The superpowered family, the Fantastic Four, must save New York from the cosmic foodie Galactus from eating their planet and must battle his surfboard-riding silver herald.
Hands down, my favorite thing about this movie was the world. The level of detail and creativity they use in both the design, tone, and the overall filmmaking for this retro-futuristic 1960s New York is incredibly well realized, and I kind of want to watch the film when it comes streaming just so I can pause and look at all the little funny Easter eggs and retro billboards in the background.
Overall, I was happy with the betrayals and adaptations of the Fantastic Four themselves; it’s not “Capital P perfect, but the actors definitely understand these characters and portray their core characteristics admirably. I can definitely see them strengthening in their roles/group dynamics in future sequels.
I was happily surprised with Pedro Pascal as Mr. Fantastic. When he was first announced, I was a little hesitant. Reed Richard’s reserved but intelligent/caring nature is a very precise balancing act to pull off performance-wise, and it’s not exactly what Pedro Pascal is known for, so I wasn’t sure if he could pull it off. But I think Pascal brought a subtle gravitas and interesting dimension to Reed that made it easy for me to buy him as the character, so good job, Pedro.
Vanessa Kirby was very smart, confident, and warm as Susan Storm. Her character helped keep the film's emotional core grounded and relatable.
Johnny Storm has always been my favorite of the team, and I’m happy to say I approve of Joseph Quinn’s performance. Due to the nature of the story, we don’t get as many “funny antics, womanizing, and joking personality” from him as I usually like, but I think what we got worked for the story they were telling, and I was entertained throughout, so I look forward to seeing more from him in the future.
Ebon Moss-Bachrach is a solid Ben Grimm/The Thing. His character of the four does have the least amount of story going on; also, he’s not written as boisterous as I usually like the character—he’s a little more mellow, but that’s more of a nitpick on my part. The actor's natural likability and laid-back charm made him very easy to like and root for.
Herbie the robot is cool. He is cute but also helpful and well utilized throughout the plot.
I am quite happy with this version of Galactus. He’s big, intimidating, and has the crazy purple hat… What more could you want lol?
I also really liked Galactus's spaceship; there was, like, this big, creepy, mechanical H. R. Giger field, everything I really dug.
Julia Garner gave a very interesting and complex performance, both vocally and physically, as the Silver Surfer. I wasn’t the biggest fan of where her character stuff ended; without spoiling anything… it felt a little abrupt.
My biggest complaint with the movie… I wish there had been more character moments. It feels like scenes might’ve been cut or trimmed down for a shorter run time. I don’t think it was too detrimental to the film, but you can definitely feel a couple of subplots or character traits could’ve been fleshed out more and could’ve had a more distinct feel if they had more time to breathe. I kinda hope Disney+ releases a director's cut where they include some extra scenes cut; it would definitely be a good incentive for people to use the streaming service lol.
As I said earlier, they show the teams and character history in a montage at the beginning and then just drop you into the story, and I do like that they get the ball rolling right off the bat. Although if you don’t have any real prior knowledge of these characters, it might take you a little bit of time to get a handle on their personalities and their dynamic. I think that could’ve been fleshed out and made more clear earlier on… This is where that director's cut could help Disney, hint hint, lol.
As far as summer blockbusters go, it’s a good one. The visuals are creative and stunning, and there are some fun action set pieces. It isn’t “Jurassic Park” or “Titanic” level, but I would definitely give it above average, definitely memorable.
They do fit a lot of story into the runtime; at some point it can feel like a lot, and certain story beats and time frames get sped along or glossed over, but never to the point that it takes me out of the story. It keeps a breezy and fun pace that is never too distracting and is entertaining throughout.
I was impressed with the score; it was very bombastic and creative.
There was also a small little tribute/nod to the creators of the Fantastic Four, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, which I thought was very sweet.
There was one really funny moment I had in the theater, but it’s kind of a spoiler, so I’ll save it after I give my rating, but let me just say it was a funny audience interaction.
To summarize… It’s a fun movie. You can tell the filmmakers and actors have a lot of passion and creativity for the material and are giving it their all, and while characterization and breathing room might be sacrificed in certain parts for a quicker runtime and more story beats, the overall product and characters still work. Is there room to grow? Yes, but this is a solid and well-made foundation.
I give this film a low… four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. If nothing else, I’m happy for this rating just for the pun; that’s fantastic lol.
So the funny moment… In the post-credit scene, they allude to doom and show the doom mask, and one guy the audience yelled… It’s MF Doom. and the entire theater laughed, so that was a nice way to end things.
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