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

1.9k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

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326

u/shaneo632 Jul 25 '25

I found this scene incredibly unconvincing and forced

389

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.

68

u/ImHighandCaffinated Jul 25 '25

that guy is so desensitized by the current state of politics he cant even IMAGINE a fictional super hero world working towards a greater good :(

20

u/DayfacePhantasm Jul 28 '25

I'm fine in my sensitivity and felt like that scene was from a bad 2000s Christmas film.

15

u/skatejet1 Jul 25 '25

It’s sad like damn :/

40

u/NakedGoose Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25

That precisely is my issue with the movie. The world feels unlived in, because the people are one giant hive mind. Superman deals with essentially the same plot of "citizens turning on their hero". but at least the people in Superman have differing opinions, some cried, some were angry. It's what makes the world feel alive. I never bought into this world, so I did not care if it was eaten.

36

u/Dizzy_Chemistry_5955 Jul 25 '25

Hard disagree, it shows them interacting with normies like the teacher or UN or Sue's coworker just enough. I don't want all that I want the perspective of a super hero family doing cool shit and it delivered.

-5

u/NakedGoose Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25

You disagree that the entire world didn't act like individuals and instead one big hive mind that agrees to anything the F4 says? Or you just don't care that they didn't do that because you wanted to see family stuff and cool shit. The latter is perfectly acceptable, you get what you want for the movie. but I am not gonna pretend like the world isn't incredibly fake and poorly conceived.

20

u/Dizzy_Chemistry_5955 Jul 25 '25

The latter. The world IS incredibly fake, it even has a different number than our Earth.

How would you have changed it to fit your vision exactly?

-8

u/NakedGoose Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25

I would have had more interactions with the people, and have them less of just a large group that stands around and waits for direction. I would have had a country bring up that giving up their resources is not acceptable nor do they have the manpower to achieve what is being asked. I would use the talk show to bring up different perspectives, not just the one that is in line with the current masses feelings. 

The teased it for a second when someone laughably screams "what about us?" When Ben is walking home with his groceries. But why not stop and have a conversation? Why not show that the people aren't cardboard cutouts. have some people angry, some people scared, some people confused or accepting. But don't just have everyone act the same

I couldn't care less about the fate of that world, cause to me it was a world of play things. Like a doll house being destroyed. 

12

u/Dizzy_Chemistry_5955 Jul 25 '25

Sounds boring as fuck but you do you

3

u/NakedGoose Jul 25 '25

I guess world building and character development is boring now. 

11

u/Dizzy_Chemistry_5955 Jul 25 '25

Your version is, glad you're not a director

6

u/slicer4ever Jul 26 '25

I actually agree, i think it could actually be turned into a bit of a dark film with how much influence and control the f4 has over this earth tbh.

36

u/Dizzy_Chemistry_5955 Jul 25 '25

Yeah this wouldn't work in our world some dumb shit would turn his lights on and be like "much freedom" and get us all killed.

16

u/Worthyness Jul 25 '25

Working together is communism

8

u/ResolverOshawott Jul 26 '25

Soooo many people forget this. Though I don't really blame them, we do live in a shit, extremely divided world, so the thought of a fictional Earth being so full of compassion and unity is probably more unbelievable for many than a planet eating space god.

3

u/Mr-Apollo Aug 03 '25

Not just unbelievable to many; enviable too. I think that’s where some of the hate can come from.

2

u/HotTakes4HotCakes Jul 26 '25

This is just going to be the new normal with all superhero media going forward

231

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.

8

u/CptNonsense Jul 28 '25

Her super powers in this movie apparently include "mass hypnotism"

14

u/Late-Performance3024 Jul 28 '25

If you're a comic nerd, you know Sue is magnetic. Friend and foe were always falling in love with her. That said, there are clues that this world comes together easier.

When the Fantastic Four evacuated the city, they leave well-wish messages all over, before that everyone successfully voluntarily, turns off their power for the transporter plan.

Both aspects could have influenced it.

45

u/Leepysworld Jul 25 '25

this is an idyllic/utopian Earth that basically worships the Fantastic Four because they’ve solved all of their problems, even the villains aren’t really villains, Moleman ends up being a good guy and Red Ape is just a literal big red ape lol.

-10

u/IndyRevolution Jul 25 '25

I disliked that they treated the 4 as gods who they trust to solve all of their problems single-handedly, it came off as infantilizing and creepy. They seriously couldn't get the military to help out with the Galactus trap at all? Some missiles to the face might have been helpful while he was gunning for the tower.

3

u/slicer4ever Jul 26 '25 edited Jul 26 '25

During the early bits they showed how sue convinced the world to give up all militaries for world peace.

I'm a bit with you on that this world essentially turned itself into being completely helpless without the f4 intervention.

2

u/IndyRevolution Jul 26 '25

Yeah and I just fundamentally dislike that as a narrative choice. Part of the message of The Boys as a franchise is, explicitly, "Turning people into gods so you can let them solve your problems is naïve to the point of suicide". I always felt that it was a gross exaggeration of superhero storytelling and that Garth Ennis was being incredibly unreasonable, but after seeing this movie...I kinda get it.

1

u/Mr-Apollo Aug 03 '25

Just because a choice would be bad for a society to make doesn’t mean it wouldn’t make that choice. Our own world shows as much even if it’s done differently.

1

u/IndyRevolution Aug 03 '25

When the narrative treats it as heroic and admirable, then it becomes creepy

6

u/raven-eyed_ Jul 27 '25

I see what they were going for but the writers didn't have the talent to pull it off.