
Who are these people and what have you done with the first family of Marvel Comics?
Cards on the table - I have a veritable shrine to the Fantastic Four in my home office. FF #72 "Where Soars the Silver Surfer" is framed on my wall. I own a 4 foot statue of Galactus, that lights up with the power cosmic.
So believe me that I really wanted to like this. Perhaps too much?
So what's good? The look of the film. The practical sets. The Fantasti-car. The ABC news conceit (the first 2 times). Comic accurate Galactus. Moments with Sue and Johnny Storm. The Mole Man!
What's bad?
Save for the climactic battle - 90% of which is in the trailers -- The FF literally does not fight anyone in this movie. Pedro Pascal is a muted, basically emasculated Reed Richards. All of Reed's dickish ambition has been sanded out of the character or is instantly apologized for in scene after excruciating scene.
The Thing - the ever-lovin' Ben Grimm, is a complete and total drag. I'm not sure if it's the motion-capture, or the script, or the directing - but why are we making Ben sad for the entire movie? Why is he a refined chef - except for a moronic "The Bear" allusion? Why does he hate saying "It's Clobbering Time?" Why is Alicia not blind and now named Rachel?
Why gender swap the Silver Surfer, and cast Julia Garner - for no apparent reason other than to have silver painted cleavage?
Why is there no joy in this family?
Has the real FF been stolen by Doctor Doom?
Since the DC/Marvel comparisons are inevitable and eternal -- "Superman" is an imperfect franchise film, but it had something specific and personal to say. It deeply respects the source material.
"The Fantastic Four: First Steps" is factory-made slop. It uses stunt casting and cheap tricks (like 5 additional ABC TV montages) to advance a story that it has to tell to get to the next story.
What a disappointment.
This film looks kinda depressing. Nothing in the trailers has been inspiring :/