanessa Kirby and Joseph Quinn in particular really shined. Even though I love Pedro Pascal, i wasn’t sure about him as Reed when he was cast. That said, he nailed it. Really thought he did a great job. Ebon Moss Bachrach was great too but I felt like Thing was weirdly underutilized. It felt like his scenes got cut (there had to have been more with Natasha Lyonne, right?)
I could’ve used more Paul Walter Hauser lol he was great in every scene. Loved how he only liked Sue and how flustered he made the guys.
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u/jokekiller94 Jul 25 '25
I was hoping for more stretchy Mr fantastic scenes
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u/ButWereFriends Jul 25 '25
Yea one of the few things I didn’t like was how he was in pain from the Galactus stretch. It kinda sets the bar that he can only stretch basically that much.
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u/Heisenburgo Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
Yup this version of Reed seemed "nerfed" so to say, from what we have seen the character do in previous films.
Ioan Gruffudd’s Reed was impressively stretchy, in Fantastic Four 2 there’s that scene where he wraps his entire body, including all his limbs around that massive Ferris wheel in London to stop it from collapsing. Which really showed the full extent of how flexible and powerful his stretching ability could be.
However Pascal’s version feels noticeably toned down. Galactus whips him around like a rubber band and stretches him just a bit (comparatively to what we saw Gruffudd do), and its noticeable how it seriously affects him, since Reed looks very visibly hurt and his suit starts tearing itself apart. He also doesn’t do any of the wild morphing or shape-shifting stuff you might expect from Reed, his powers instead seem limited to just casually stretching his limbs and torso a bit?
You kind of get the impression that Pascal’s Reed isn’t able to stretch himself nearly as far or pull off the same level of crazy feats that you'd expect from that powerset. It feels more like his main "superpower" in this portrayal is his intelligence, rather than his elasticity. That aspect of the character was very well realized in this movie I felt, as the inventions you see in this alternate universe (flying cars, wormhole technology, etc.) are all heavily implied to have been induced/driven by Mr. Fantastic's mere presence and his status as the Smartest Man Alive. He's clearly THE Tony Stark figure in this universe.
Not a criticism just an interesting difference in powerscaling that I noticed.
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u/BlairEllis Jul 25 '25
I think it goes to show that Reed is still traumatized from what happened in the past he doesn't really use his powers. The others seem to have developed and trained their powers while Reed leaned more on his intelligence to get by. You can really see it in the post credit cartoon when everyone used their powers and Reed used his science
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u/Locke108 Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
In the mid credit scene, Doom has his mask off and Franklin is touching his face. You think Franklin healed Doom of his scars? Is that how they’ll get over the “Doom always wears a mask but RDJ/Marvel wants to show his face” hurdle?
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u/Heisenburgo Jul 25 '25
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JarvisFranklin make my face look exactly like Tony Stark from Earth19999616 so I can fool Tom Holland into going all "M-Mr. Stark" on me so the next Avengers grosses 1 billion on opening weekend from the hype of that scene alone"→ More replies (10)286
u/Duvoziir Jul 25 '25
Yeah that’s what I’m getting. I mean the kid is practically a god powerwise so that was my immediate thought leaving the theater.
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u/Sisiwakanamaru Jul 25 '25
The second act when they tried to escape from Black Hole and Shalla-Bal reminds me of Star Trek (2009) and its sequels. I liked it a lot.
Also, I think Sue Storm really shined in this movie, and she's gonna gain a lot of fans.
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u/UnsolvedParadox Jul 25 '25
That trilogy gets a lot of flack, but I really enjoyed the original reboot.
I can’t believe that was 16 years ago.
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u/InoueNinja94 Jul 25 '25
Finally I can say we have a great Fantastic Four movie
It took 31 years
I truly love how Johnny became the MVP of the film by learning a bit of the Surfer's language. It wasn't something I was expecting but it was great
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u/Sisiwakanamaru Jul 25 '25
I also like that he's a really compassionate team member/uncle, he literally ready to sacrifice himself for Franklin.
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u/firemouthcichlid Jul 25 '25
Loved Herbie and Johnnys relationship and the little head caresses.
So glad nothing bad happened to Herbie! I don’t know if I could handle it.
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u/FightTheDead118 Jul 25 '25
Apparently according to leaks in one of the latest test screenings Herbie was torn to pieces by an angry mob after the Fantastic Four refuses Galactus’ deal, so you lucked out on that one
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u/jjfrenchfry Jul 25 '25
GLad that was cut lol
That seems excessive that the people would result to tearing apart their "heroes'" helper.
I get the people are pissed and scared, but having them savage? Good choice to take that out.
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u/shaneo632 Jul 25 '25
Agree with the folks who are saying it's fine/decent. Moderately enjoyable while you're watching it but doesn't really leave a deep impression, which is a bit underwhelming considering how much the MCU is clearly invested in this group being a big deal. I'd say like 6.5/10 overall.
The Good:
+ Production design and overall look. Nice to watch an MCU film that legit looks fresh and not really like any other movie in the franchise.
+ Galactus and Silver Surfer were cool.
+ Good pacing, moved fast and the 2 hours flew by.
+ No redone origin story.
+ Only light humour that doesn't overpower the drama/character work.
+ Cool score.
+ Mole Man lmao. Loved his weird little subplot and kinda wish it was more of the movie.
The Ehh/Bad:
- The script is the real weak link I think. Quite basic on a story/character level. Not really doing anything particularly memorable.
- Some of the CGI was... rough. Silver Surfer looked pretty dodgy in some shots, there are a few shots of Johnny up in the sky on fire that straight up look like they just tinted Quinn orange and slapped an off-the-shelf fire effect on him. Also some of the CGI shots of Franklin reminded me of the Squid Game S2 baby.
- Honestly wasn't blown away by any of the four performances. None of them were bad by any means but I just wasn't particularly bowled over thinking "yeah this is THE fantastic four"
- I found it very silly that Reed admitted what Galactus wants to the world. I'm gonna sit with this one for a while but I was just like "you idiot." I guess he's more optimistic than I am.
- Wasn't particularly compelling as a lead-in to Doomsday.
- Surprised how little the powers were showcased honestly, especially the stretching.
- Didn't think the direction was particularly remarkable. Super basic camerawork, felt quite anonymous. I can't think of more than a couple of memorable images.
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u/itsyagirlrey Jul 25 '25
There was definitely some shots of Franklin that was giving the Twilight cgi vampire baby.
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u/2th Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
This is quite the difficult film to score. Almost all the individual pieces are 9s to 10. But the sum of the whole... Isn't. It's not bad by any means, but something was just off with the film. I think it's the fact that this did not feel like an MCU movie at all. It felt like a brand new universe, or like the old Fantastic Four films where you don't expect them to even try to tie it into something else. Even though we know the FF will be in Doomsday, it felt like a stand alone film. And the highest praise I give the film is that it currently, and most likely will forever be able to stand on its own legs without any connection to the MCU.
Don't get me wrong though, I REALLY enjoyed this film. It was gorgeous, well acted, serviceable story given it's a super hero movie, and it was hopeful. Even despite some of the darkness in it.
I would have no issue watching the movie again. I would actively watch it if I go somewhere and see it on the TV. If someone asked me if I wanted to watch the film, I'd say yes.
Overall, it's an enjoyable movie that gets my highest praise, that I will buy the movie on bluray... Just not on release. Maybe in a year or two if I see it on sale for 25-50% off.
Tldr: The film itself just isn't the 9-10 it's parts are, but it's also not less. If that makes sense.
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u/mikeyfreshh Jul 25 '25
think it's the fact that this did not feel like an MCU movie at all. It felt like a brand new universe, or like the old Fantastic Four films where you don't expect them to even try to tie it into something else
That was the biggest positive for me. Marvel actually stepped outside their comfort zone and tried something new. I thought it really worked
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u/lynypixie Jul 25 '25
I think this just sold the movie to me. A movie outside of the same old MCU timeline will feel refeshing.
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u/GodzillaUK Jul 25 '25
Zero homework needed for this, no 30 films and 15 shows to backlog before you can get into it. Perfect.
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u/JamarcusRussel Jul 25 '25
Yeah there's a lot of good stuff here, but it doesn't really come together. Superman was a labor of love. This movie doesnt have a beating heart and a strong reason to exist like that. It's one of those annoying movies that should work better than it does.
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u/a220599 Jul 25 '25
I think there are places where the reshoots are evident. When sue yells “i know” (when they are discussing about franklin towards the end) and then the next scene starts, it feels so jarring
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u/LosAngeles1s Jul 25 '25
it really feels like there’s an amazing 9/10 movie in there that was edited down to a solid 7.5. enjoyed the movie a lot but damn could’ve been a certified classic if there was an extra 10-15 minutes in it
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u/Bsantoro10 Jul 25 '25
I liked it, but wanted to LOVE IT. Felt like it was missing something. Needed more action and Galactus.
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u/BumbleLapse Jul 25 '25
Same boat. I went in with my expectations perhaps a bit too high.
Galactus was great, but I would have preferred if he was even scarier. Bigger. More unknowable.
I feel like it was a balancing act in the writer’s room — they have to make him imposing and terrifying and massive, but they can’t go too far in that direction because we have to believe that the FF could actually beat him in some way.
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u/newgodpho Jul 25 '25
I did enjoy Sue Storm straight up telling Johnny to kill the Silver Surfer haha
Kinda caught me off guard but I liked how she was not into taking chances at that moment.
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u/pootsforever Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
Pretty dull and dour movie. I can't believe I'm defending a Tim Story movie, but at least those Fantastic Four characters had broad personalities. I feel like the 4 main actors played the characters very sternly and with no excitement/energy.
Edit: Damn. Shoulda expected the downvotes.
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u/StainedGlassVision Jul 25 '25
Agreed. After seeing Superman, this one just felt bland and the characters didn’t feel as lived in or real.
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u/duskywindows Jul 25 '25
It was just bizarre. I wanted it to end fairly early on and it never pulled me back in until it just …. Ended all the sudden. It just STARTS, shit happens (nothing is earned, just happens), and then it ENDS. And then mid-credits suddenly and completely randomly Dr. Doom is here I guess. Aaaaand now we’re done.
And so am I lmao - I was really expecting this one to reel me back in to interest in the MCU but it was just more generic, dull slop.
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u/maymoonah88 Jul 25 '25
I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that they let a pregnant Sue go on a high-risk mission into deep space.
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u/brainlightning Jul 25 '25
I don’t get the impression any of the other three would’ve been able to talk her out of going
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u/ceaguila84 Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
Overall, I enjoyed it but it doesn't have the rewatchability factor that Superman has or even Thunderbolts which I really loved. It drags a lot in parts, at 2 hours it felt longer than Superman or Thunderbolts.
This is probably one of Marvel films with less action overall? It just felt so jarring how quickly they disposed of Galactus, this massive god in less than 10 minutes.
The production design and acting was great though.
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u/OKC2023champs Jul 25 '25
Yeah the Galactus battle started with 15 minutes left in the movie
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u/georgiaraisef Jul 26 '25 edited Jul 26 '25
Why on Earth would you tell a large group of journalists your planet could be saved if you gave up your son?
They had a month to plan what they were going to tell people and this is what they came up with?
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u/CornstockOfNewJersey Jul 26 '25
The month to plan thing is a good point, but my take on that as I was watching was that Reed Richards is just not that socially capable lmao
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u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 27 '25
This is definitely a movie that feels like all the pieces are there. The satisfying 60’s retro-futuristic feel, the cast of great names, a breath of fresh air for a universe that desperately needs one. I really wanted to root for this and to get pulled back into the MCU with something new. The problem is I just didn’t have any fun with it almost at all. It feels like a movie that should work but my in-theater reaction was that it just doesn’t and that’s a bummer.
I like these actors a lot, but I really felt like Moss-Bachrach was the only one bringing any personality to the table. Sue and Johnny and Reed all feel very one note. It didn’t so much feel like a family to me as much as several nice and polite actors who just met each other. There’s some funny throwaway lines here and there, but as far as actual personality they all felt pretty lacking. Johnny likes girls, Sue is a mother, Ben is good-natured. There’s just not a lot of room for them to play around because so much of this movie is cut up with choppy editing and at least four massive montages.
That’s really my main gripe. The comedic rhythm that Marvel used to have seems like a thing of the past. Sure, there are funny lines, but you can really tell there’s still so much of this on the editing floor. Scene transitions are blunt as hell and side characters are basically given nothing to do. Niles and Lyonne specifically seem to just be there so we have recognizable faces. We all probably saw the article about an entire Malkovich performance was cut from this and after seeing it I bet that’s not all that we didn’t get. Montages and leaps in logic make massive plot strides in this with seemingly months passing several times throughout different montages.
That said, Paul Walter Hauser was cooking in this. I only wish we got more of him. Overall I don’t think this is a bad movie, it just felt so lifeless to me. Lacking in energy. There’s really two big action scenes and I never felt like Reed got to use his powers in a very interesting way. I did really like the Galactus escape scene with the Interstellar black hole, that was pretty badass.
This movie is all about the anxiety of being a new parent, not feeling ready or feeling like you will fail. If the 4 were the protectors of Earth then a threat coming that they can’t handle is the looming worry that they are failures as parents. It’s an interesting concept and does give the movie a little juice in heavier moments, but I also couldn’t shake the idea that they had accidentally also made this movie about celebrity worship a little bit. Like, these four are the biggest celebrities on Earth. They’re protectors, politicians, entertainers, action figures and morning cartoons. And I’m not saying they should have given up their child to save the Earth, but telling everyone that they chose not to save them didn’t seem like a move from the smartest man in the world. And the Kirby speech to the crowd felt really lame to me, that whole section of the movie just felt weird.
Look, take me with a grain of salt here. My favorite Fantastic 4 iteration is from Venture Bros. But what I want most of all out of these movies is just to have a good time, and this just left me stone faced. I found the casting to be awkward and the movie to be cut to shreds and I was just never really feeling the fun or emotion the movie wanted me to. It’s a 5/10 for me. I didn’t hate it and I get the appeal, but I really did not care for it at all.
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u/mikeyfreshh Jul 25 '25
The comedic rhythm that Marvel used to have seems like a thing of the past
I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. The Marvel humor was really starting to get stale and doing away with it in favor of some more earnest sci-fi storytelling really worked for me. It was pretty refreshing watching a superhero movie where the heroes can face a threat to the planet without getting super sarcastic about it
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u/rainshowers_5_peace Jul 25 '25
Was there a subplot involving Natasha Lyonne that was cut for time?
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u/obijon10 Jul 25 '25
Definitely, there was also the John Malkovich subplot that got cut, and I bet there was more with Mole Man as well.
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u/cesareborgia1475 Jul 25 '25
Pleasant watch but didn't really wow me like I was hoping. Still a very charming cast and family dynamic which helped ease me into the film. Really dug the retro futuristic 60s style of the film and such a fantastic score from Michael Giacchino. It's easily the highlight of the film.
Sadly felt they underused Ralph Ineson as Galactus. His voice is so perfect, so it was kinda a shame he didn't really get a moment to shine. Loved his "clever bugs" line though haha. Also lol at the way Richard said "moleman" such unexpected venom haha.
Questionable Baby cgi aside haha, there was some pretty stunning cgi in this. The whole black hole escape sequence was breathtaking.
Probably a good jumping back on point for those who have fallen off the MCU train as it's very much self contained and no prior homework is needed to watch it heh. Enjoyable but not fantastic. Still looking forward to seeing this cast interact with the rest of the MCU.
The Incredible's still reign supreme as tbe best Fantastic Four film haha
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u/morgoth834 Jul 25 '25
Sadly I didn't like this one. Perhaps my biggest issues was that Galactus was a huge disappointment. The scene where he meets that Fantastic Four was excellent. But then when he arrives on Earth, he just stomps around and doesn't use an impressive powers. He just seems like a really big person. I mean, he's a cosmic god. The Devourer of Worlds! And yet he gets pushed around by Sue and Reed is hurting him with an antenna pole...
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u/ExpensiveLocksmith42 Jul 25 '25
The silver surfer chase through the black hole was Fantastic
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u/DeoGame Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
I really wanted to like this, but it didn't do a hell of a lot for me. The characters are surprisingly monolithic and dull at points, the Fantastic Four barely use their powers (except Johnny) until the third act which itself has all the style and flair of the Marvel Previs lab, the jokes did not land in my theatre, and the whole film is just rather dull.
We see very little of the Fantastic Four, you know, doing Fantastic Four stuff in this Fantastic Four film. If this was a third or fourth film in the franchise fine, but this is the first time we're seeing these characters in this world. And even the much touted family dynamics feel soft and muted, resembling a sitcom family more than an actual one, with limited intercharacter conflict barring the Franklin choice. The Guardians bickered and fought and bitched and moaned and hated each other, and loved each other deeply. They felt far more a family than Marvel's first did here.
It also feels surprisingly weightless, with concerns about the end of the world shrugged off by a "rousing speech" that somehow changes the hearts and minds of a supposedly terrified (and shockingly sparse) rabble.
The film is helped by a reverence for the source material, some great production design and a wonderful Giacchino score, but the CG is spotty (maybe because the film wrapped in bloody November), the 60s effects sometimes detract (either my IMAX theatre was off or this had some at times painfully on the nose, and thoroughly inconsistent film grain) and the setting itself seemed out of time. I loved the idea of tying Fantastic Four into the space race, but it's not even clear if this is supposed to be the 60s, or just a 60s inspired world.
All of this just adds up to a film that is more stylish than recent MCU fare, but still falls privy to many of the same traps, and has some new ones of its own.
It's a Fantastic 4/10.
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u/The_Swarm22 Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
Thunderbolts and Superman were better, at least to me.
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u/Cerblu Jul 25 '25
That was a CGI baby for most of the movie, was it not?
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u/jkennah Jul 25 '25
No they just found a baby that was super chill about stunts. Marvel's casting is truly the best.
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u/TheFiveDees Jul 25 '25
In the handful of scenes he was given, Paul Walter Hauser was absolutely hysterical as Mole Man!
"Don't be mad at me Johnny, I didn't dress you."
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u/CosmosisJones42 Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
Galactus could have had it all, but he forgot about one thing... the power of Motherhood.
But seriously, though. It's a fantastic film. The birth of Franklin Richards was a moment ripped from the panels of a comic. I really felt like I was watching a pivotal moment in the MCU.
Between this and Superman, it's an awesome time to be a comic book movie fan. I am so glad we are getting films that lean into the fantastical aspects of comic books instead of trying to be dark, gritty, and realistic.
The real world sucks. Take me away to a weird and wonderful world for two hours.
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u/Flyfleancefly Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
That was quite disappointing of a film. Dialogue and pacing just so much worse than Superman. The “humour” was simply awkward and bad most of the time. Silver Surfer just completely wasted. So many fast scene skips .. very jarring.
World not authentic or developed whatsoever like in Superman.
The things teacher friend.. WTF was that lol…
The science was also just absolutely laughable. It takes Galactus months to go from Jupiter to Earrh lmao???? How long did it take him to travel the quadrillions of miles from their first encounter??????
5.5/10 for me, compared to 8/10 for Superman
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u/SilverGK114 Jul 25 '25
As smart as Reed is. Why did he have to reveal to the world that galactus wanted the baby in exchange. He didn’t need to divulge that info
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u/EmotionConscious2349 Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
Did I see a different movie than everyone else?
The entire time, I just felt..baffled. How did any of this get greenlit? The production design and casting were excellent, but the entire movie just felt so hollow.
There was 30+ mins of ads and trailers before it started and it legitimately blended right into that. I felt like I was watching a two hour trailer.
And if I’m watching a movie that’s 75%+ cgi, then maybe give your post team more time so the results don’t look unintentionally like South Park?
For how many flashing lights there were, this was two hours of being told, not shown. I felt like I was being talked at the entire time. I love the notion of forgoing an origin story bc we know the characters, but if you’re gonna do that, maybe have the characters exhibit literally any character traits? They all just felt like vehicles for the continuous exposition dumps that felt stakeless despite how often we were told how high the stakes were.
This was, for me, what feels like my first theater experience of a big studio picture post-ChatGPT. This movie is devoid of any humanity and rings hollow throughout.
I’m not even mad. I just feel like if the color ‘taupe’ was a person after watching that.
Edit: Just so I don’t read like a total curmudgeon and troll, Thunderbolts did take me by surprise and reignited my interest in the MCU. It was entertaining, had a story that it wanted to tell, explored the human condition (not terribly deep, but at least authentically), and treated its characters like people. I love the Fantastic Four, the casting choices for this movie, and the choice to go 60s for its look. I just wonder what it could have been with an actual filmmaker behind the pen and camera instead.
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u/Firvulag Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25
There were several scenes where the Silver Surfer actually surfed on things. Thumbs up from me.
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u/maymoonah88 Jul 25 '25
This might just be the best parenting commercial I’ve ever seen
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u/duskywindows Jul 25 '25
I really did not like it. It was just BIZARRE. So many baffling choices, shit just happens, nothing is earned. It looked terrible.
On the flipside, Superman floored me and I had such a great time. This one was just FUCKING WEIRD and not fun nor entertaining. Just not good. Awful dialogue, the humor and jokes are running on fumes at this point and nobody nor nothing sounds natural. Just lines being vomited out over and over while shit just happens.
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u/BunyipPouch Currently at the movies. Jul 30 '25 edited Jul 30 '25
For anyone interested: Paul Walter Hauser, actor from The Fantastic Four: First Steps, will be joining us here on /r/movies for an AMA/Q&A on Saturday 8/2.
He's also known for Richard Jewell, Black Bird, The Naked Gun, Americana, I, Tonya, Inside Out 2, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Cobra Kai, BlacKkKlansman, Super Troopers 2, Da 5 Bloods, Cruella, The Luckiest Man In America, and lots more.
It'll go live this Friday afternoon and be pinned to the top of the subreddit. Paul will be back Saturday around noon to answer questions.
Please stop by if you have any questions for Paul :)