The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025)
Like millions of others, we'd grown weary of Marvel superhero movies.....with their convoluted multi-verses, repetitious smackdowns and tiresome end credit teasers that made us realize the 150 minute movie we just sat through was really just an elaborate trailer for the next 150 minute movie we're supposed to salivate for in anticipation.
Audiences let out a collective yawn, all of us suffering from SES....Superhero Exhaustion Syndrome. (Probably also brought on by those crappy Warner Brothers DC comics movies and Disney's never ending parade of mediocre Marvel series on their Disney Plus streaming site.)
So we approached this newest Disney-Marvel version of 'The Fantastic Four' with more than little dread......and found ourselves, dare we say it. surprised, engaged.....and yep, entertained.
Holy Spandex, the damn thing's actually kinda fun to watch. There's a whole tongue-in-cheeky 1960's vibe to it that coats the movie with a sheen of playful innocence.
The new bunch of actors brought in to play the Quad Godz bring some much needed humanity and humor to the usual smash 'em-bash 'em razz-ma-tazz. There's the inevitable but reliable Pedro Pascal as rubber limbed Science Guy Reed Richards. Vanessa Kirby adding some mature sexuality to Reed's wife, the invisible, multi-powered Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as her younger brother, the impulsive flying fireball Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (of "The Bear") as the massive, clobberin' orange rock Ben Grimm.
Together, the gang's up against super-gigantic outer space planet eater Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his equally lethal Silver Surfin' minion Shalla-Bal (Julia Garner). Earth is next on their demolition schedule but the Galacinator's willing to give us a pass if Sue gives up her and Reed's newborn son, Franklin. Galactus, tired to exploding and gobbling planets, thinks little Frankie has some awesome superpower he needs that the Four haven't figured out yet.
And what a problem facing Sue, who as a new fierce mama bear, won't sacrifice her baby boy. At first, that doesn't sit well with everybody on Earth, viewing as just a tad selfish on Sue's part. (Now there's a problem never discussed in books for new parents.....)
But never fear, when Galactus, who makes Godzilla seem like a baby salamander, comes a stompin' into NYC, the four mix it up with him in a titanic battle that, for a refreshing change, doesn't overstay its welcome like most Marvel destructive derbies.
We fully admit to having a jolly good time with this Fantastic Four - it reminded us of why we all became bedazzled and amused by comic book movies to begin with......before they took a slide into bloated self-importance and same-old-same-old. And we didn't even mind the usual end-credits teaser, which of course promises the next villain stepping up to the plate.
The Four next appear in the upcoming Avengers movie and since they're included in the mix, we're willing to give it a try.
4 stars (****).
No comments:
Post a Comment