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There's a strange kind of beauty in watching Fantastic Four (2025). This is a film that walks into the room fully aware of its history, of all the past attempts that fizzled, of all the groans whenever a new reboot was announced. And instead of hiding from it, it embraces it. It reclaims its origin story but does so with a refreshing simplicity, presenting it in a way that feels nostalgic yet new. The old TV-style aspect ratio that frames the first 10 minutes is just bold and effective.

Okay, the pacing here is what stands out first. There's no rush to throw the team into endless CGI battles or make them save the world every ten minutes. This is a slower, more deliberate origin tale that still manages to feel purposeful. It builds. It breathes. It takes its time and it works wonderfully.

Vanessa Kirby is the star of this film. Her Sue Storm is magnetic, layered and deeply human. From the moment she appears on screen, you feel she was born for this role. We've seen Jessica Alba give us elegance and Kate Mara try her hand at a quieter Sue, but Kirby just owns it. She is the Invisible Woman and she makes sure you never forget her presence. Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm brings us the most charming and textured version of The Thing yet. He isn't just rocks and rage. He is warmth and pain and humour all rolled into one. Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, however, is a bit complicated. He's great, always is but halfway through, Reed takes a sharp turn. He makes decisions that feel off, uncharacteristic even and the film never really explains why. It leaves you scratching your head, questioning if the genius we saw in the first half is the same man in the second.

If you're here for wall-to-wall action, you might be disappointed. Fantastic Four doesn't go for that. The action scenes are few and for some, that might be a letdown. But when the punches finally land, they hit well. They may not be jaw-dropping or earth-shattering but they're definitely clean, fun and serve the story rather than overwhelm it.

Narratively, this is one of the cleaner Marvel stories we've seen in a while. It sets up the team, teases the larger world, and plants seeds for Avengers: Doomsday without feeling like a commercial. It gives us a different kind of threat, one that feels weighty but contained. And then there's Silver Surfer. She isn't just a side piece of fan service. She brings an emotional gravity to the film that lingers long after the credits roll.

The production design is also gorgeous. There's a retro-futuristic warmth in the Baxter Building that makes it feel like home. The textures, the colour palettes, the way light bends around the characters, it's masterfully and artfully done. It's visually striking.

And at its heart, this is a movie about family. About finding yourself when the world has changed you. About love that is chosen, not just inherited. It isn't subtle about this theme nor does it need to be. You can feel it in every pivotal scene, every little argument and every beautiful reconciliation.

Talking about the villain, it may be polarizing. If you walked in expecting the comics' unstoppable god-tier threat, you might leave wanting more. The film dials it down for the sake of its narrative. It works for the story but part of you will wish they let him truly loose but hey, maybe they are keeping it for Avengers: Doomsday. We believe that this is just the beginning.

Verdict: This one feels proper and polished. The narrative is neat. It carries a sense of warmth and comfort and most importantly, it has its own beating heart. Truth be told, there are not many action scenes but the bond between this quartet is what makes it truly engaging to watch, elevated by a production design that perfectly matches its tone and narrative. It is more than just a superhero film. It is a story about identity, chosen family, and finding purpose when the world demands you be more than human. This is Marvel's First Family finally finding their voice, and it feels like the beginning of something truly special.

There are some actors who do not just play a role. They live it. They breathe it. They are it. And Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt is exactly that. Watching The Final Reckoning feels like sitting in a dark room filled with decades of memories, missions, betrayals, and near-death experiences and quietly realizing it might be the last time we see this man sprint toward danger for our entertainment. If this really is the end, then what a journey it has been.

This film is not just about espionage, global threats, or saving the world. At its very core, it is a cinematic love letter to Tom Cruise. From the very first shot, the camera practically worships him. And honestly, we do too. He is Mission: Impossible. It's almost as if the film pauses just long enough to let us appreciate the legacy he's built. The real bruises, the real fear in his eyes, the real wind slamming against his face thousands of feet in the air. When they say he does his own stunts, this movie is the ultimate proof of that.

There's one sequence, a 20-minute spectacle involving planes, that had us gripping the edge of our seats. Not because it was over-the-top, but because it felt so damn real. The positioning of the cameras, the roaring sound of the engines, the barely visible tremble in Ethan's muscles. All of it screams authenticity. You could feel the gravity. You could feel the weight. And you could tell Cruise was putting every drop of himself into it. It is art through adrenaline.

But The Final Reckoning is not perfect. And maybe it was never meant to be.

This installment chooses not to waste time diving into backstories or emotional flashbacks. It is mission first, emotions later. And while that does keep the pace laser-focused for the most part, it also comes with a cost. Some fans may feel like the heart, the soul, the "why should I care?" moments, are few and far between. At times, it feels like the movie is sprinting only toward its mission goal that it forgets everything else.

What we admire, though, is how The Final Reckoning ties itself beautifully to the past. It is not trying to create a brand new mission. It is not throwing a bunch of new characters into the mix. It is solving what Dead Reckoning left behind, and in doing so, it loops itself tightly around the other past six films. It closes loops. It answers questions. It brings emotional closure to threads that have been hanging for years. There's a certain bravery in doing that, of focusing on one mission and choosing not to open new doors just for the sake of future films.

And then there's the villain. This antagonist is not just a bad guy, he is intangible. He is near God-like. The stakes are sky-high. It genuinely feels impossible. Like, actually impossible. It puts Ethan and his team in a corner where every second counts. Time is running out. Stake is at all-time high. It is everything we want in a Mission: Impossible film. It dares to make us believe the heroes may not win this time. That someone might not make it out alive.

Here's where the main issue lies; this final installment felt very long-winded. It feels like it wants to tell you everything. It seems like it takes itself seriously... way too seriously even. It really does feel like it makes itself looks complex much more than what it is and what it's supposed to be.

Some scenes also stretched out very long, like they wanted audience to listen to every word or watch at every action that took place. The pacing is very slow. One scene can go up to 7-8 minutes of what could have been cut to just about 3-4 minutes. It wants it to be very detailed but here's the thing. It's dour. It can be a bit dull. And because of that, some audience may lost interest in the movie. It gives you a lot of expositions that can feel too much for some especially if you're not that invested with the franchise or if you've forgotten a lot of details from the previous movies.

There is also an underwater sequence teased in the trailers that promises something epic. And visually, it delivers. But emotionally and logically? It breaks the very rules this franchise has set up for years. This is the first time it felt like the story needed Cruise to have a bit of CGI help. A bit of plot armor. And that hurts. Because we know he is capable of doing the impossible. But here, it feels like the movie cheated its way to impress the audience. And that matters to us.

And yes, the tone itself is gritty. It wants to be raw. It wants to be as realistic as it can. It wants the audience to immerse itself with Ethan Hunt to complete this final mission. Some may get into it. Some others may just feel tedious waiting for the next scene to happen. But here's one thing they forget; with all the grittiness that lies, it forgets to be entertaining for the mass market. The entertainment value in this is lacking for general audience. Everything that's entertaining with Fallout was almost devoid here. What made Fallout great was even with all the grittiness and the grainy tone, its entertainment value is top notch and high octane. It knows its target audience, it has the right balance of action, comedy, drama and romance. But The Final Reckoning forgets that part. Just serious faces doing serious things for almost 3 hours. The film forgets how to have fun. It forgets that people come to be thrilled and entertained. And that lack of balance makes the ride feel a little heavier than it should be.

And finally, the ending. Is it satisfying? In some ways, yes. It gives us closure. It gives us enough to walk away with peace. But is it great? That's debatable. It could have used more 'heart'. It could have reached deeper. It ends with the feeling that maybe, just maybe, we're not actually done. That there might be more in the vault. And in today's Hollywood with reboots and sequels era, that's not hard to believe.

Verdict: This one takes itself seriously. Way too seriously. It drowns in exposition, stretches scenes beyond their breaking point, and forgets that people came here to feel alive, not just overwhelmed. It forgets to breathe. It forgets to have fun. But maybe that's the point. The Final Reckoning is a heavy, brooding farewell that wants to honor Ethan Hunt and Tom Cruise with the gravitas of a cinematic eulogy. Because this feels like the last time we'll see him this raw, this real. His 20-minute plane sequence alone is worth the ticket. If this really is the end, The Final Reckoning isn't flawless but it is fearless. Thank you, Tom Cruise.

It's wild to say this, but after five movies and more than two decades, Final Destination somehow still has life left in it. Or rather, death. And this time, it hits a little closer to home. Bloodlines isn't just about unlucky strangers cheating fate anymore but it's about family. And with that shift, the stakes suddenly feel heavier, the emotions more raw. Because when death comes for the blood, it's not just fear you feel. It's grief. It's guilt. It's love. And maybe that's why this entry stands out, for better or worse.

Let's start with the concept. Family has never been the center of this franchise. We've seen classmates, co-workers, and acquaintances on the run from death, but this time, we're watching people who genuinely care for each other fall into that cycle. That makes a huge difference. It hurts more. It hits deeper. And yeah, it makes us wonder, if it were your family, how far would you go to stop the inevitable?

Also, credit where it's due. The film tries something new with the opening accident. No highways, no planes, no race tracks or suspension bridges. This time, it all kicks off in a high-rise restaurant. That shift alone already breathes new life into the formula. It's unexpected. It's acrophobic. It's oddly elegant and terrifying at the same time. But don't get too excited, if you were hoping for the long-awaited ship or water-related disaster (like many of us were), this ain't it.

Now, let's talk about the gore. We know why you're here. And yes, the deaths are brutal. Bloody. Wild. There were moments we flinched, moments we squirmed, moments we covered our eyes and peeked through our fingers. But as great as some of those sequences were, they don't quite reach the unforgettable horror of FD 2 or 3. Why? Because it uses too much CGI. The deaths feel animated and not in a good way. There's something about practical effects that stick with you, that disturb you long after the credits roll. Bloodlines often trades that realism for spectacle, and in doing so, it loses a bit of its bite.

The suspense is honestly a hit or miss. Part of what made Final Destination so scary was how simple the deaths were. The log truck that caused generational trauma, the tanning bed that was caused by dripping water, the escalator that was merely simple but very traumatizing, the lasik eye surgery that could happen basically to anyone. They made you fear your own bathroom. But here, some of the deaths feel too 'engineered'. Like fate had to go through a hundred different steps and a sprinkle of miracles just to make them happen. That makes it less scary, less grounded. It becomes a "movie death," not a "this could happen to me" death.

And that brings us to tone. This one's tricky. Bloodlines has this weird, goofy energy that feels like it wandered in from another genre. While we have cloudy sombre mood in Final Destination 2 or gothic rock look in Final Destination 3, this one felt goofy overall. It's still horror, yes, but it sometimes flirts a little too hard with comedy and not in the smart, dark humor way. Some of the jokes land, but a few feel way out of place. Like they belong in a Nickelodeon teen movie, not a franchise built on dread and doom. It felt comical and fantasy-like. You can definitely feel the directors' Disney Channel DNA in there especially in how some of the dialogue is written and delivered (Remember, they directed the live-action Kim Possible Movie fore real). A few lines honestly made us laugh, not because they were funny, but because they felt awkwardly placed or just plain corny.

But even with the tonal whiplash, the movie does do a few things really well. The balance between drama and horror is actually quite solid in some scenes. There are moments where you do care about the characters, their grief, their confusion, their desperation. There's one particular scene involving a sibling that really tugged at the heart. And those are the moments where Bloodlines reminds us what this franchise can be when it isn't trying to be too clever or too loud.

There are also some nice throwbacks for longtime fans but it's blink-and-you'll-miss-it easter eggs like a passing log truck, a familiar hospital name (Clear River, anyone?), and references to past characters or deaths. It's fan service, sure, but in a sweet, subtle way. Not overbearing. Just enough to make you smile but in fear.

Unfortunately, the pacing could've been tighter. The first half is a slow burn, and if you came in expecting death after death like Final Destination 2 or 4, you might be let down. This feels more like the first film. The story drives the engine, and the deaths are pit stops along the way. The final climax was mid. It doesn't really feel like that was supposed to be the climax of the movie. They could have explored more on how they could have impacted the story or the deaths more but what we got was a mid climax that felt boring and meh. It just doesn't build up to that edge-of-your-seat tension we were hoping for. It fizzles, rather than explodes.

We need to be honest about the visuals. Some of the camera work, lighting choices and delivery of dialogues just feel... off. Almost like you're watching an 18+ TV show rather than a polished horror film. At times it looks cheap, which is disappointing because this series deserves to feel cinematic. The horror deserves weight. Gravity. Darkness. Instead, it occasionally feels like a high-budget student film with B to C-list actors.

Still, despite all of that, we can't lie. We had fun. It gave us chills. It made us look over our shoulder. And more than anything, it reminded us that the Final Destination series still knows how to make death feel terrifyingly inevitable.

Verdict: After five films and a long break, Final Destination: Bloodlines doesn't just bring the franchise back - it rewires it. It's flawed, yes. The CGI bleeds into the kills too much. The goofy tone doesn't always match the stakes. But it hits deep. This isn't just about death anymore. It's about love, guilt, and what it means to lose someone you'd die for. Sure, some deaths feel too engineered, and yes, the tone sometimes slips into Nickelodeon-territory, but there's a real beating heart underneath the chaos. The CGI may cheapen the gore, but it still made us squirm, look away, and nervously laugh all in the same breath. It's not the scariest entry but it might be the most 'human'. And for a series known for senseless carnage, that's a wild achievement.