ethanbresnett

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is easily one of the better MCU films since Endgame, and I think it does demonstrate a return to form that looks set to continue.

What this film does so well is to stand on its own, which is so refreshing. It doesn't connect to wider events or shoehorn in cameos. It just tells a good story about the characters themselves. It was nice to just get to know these iterations of the characters and spend time on their development and their story without the burden of multiversal madness (although that is all to come of course). Taking place in an entirely different universe to the main MCU timeline does this film a lot of favours.

Another thing this film does well is to not waste time on origin stories. Yes, they do touch on how the Fantastic Four came to be, but this is by no means an origin story. We meet established characters and can get things going much more swiftly, which helps the pacing of the film massively. With three Fantastic Four films having been released in the last 20 years, and most people going to see this film probably having seen at least one of them, this felt like the right choice.

The fact that this film takes place in a different timeline to the MCU also gives the opportunity to make it visually pop. The retro futuristic style of the film is brilliantly done. I particularly loved the costumes, and the set design inside Baxter Tower was great. The whole film felt like it had its own creative identity which was a joy to see.

Then there is the casting, which I think they nailed in every department. Pedro Pascal has charm and sincerity as Reed Richards. Vanessa Kirby is a brilliantly magnetic Sue Storm. Joseph Quinn flew high as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach was spot on as Benn Grimm (with brilliant character design too). Julia Garner and Ralph Ineson were also terrific.

Overall then, this film has filled me with much hope. Hot off the heels of Thunderbolts* (which I do think deserved a bit more love), I think the MCU is shaping up nicely. The hype for Avengers: Doomsday will never match that of Endgame, but I think if they keep on this path my excitement will continue to build.

I know this film is considered somewhat of a British classic for women of a certain age who watched this at a formative time in their life, and I'm not particularly the target audience for it, but in any case I found it to be decidedly average.

The story is fine. Nothing particularly special and the kind of scenario that has been played out in media many times. What it does do really well is to capture the setting and tone of British girls at this time. The vernacular, the interactions, the fashion. All of it just feels so right for the time. This element of the film is spot on.

Where it falls apart for me a bit is the performances, which all feel a bit wooden and bland. I do also think the whole thing just feels a little bit too cheesy. A certain amount of cheese in unavoidable in this type of film to an extent, but this just took it too far.

Overall though still an enjoyable enough film, just not as good as I was expecting it to be as I know so many people love it!

'It's a Boy Girl Thing' certainly has an entertaining premise. Good as gold geek and stereotypical jock switch bodies and have to try to navigate each other's lives, learning to put aside their prejudices and preconceived notions of the other. Basically Freaky Friday but both parties are teenagers and there's a gender swap element.

Despite the premise being perfectly fun, I don't think the film extracts enough fun out of the scenario as it could. The comedy all feels a little obvious and I just wanted it to push it a bit more or be a bit more creative. Similarly the emotional story beats all felt a bit too formulaic and predictable. And I'm not entirely sure I liked the ending of the film, but it might work for some.

I do think the performances of the two leads are very strong. Samaire Armstrong plays a man in a woman's body really well, and vice versa for Kevin Zegers. Their acting made the whole body swap feel believable as they inhabited the characters well.

So overall, despite only giving this five stars, I do think it was entertaining. Just all a bit safe and predictable, and nothing overly special.