The Fantastic Four: First Steps

I mean I went to theater with quite high expectations. But honestly was a bit disappointed.

Movie tried to explore characters and their depth more but collectively as whole it went bit shallow and mediocre storyline.

It was definitely better than previous ones. But calling it one of the best MCU films? Um nope. Not at all.

To get this out of the way: this is the best fantastic four movie that has been made. That is of course not much of a bar to cross, but it deserves to be said.

This movie was fine. Nothing more or less. It was partially eclipsed by what is turning into a fantastic year for movies, which I think does color my opinion of it somewhat. The characters feel authentic to their roles, and the set design/visual effects are phenomenal. Unfortunately, these things are held back by poor writing (I'm looking at you, middle-of-the-movie-inspirational-speech). The characters just simply don't make decisions that feel like things real people would choose to do, which is saying something because honestly very little actually happens by way of plot in this movie. I will not elaborate to keep my review spoiler-free, but this was the biggest problem I had with this movie.

Props to Marvel for the best FF movie we've ever had. Hiring better writers would have elevated this from "okay" to a legitimately good movie.

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.

The film looks very good-one of the most visually impressive Marvel films. The scene in space blew me away. The retro-futuristic look is very well done, with a lot of practical effects. The characters were very well cast. The interaction between the characters is well written, and you immediately get a sense of their relationships. Pedro Pascal is, for me, the scene-stealer because he plays Reed Richards perfectly. His inner conflict is portrayed extremely well. The Silver Surfer is also cool, as she actually surfs, and her action moments are fantastic. The score is amazing-a real earworm and one of Marvel's best.

Unfortunately, the film was too short. They should have expanded the world further; it went a bit too fast. Especially in the second act, when Galactus appeared, the plot felt rushed and didn't really take its time. The story itself was relatively flat and without many complex twists.

In summary, the film was good, but something was missing in the second act. 8.1/10.

This was one of my most anticipated movies but it was disappointing for me.

Now for pros

1. It had some really good CGI at some points. Atleast it did The Thing right. He is being done dirty for a long time.

2. There was chemistry between the cast. The chemistry was better than 2015 version but it wasn't better than the 2005 one.

3. Galactus was done right you could feel his presence in IMAX.

4. I liked Joseph Quinn. He kept the legacy alive of good human torches.

Now for cons

1. Pedro was such a miscast. He played himself. He is not right for Reed.

2. It has more wacky shots than the good ones. The CGI looks unfinished at some points.

3. It was poorly edited. We know they cut 15 to 20 minutes and you could feel it. Something was missing.

4. CGI baby. I think it's about time they stop using the CGI baby. It was giving uncanny vibes.

5. Reed was really underwhelming. He barely used his powers.

6. Although it was only 1 hour 55 minutes long yet it felt longer than other movies which are longer. The pacing was horrible.

7. Most of it was spoiled in the trailers. If you saw all promotional videos and trailer you just saw 50 percent of the movie.

8. The last act was horrible. It felt like that Yelena scene from Black Widow.

9. This movie felt like it was missing a whole act. They should have given creative control to the director.

10. They could have done the post credit better.

This was a misfire by marvel and they should be worried beacuse it is directly related to Doomsday. It is really average. It places at 2nd last in the ranking of 2025 CBM.

I am really disappointed. Fantastic four are one of my favourite characters and they missed another time. When we will get a good F4 film? That's the question.